A petition calling for Erewash cabbies to be allowed to have fully-tinted windows in their taxis has been rejected over fears that vehicles could be used to enable the abuse of vulnerable children and adults.

In total, 48 cabbies had signed a petition calling for Erewash Borough Council to drop its policy of only allowing windows to have a slight tint.

In a council report on the issue, Derbyshire police made the claim that taxis in Erewash are being used to transport kids to places where they are being abused.

The borough council says that the policy on tinted windows is in place to maintain the safety and welfare of passengers – specifically to minimise the risk to vulnerable children and adults.

The authority had asked more taxi drivers for their views and support to drop the policy rose to 69 out of the 257 licensed cars in the borough.

Erewash’s current policy requires all Hackney and private hire vehicles to have a windscreen that allow at least 75 per cent of light to pass through and 70 per cent through all other windows.

The petitioning drivers said that this often leaves them hundreds or thousands of pounds out of pocket to make their vehicles meet the specification.

This, they say, is often because many vehicles come pre-fitted with tinted windows.

Neither the county council nor the police want cabs to have fully-tinted windows.

The borough council says that if it changed its policy, it may face “reputational damage” and a surge in challenges from drivers who have already paid for compliant windows.

At a meeting of the authority’s licensing and public protection, councillors unanimously agreed to maintain the current policy.

Nick Thurstan, the authority’s head of environment and housing services, said: “These are very serious offences we are talking about and the council’s policy is proactive and precautionary, to minimise the possibility of heinous crimes.

“There have been complaints about taxi driver behaviour and we have provided some examples of these.

“So to say that Erewash is absolutely fine in this area is an incorrect fact.

“These instances underline the need for the council to retain the policy and to remain vigilant, and that it should take all possible steps to maintain that.”

Councillor Frank Phillips had concerns about the policy, saying: “I feel the council is being unreasonable if it is asking for more than the law allows.

“Cars are often fitted with tinted windows as standard. My wife recently bought a Toyota Yaris and it came with tinted windows.

“There are retrofit stickers which people can put on, but these would never beat the legal standard and police would just ask those to be taken off.

“When cars are being fitted as standard with tinted windows I feel it is totally unacceptable to demand more than the law allows.”

Current national standards under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 state that windscreens must allow at least 75 per cent of light to pass through and that front driver-side windows must allow at least 70 per cent.

There are no legal standards for the back seat windows or rear windows.

Cllr John Frudd said: “I am into preventing child exploitation and modern slavery, and it is known that taxis are one of the main contributors to modern day slavery – so I would say the council’s policy is correct.

“I think taxi drivers should probably be lobbying manufacturers through their industry body, because if there are types of vehicles more suited to taxis then manufacturers could be encouraged to make sure these are fitted with compliant windows as standard.”

Chairing the meeting, Cllr Jonathan Wright, said: “I have contacted a range of manufacturers and it is usually a no cost option when ordering a car to state that you do not want tinted windows.”

The borough council consulted the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and found that tinted glass was usually an optional extra fitted a cost of £200-300 per window.

Petitioning drivers said that the policy can see cabbies forking out £4,000 for replacing non-compliant windows.

Cllr Howard Griffiths said: “Our town (Long Eaton) is filled with CCTV and the fact that taxis could have tinted windows would mean that those cameras would be useless.

“It is in the interest of the safety of the passengers and the drivers.

“Lots of people are vulnerable in the back of taxis, particularly if they have gone out to have a few drinks, including people you usually wouldn’t class as vulnerable.

“This policy gives us a fighting chance of being able to police how drivers treat their passengers and how passengers treat their drivers.

“I see no possible reason why anyone would need to have tinted windows – they should expect supervision.”

Following the decision, Cllr Wright said: “I think today’s meeting reiterates Erewash Borough Council’s stance and strong feelings on protecting residents that are riding in taxis.

“The window tinting proposal that was put forward by the taxi drivers was unfortunately not acceptable, but we believe as a council that you should be able to see into the back of taxis.

“This will safeguard residents and make taxis as safe as can be to travel in.”

Source: https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/fear-taxis-enable-child-abuse-2556293

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A New England woman claimed she was kidnapped by a sex trafficking worker after getting into the wrong Uber - but police say it was just a misunderstanding because of a language barrier. 

