Wirral Driver loses Livelihood... ‘Late
Wirral taxi driver, 63-year-old grandfather of three Mike Rice (pictured) got a nasty surprise when he tried to renew the ‘plate’ on his ‘V’ Metrocab, the council ruled that Mike was too late with his application and refused the application. Mr Rice appealed to the licensing committee that confirmed the licensing officer’s decision. Wirral Borough Council, have a deregulated numbers policy at the moment, pending a survey and it was made clear to Mr Rice that they would only license a taxi that didn’t exceed three years old. However, Mr Rice has stated that he is reluctant to take on up to £30K of finance at his age, even if he could obtain finance in the current financial crisis, in that it is becoming increasingly difficult for taxi and private hire drivers to obtain finance even with squeaky clean credit history (see last month’s editorial SharksR Us).
The problem started back in December, when Mr Rice booked his Metrocab into a garage to prepare for the annual compliance test, because of problems obtaining parts for this particular vehicle, the cab was ready for test on the day of expiry 19 December 2009 (which incidentally was a Saturday). The cab was finally booked in on Monday 21 December, unfortunately it failed and because of the break for Christmas and another part had to be ordered, it was not until the 29 December that the cab passed the compliance test.
The council issued a suspension notice on the 22 December, which they now state was issued “In error”, because according to Wirral Borough Council’s hard-line policy, the Metrocab ceased to be a taxi on the 20 December.
The most surprising aspect of the decision is that there is not a definitive court ruling to guide the authority, even more surprising considering that the law has been in existence for 163 years! However, all may change this year; because there has recently been a number of councils adopting the same policy, as recently as October 2009, a taxi proprietor had the council’s
Cab Direct Launch All New Volkswagen Kudos Taxi
™
Available exclusively from Cab Direct, the all new Volkswagen Kudos™ is set to bring a taste of luxury to the taxi trade with its spacious and stylish interior.
An excellent reputation for quality, reliability and a refined ride are hallmarks of the Volkswagen marque. Specially adapted from the Caddy Maxi Life, the new Kudos™ combines wheelchair access, superb versatility and masses of space to create the perfect vehicle for the modern day taxi driver.
Auto Option
The driveability of the Kudos™ is sure to prove a big hit amongst cabbies. With Volkswagen’s superb 1.9L TDi diesel engine under the bonnet, Kudos™ drives like a dream. The large windscreen and electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors give you superb all-round vision whilst Volkswagen’s reliable engineering and extensive, class leading safety features assure you of a long and trouble free working life. Plus with the choice of manual or automatic transmission, Kudos™ is the ideal taxi partner, whatever your taste.
High mileage taxi drivers will also appreciate the fuel consumption figures of 44.8 mpg (combined) in the manual and 40.4 mpg in the automatic.
Comfort
The Volkswagen Kudos™ taxi provides the comfort, space and practicality to make every journey a rewarding driving experience. This includes plenty of legroom up front for the driver. Add standard features such as a driver’s armrest, electric front windows, climatic air conditioning and a height- adjustable driver’s seat to go with the rake and reach-adjustable steering column and you are guaranteed a relaxing fare, every trip.
Your passengers are also ensured a comfortable and relaxing ride. The sliding side doors make entering and exiting the cab easy whilst the spacious interior compartment provides bags of room for all.
Click.. Look...Find...your next used cab
Just click
28
Bags of Space
Where Kudos™ excels is in its superb use of space. Numerous handy storage areas are particularly useful for busy taxi drivers. Plus, with Cab Direct’s revolutionary new FlexiFold™ rear access ramp, which folds flat to the floor when not in use, the Kudos™ has unrivalled luggage capacity.
Access Cab
The all new Kudos™ has been specially adapted to offer quick and easy wheelchair accessibility without compromising on passenger or luggage carrying capacity. When required, Kudos’ lightweight FlexiFold™ rear access ramp is simply lifted from the floor where it is stowed when not in use, making loading wheelchair passengers quick and easy. Securing the wheelchair passenger couldn’t be simpler either. Providing room for driver, wheelchair passenger and up to four seated passengers, Kudos™ is the ideal choice for today’s busy driver.
Cab Direct sales director, Peter Facenna, comments: “The Volkswagen Kudos is the perfect vehicle for a taxi driver who is looking for the versatility to cater for every fare. The vehicle drives beautifully and has the high level of specification you’d expect from Volkswagen.”
Peter continues: “Unlike many other wheelchair accessible taxis available on the market, the Kudos combines wheelchair access with masses of luggage space and the capacity to carry five passengers including a wheelchair passenger. This, together with the unique FlexiFold rear access ramp really sets it aside from its competitors and we are certain the Kudos is going to prove a big hit.”
For more information on the Volkswagen Kudos call Cab Direct free on 0800 916 3058 or email
info@cabdirect.com.
application’ rejected by Council
A
decision overturned in court (the story appeared in February’s issue) in Exeter with the court costs awarded against the council. Exeter council have signalled their intention to appeal the decision to the High Court.
There is no apparent reason why there has not been a definitive case; one theory is that because the appeal against the issue of a taxi licence (plate) is the only appeal heard in the Crown Court as opposed to the Magistrates’ Court, this means that the appeal will cost significantly more, however for any licence holder who finds themselves in a similar situation, there have been a number of court cases and the court have ruled for the proprietor.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44