ROUND THE.. YORK: ROW OVER ADVERTS ON TAXIS
A fresh storm is brew- ing over whether taxi drivers in York can advertise across their vehicles to compen- sate for a drop in business.
According to the York Press, City of York Council licensing chiefs look set to rule that adverts should only be emblazoned on the front and rear of taxis to ensure York’s coat of arms is given enough prominence.
But drivers have react- ed angrily to the suggestion and planned to vent their opposition at a meeting of the authority’s licensing and regulato- ry committee, claiming such a move goes
against Government legislation.
They also said they believed they would be given free rein to place adverts wherev- er they liked, as long as they kept the front doors of their cars where the city’s crest is displayed free of other material.
That came after driver Tom Browne took the council to court and won his battle to pre- vent all taxis being painted black, which opened the door for extra advertising income to be sought. But York Taxi Associa- tion has unanimously voted for advertising to be allowed anywhere other than the front
door where the crest is displayed, and secre- tary Graham Phillips said they have been told they should be allowed to do this under the Miscella- neous Provisions Act. “Our advice from the National Private Hire Association is that there are no legal grounds for preventing us advertising wherev- er we want,” he said. “We obviously want to promote the city’s crest, which is why we have said that we would not advertise on our front doors, but we have to look at ways of attracting extra income especially because of the current economic situation.”
NEWARK AND SHERWOOD: COUNCIL BACKS DIABETIC DRIVERS
Insulin-dependent dia- betics can continue as taxi drivers in Newark and Sherwood after councillors went against a recommen- dation to ban them. The district council general purposes committee voted to allow drivers who pass a medical test to be given taxi licences. The recommendation was to follow advice given to the DVLA that sufferers should not be licensed as taxi drivers.
There are three such drivers in Newark and Sherwood whose licences are subject to an annual medical. One of them, Mrs Heather Draper, of Balderton, who drives people with disabilities for Nottinghamshire County Council said she was happy with the decision. She said: “I really enjoy the job. The people I deal with are such fantastic peo- ple. It would be a shame to lose them just because I happen to have diabetes.”
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Mrs Draper said more medicals should be carried out on younger drivers to detect potential cases of dia- betes earlier.
Mrs Draper told the Newark Advertiser that councillors had raised valid points about insulin-dependent drivers. She said she did not drive for more than four hours at a time and always car- ried insulin with her. Mr Michael Jefferies was concerned that taxi drivers’ licences were renewed every three years, so someone could be diagnosed as a diabetic within that time and it would be up to them whether they told the council or not. He was also con- cerned about the distance and length of time that diabetic taxi drivers could potential- ly drive. “Can you really say that it is okay to drive excessive hours if they are hav- ing insulin?” he said. The council’s head of legal, democratic serv- ices and human
resources, Karen White, said drivers were required to check their insulin levels dur- ing journeys. Mr Peter Harris said: “There have been very few accidents, if any, that are attributable to hypoglycemic attacks. We certainly haven’t had any in this area. “We need to act with caution but this is too cautious an approach.” Abbie Truswell said: “If you decide to go with the DVLA recommen- dation, because of the amount of new diabet- ics who are being diagnosed, and what is forecast in the future, we will have no taxi drivers left at all.” She said drivers had to notify the DVLA and their insurance com- pany when they were diagnosed as diabet- ics and felt they would also notify the council as well.
Mmm...the Depart- ment for Transport is currently out to con- sultation on this issue - Ed.
WORTHING: TAXI DRIVERS WIN PLEA
Worthing Taxi Associa- tion has persuaded the borough council to suspend its policy on extending wheelchair accessibility for taxis. The Worthing Herald reports that the coun- cil’s licensing and control committee will suspend, until further notice, its rule that all replacement vehicles
must be wheelchair accessible.
The association says that driving such vehi- cles reduced income. It urged that taxis should be renewed on a ‘like-for-like’ basis. Norah Fisher, of Wor- thing Access and Mobility Group, said it was necessary to have a large fleet of acces-
sible vehicles avail- able at all times. Mmmm... Thumbs up to Worthing Council for recognising that this is currently a very transitional period in taxi accessibility terms, with the issue under national con- sultation and further phases due. Watch this space – Ed.
WORCESTER: PLAN TO TEST TAXI DRIVERS FOR DRUGS
Worcester cabbies could face random drugs testing. Worces- ter City Council’s licensing team has floated the idea as a confidence measure for passengers.
It is among several suggestions to update the department’s serv- ice plan which guides policy. The report said drugs testing may be introduced following allegations that some drivers were taking
drugs. Committee chair- man David Clark said councillors should not mention individual cab driver cases in open session and asked Mar- tin Gillies, head of licensing for a “generic” statement. Mr Gillies said: “We received a number of complaints over a substantial peri- od; several spurious to some degree.”
Mr Gillies added that his department was now working up
detailed data of convic- tions and driving offences from the last 12 months to provide evidence to councillors for the next meeting. Dormston Cook, secre- tary of the city’s taxi owners’ association, told the Worcester News: “I think that’s a great idea and the way forward. It will give pas- sengers confidence. If any drivers test positive then they will have to be taken off the road.”
OADBY AND WIGSTON CABBIES UNHAPPY AT BEING REPORTED
Taxi drivers face penal- ties for playing their radios, sounding their horns and even eating on the job, under a new points scheme.
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council is asking passengers to keep an eye on cabbies and report any cases of poor conduct. However, drivers said they did not like the idea and said that it would be impossible to tell if passengers were telling the truth. Drivers will get penalty points for offences including calling out to potential customers in the street, and could even risk losing their licences. Gary Waterfield, head of licensing at the council, said: “The scheme was launched to increase public safety and give
customers a chance to report unsatisfactory service.
“Drivers will be handed penalties for things such as playing their radio without asking the passenger’s per- mission or failing to help loading bags. “Those who notch up 12 points are given the chance to appeal in writing before the decision to revoke their licence is made.” A number of councils around the country including Oxford and Salford run similar schemes.
Drivers at Aim Taxis, in The Parade, Oadby said the points system was unfair. Taxi driver Sheik Muhammad Nawaz, 55, said: “It won’t work; anyone could report us for charging too much just
because they don’t agree with the fare. I’ve had people spit in my face and throw up in th e back of my taxi - where are their penalty points?” Mr Waterfield said: “We consulted with taxi firms in the area before we launched the points system. The feedback we got from drivers was 50/50. “At the end of the day, only those who are doing something wrong have anything to worry about.” There are 37 offences under the system, which include sound- ing the horn to notify customers, leaving the vehicle unattended and not wearing an identification badge. Each misdemeanour is worth either two or three points.
PHTM AUGUST 2009
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