Emmy Hurley's Tuesday post went viral with half a million shares by Thursday, after she told how she hopped into a vehicle that was not her ride-share on Monday night.

She said the female driver had the same car as the one she was waiting for and she only realized she wasn't being taken to her correct destination while on the trip in Tampa Bay, Florida after receiving a call from the right pick-up.

She claimed in a Facebook post Tuesday that she was being kidnapped by a woman pretending to be her Uber driver in Tampa Bay, Florida

'I got in before checking, as she opened the back door for me from her seat. She drove erratically and didn't speak. About 10 minutes in, my actual Uber called me asking where I was. My voice cracked, because in that instant I knew,' she wrote in a dramatic Facebook post.

Hurley – who currently lives in Hawaii - explained in the public post that she covertly tried to signal she was in a bad situation by explaining she was in a car and 'I think I need help'.

She said her assigned Uber driver urged her to get out of the vehicle however she could but claimed the person behind the wheel of the car would not comply.

'The lady refused to stop or respond to me. I told her she was driving by my friends (random girls I saw) and they would call the cops,' Hurley continued. 'She slowed a little, pointing at her phone saying "Uber. I take you back then." I said, no here is fine.'

Hurley added that when the driver kept going she 'booked it out the door, car still moving' and the woman 'sped off'.

Hurley also claimed in the post she'd been informed by 'numerous people' the driver was a 'sex traffic worker'. 

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A woman was killed by the same "drug driven" taxi which had dropped her off on her doorstep just seconds earlier.

Much-loved Judith Rogers was tragically struck by a Ford Mondeo private hire cab at around 12.40am this morning, on Lydieth Lea in Netherley.

The 60-year-old was with her husband Richie and they were returning home together when the horrific collision took place, right in front of their driveway gates.

Today, stunned neighbours described Mrs Rogers as "a lovely woman who kept herself to herself".

Detectives have arrested the driver of the taxi, aged 30, who took the couple back home.

He was given a roadside test and then detained on suspicion of drug driving.

Two fire crews, and the service's search and rescue team, were alerted at 12.41am, and worked for 42 minutes to retrieve the woman from under the taxi.

Airbags and chock blocks were used by firefighters to lift the Ford Mondeo and prevent the wheels from moving.

Crews left the scene at 1.23am.

Locals said Ms Rogers and her husband often went to nearby Woolton Village, and it is thought they were returning home from a night out together.

One resident said: "From what we've been told, the taxi driver somehow hasn't seen her when she's been getting out the vehicle, and it's hit her.

"It's so sad.

"Judith was well-known and well-liked on the street."

This morning, husband Richie, who lives at home with his son Colin, was too upset to comment.

Residents said the couple had another child who lived in Australia, who had a grandchild that Mrs Rogers was yet to see.

A tent was today covered the spot on the roadside where the accident happened.

Officers were carrying out door-to-door enquiries on Lydieth Lea.

Today, police launched an appeal for witnesses and asked anyone who saw the accident to get in touch.

A spokesman said: "At around 12.40am, officers were called to reports that a Ford Mondeo had been involved in a collision with a 60-year-old female pedestrian in Lydieth Lea.

"Emergency services attended however the pedestrian was sadly pronounced dead at the scene."

And the force added: "The victim’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers at this time.

"An investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances and officers are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to please get in touch."

Anyone who witnessed the collision take place, or has any information in relation to this incident, can contact the social media desk @MerPolCC, call 101 or 0151 777 4757 quoting reference 19100064352, or you can call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Source: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/much-loved-mum-killed-drug-15867354

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A 52-year-old man phoned the emergency services to complain that no taxi would take him home.

But although drunk Stephen Capp, of Ann Crescent, Nairn was dealt with patiently by the operator during the six-minute phone call on September 24 last year, he lost his temper.

Inverness Sheriff Court was told yesterday that he protested that he was cold and disabled and needed to get home before swearing at her.

Capp then phoned back and resumed abusing the operator, before threatening to “blow something up”, Sheriff Gary Aitken heard.

Fiscal depute Niall Macdonald added: “Police arrived and it was seen he was under the influence of alcohol.”

