IN THE NEWS
MANCHESTER CABBIES INVESTIGATED OVER FARES ‘RIP-OFF’ AT OASIS GIG
Nine cab drivers are being investigated over claims that they overcharged passen- gers and attempted to pick up fares illegally after Oasis’s huge homecoming gigs. Fans complained of being charged more than five times the going rate for journeys home from the Heaton Park concerts. Man- chester Council asked Manchester Evening News readers who had been stung following the June 6 gig to call a phone line. They have now revealed that nine private hire and hack- ney carriage drivers are being investigated. The cabbies - some of whom were reportedly opportunists from out- side Manchester Illegally plying for trade near the Prest- wich venue - face prosecution and could have their taxi licences revoked.
Three of the drivers were reported to the council following the M.E.N appeal. One is a Manchester hackney carriage driver accused of overcharg- ing. The other two are hackney carriages from Tameside and Oldham that were reportedly overcharg- ing and attempting to pick up fares illegally. Six other drivers were spotted by council offi- cers.
A file on one cabbie has already been passed to the coun- cil’s legal department who are prosecuting. If cases are success- ful, drivers will have to go before licensing
PAGE 42 bosses.
One fan, 22-year-old Rob Buckley, shelled out £70 for a minicab home to Sale, a fare which normally costs just £18.
The Manchester Evening News com- mented as follows: Swift action is being taken against the cheating cabbies who allegedly overcharged Oasis fans following the Heaton Park con- certs and we applaud Manchester Council for acting so promptly to protect the rights of fare-paying passen- gers. Travel arrangements for events attended by many thousands of people are notoriously difficult and it is simply unacceptable for some private hire and hack- ney carriage drivers to have taken advantage of the public, who, after all, are the people who provide them with a liv- ing.
Cab drivers are alleged to have over- charged customers as well as illegally picking up fares near to Heaton Park.
Many angry readers have subsequently written to our postbag to complain about the way that black cab operators took advan- tage of the Oasis concerts to make additional money. Already, nine cabbies suspected of having overcharged or bro- ken the rules on the nights of the Heaton Park Oasis concerts have been identified. They will face a coun- cil probe, and, if found
guilty, could even pay with their cab licences. That punishment would surely fit the crime.
Manchester is a social, sporting and leisure hub, which attracts visitors from across the world. Its reputa- tion depends on the actions of its people, and any cheating taxi driver is one of the worst ambassadors for the city’s attrac- tions.
The action being taken by Manchester City Council reflects that fact and should reas- sure the public that they should not fall victim in future.
Anyone else with a grievance against money-grabbing cab drivers can now get in touch with licensing chiefs in the knowl- edge that their complaints will be taken seriously.
Private hire cabs should respond only to booked jobs, and so should not have been plying for trade at all, and hackney carriages should charge only the metered rates. But the rules went by the way- side in a feeding frenzy.
Those cabbies identi- fied so far will have the chance to defend themselves when their cases are heard by council officials. But rogue drivers should now know with certainty that there is a likelihood they will be found and punished if it is proven that they cheated their passen- gers.
PHTM AUGUST 2009
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