Government want your views on Taxi reforms

Taxi/PH red-tape Challenge

Taxi-ferrying drug barons jailed

27 May 2011 Last updated at 18:56

A father and son from Oldham who used taxi drivers to distribute drugs across the UK have been jailed at Manchester Crown Court.

Fazal Hussain, 43, and his son Faisal, 20, both of Cranbrook Street, Oldham, were sentenced to nine years 11 months and eight years four months respectively.
Ch Supt Tim Forber of Greater Manchester Police said that the pair "wreaked misery on the community" and that it was "extremely pleasing" that they were behind bars.
Both men admitted several counts of supplying drugs and possessing criminal property.
Seven other gang members received sentences from 15 months to seven years.
WATCH LINK HERE>
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-13580347

This is the future/ Taxi app

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zKAr2tcdjk&feature=player_embedded

Can the trade dinosaurs adapt to this type of technology? Well it's modernise or become extinct.

Black Cab Taxi sales plunge at Manganese Bronze

Taxi sales plunge at Manganese Bronze

Last updated: Tue 17th May, 2011 | Time: 08:20am

Sales of Manganese Bronze Holding's London taxi cabs have dropped by 5.2 per cent in the UK for the first quarter of 2011. The Coventry-based company said taxi driver earnings and confidence had been "negatively affected" by the economic climate.
The results were announced through an interim management statement for the period 1 January to 16 May 2011.
Manganese Bronze produced 524 vehicles compared with 553 in the comparable 2010 period.

Girl charged after rape investigation in Bolton

A teenage girl has been charged with perverting the course of justice after police investigated a rape in Greater Manchester.

Officers were called to a house in Great Lever, Bolton, on 8 January when a 17-year-old girl reported being raped by a taxi driver.
A 34-year-old man was arrested but later released without charge, a police spokesman said.
The teenager is due before Bolton magistrates on 1 June.

Lotus builds hydrogen fuel cell taxi for London 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10836132

World's top five taxis

The classic New York taxi is to be phased out and replaced with a Japanese minivan. Here is a list of some of the world's most beloved taxis:

10:30AM BST 04 May 2011

1. London's Black Cab

The world's most distinctive taxi cab, the first Austin FX3 "Black Cab" rolled off the production line in 1948. But it was its successor, the FX4, from 1958 that set the familiar design that is still in use today.

More than 100,000 black cabs have been produced, but today Manganese Bronze, the company which owns the marque, is now importing parts from China, where it has a partnership with Geely, before assembling them in Coventry.

The company has struggled in recent years to make a profit, especially with other taxi cab manufacturers making inroads into London, but it did manage to sell 1,000 black cabs to Azerbaijan earlier this year.


2. Delhi's Ambassador

The Hindustan Ambassador, based on the Morris Oxford III, has also been in production since 1948 and is currently produced near Calcutta.

Despite its British origins, the Ambassador is known as the "King of Indian Roads" because of its excellent suspension. Its excellent reputation was bolstered by the fact that it was the car of choice for Indian political leaders until 2002, when the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee started travelling in an armoured BMW 7 Series.

3. Bangkok's Tuk-tuk

The auto rickshaws of Bangkok, or tuk-tuks, are often the best way to get around a city that is choked with traffic. These days, tuk-tuks are modernising, moving to low emission engines and sometimes being powered by Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG). Tuk-tuks do not have meters, however, and the cost of a trip has to be negotiated in advance. That has led to steep rises in fares with clueless tourists often willing to pay the asking price.

4. Mexico City's VW Beetle

Known in Mexico City as El Vocho, tens of thousands of VW Beetles have been painted green and white and have been a familiar sight for at least half-a-century. Now, however, the Mexican Transport ministry is out to get rid of the fleet of Beetles by next year, arguing that they should be replaced with more modern, fuel-efficient vehicles. To tempt taxi drivers to upgrade, Mexico City is offering 15,000 pesos (£790) to anyone who scraps their Vocho.

5. Venice's Gondola

The flat-bottomed gondolas that traverse the canals of Venice were the chief means of transportation in the city for centuries, reaching a peak of popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries, when some 8,000 to 10,000 operated in the lagoon. Gondoliers use oars to propel the boats and have to understand the hidden currents that run through the canals, making many of them impassable.

Source; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8491505/Worlds-top-five-taxis.html
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Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy (London)

Important Information for Taxi and Private Hire Drivers and Operators

As you may be aware, in December 2010 the Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy was published which contained a wide range of initiatives aimed at reducing harmful emissions in London. The actions outlined in the strategy included initiatives focused on reducing harmful emissions from licensed taxis and private hire vehicles.

You can find a full copy of the Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy on the GLA website at: www.london.gov.uk/publication/mayors-air-quality-strategy.

The air quality initiatives for taxis and private hire vehicles included:
• From 1 January 2012 a 10 year rolling age limit will be introduced for private hire vehicles and a 15 year rolling age limit for taxis unless exempted
• From 1 April 2012, unless exempted, all newly licensed private hire vehicles must, as a minimum, meet Euro 4 standards for emissions and be no older than 5 years and all newly licensed taxis must, as a minimum, meet Euro 5 standards for emissions
• TfL will work with both the taxi and private hire industry to introduce eco-driving training from 2012 and to promote efficient driving techniques to reduce emissions with eco-driving elements being required for all new taxi drivers before becoming licensed

New assessments for Chichester taxi drivers

Would-be taxi drivers wanting to work in the area covered by Chichester District Council are now being assessed by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) before being given a licence to drive a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle.

More than 160 councils throughout Britain have already agreed to take testing on board for hackney carriage and private hire drivers. Central operations change manager Phil Coop said: “We are delighted Chichester District Council (CDC) has decided to introduce this assessment as driving a taxi carries a great deal of responsibility.”

Taxi wars' in France as new businesses try to compete

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13320358

De-reg via the Human Rights Act?

Breaking news from Edinburgh. After a battle lasting over 3 years, two Taxi drivers won an appeal in the Sheriff’s court yesterday, granting them two Hackney proprietors licenses. Nothing new here, appeals are won all the time.

This time however, IT IS BELIEVED the drivers used the Human Rights act. The drivers claimed they were unfairly kept from the trade because of artificial restrictions to the tools of the trade i.e, plates. The City of Edinburgh had its own criteria system, similar to Manchester, this was found to be unlawful, as that to was an artificial barrier to the trade. We have been saying all along that Manchester’s criteria was unlawful so the Sheriffs judgment, when we receive it could have repercussions around the country.

Watch this space.

Read more: http://www.mrblackcab.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=740#ixzz1M3QCSKqe