The court was told that Capp then later appeared to suffer a seizure and an ambulance was called. But on that journey to hospital in Inverness, Capp, who was accompanied by a police officer, attempted to head-butt him.

Capp admitted behaving in a abusive and threatening manner and police assault.

He was fined a total of £450.

Source: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/1681447/nairn-man-calls-999-to-complain-that-no-taxi-would-take-him-home-after-drunken-night-out/

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A private hire driver who refused to take a blind woman and her guide dog was caught as part of a huge crackdown on cabbies breaking the law.

Qurban Hussain was booked by a test purchaser carrying out checks on private hire drivers for Kirklees Council.

The operation came following reports that there were drivers in the area refusing to pick up disabled passengers and their assistance dogs.

The 47-year-old, who works for Pennine Heckmondwike Cars, was booked for a pickup from Morrisons in Heckmondwike at 1pm on June 23 last year.

He denied any wrongdoing but was found guilty following a trial at Kirklees Magistrates' Court.

Gareth Henderson-Moore, prosecuting, said: "On that date Kirklees Council was conducting a covert operation which involved an officer from the council making a booking for a taxi.

"When the driver arrived she was accompanied by a member of the public who is registered blind and needs an assistance dog to identify whether drivers would accept the booking."

He told magistrates that one of these volunteers on the day was Donna Wood-Brignall, an enforcement officer for Kirklees who was asked to carry out some test purchasing with the licensing team.

Mr Henderson-Moore told the Huddersfield court: "She made a booking with Pennine Heckmondwike Cars on the council's behalf and this driver (Hussain) was booked for the job.

"He attended at the pickup location and there was no issue with accepting the booking until he saw the assistance dog whereby he refused the booking and said he didn't take dogs and told her to get in the car behind."

Ms Wood-Brignall said in evidence that it had been brought to the council's attention that some taxi drivers in the area were refusing to take assistance dogs or were overcharging the customer if they did.

She said that on the day of the operation she booked a taxi to take her to the Obediah Brooke Wetherspoons pub in Cleckheaton and was quoted a fare of £4.50.

When asked who the car was for she replied 'Donna' and did not mention that it was for an assistance dog.

She told the court that she was accompanied by a blind woman and her dog and the idea was that they would go through her daily routine.

Ms Wood-Brignall said: "I approached the taxi and said 'are you for Donna?' and he said 'yes. I asked if he was for the Obediah pub and he said 'yes' and had no problem at that point.

"I then got hold of the door to open it for the passenger. He (the driver) lent forward past me and said 'you have dog?'and I said 'yes'.

"He shook his head and said 'no'. I asked him why and said it's an assistance dog and can get into a cab.

"I said it's part of his licence under the Equality Act to allow the dog into the car because it's a working dog and he still said 'no'."

She said that once it was clear that Hussain was refusing to take the dog she made the agreed hand signal to two enforcement officers who then came over and spoke with him.

Andrew Prescott, a licensing and enforcement officer for Kirklees Council, was one of the officers involved in the test purchase.

He sad that Hussain also told him that he didn't take dogs and suggested that the customer took the taxi behind him.

Mr Prescott later went to his firm's office in Heckmondwike and examined the log of the bookings taken. He said that the comment 'dog booking' had been added but the log appeared to have been altered several times.

Mr Wood-Brignall told magistrates: "Any mention of a dog is excluded in the booking, the idea being to test the drivers when they arrive.

"It says 'dog car' in the book but there's no way that the operator could have known about its presence at the time."

Hussain, of Thomas Street in Heckmondwike, pleaded not guilty to failing or refusing to carry out a booking for a disabled person accompanied by an assistance dog.

His solicitor Khalid Hussain said that there was no evidence that the call taker asked Hussain to pick up Ms Wood-Brignall.

He told magistrates: "He said that that he couldn't take her and the other driver was there to take her.

"Whether or not he takes the dog is of no consequence. He made it clear he was not the driver allocated."

Mr Hussain added that a number of entries in the books had been altered before and after the date of the incident and there was no evidence that any of these related to Hussain.

But magistrates found the case proved against Hussain due to the credible evidence of the witnesses and fined him £120. He was ordered to pay £700 towards prosecution costs and £30 victim surcharge.

Source: https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/taxi-driver-found-guilty-refusing-15859354

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