IN THE
NEWS...IN THE NEWS..
HULL CABBIES SAY THEY ARE AT A CRISIS POINT IN ‘VIRTUAL MONOPOLY’ FROM TWO LARGE PH FIRMS
Taxi and private hire drivers in Hull have formed a not-for- profit association as a means of protect- ing their interests from the threat of two private hire firms. The Hull Drivers’ Association (HDA) has been set up by members of the city’s licensed taxi trade after drivers’ concerns that their rights and welfare are being threat- ened by the dom- inance of a couple of large private hire firms. David Wade, who has been appointed as the association’s legal adviser, be- lieves the rights of drivers have been eroded. He said: “It
has reached crisis point in the city. Having just two main private hire firms in Hull has cre- ated a virtual monopoly which has badly
affected
drivers’ earnings, careers, health and welfare. “Immediately press- ing is the fact that all private hire drivers are now being asked to pay a percentage of each fare to the operators instead of the usual running-in fee, which was stag- gered but typically capped at £135- £150 a week per driver. “At the same time, there has been a big drop off in fares in the city for black
David Wade
cab drivers many of who are now work- ing as private hire drivers, or, if they’re not, they’re thinking of doing it.” Mr Wade says there is a further worry that companies are starting to adopt Uber’s surge pricing model. He added: “As well as taking a
READING DRIVER’S CAR SET ON FIRE IN SUSPECTED ‘GRUDGE’ ATTACK
A taxi driver’s car was set alight by an alleged arsonist who struck at 11.45pm on Friday, July 3. A passer-by alerted the man after notic- ing flames coming from the Green Metro Cars Toyota parked on his drive- way in Reading. The cabbie raced to put out the fire - and managed to extinguish
the
flames and stop it spreading. The taxi firm told BerkshireLive it be- lieves the fire was started by someone with a ‘grudge’ against the compa-
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percentage of the drivers’ earnings, alarmingly, one firm is surcharging simi- lar to Uber after 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays, where the fares dramatical- ly increase to the passenger. The drivers may benefit from this in the short term as it appears they’re earning more money but in- evitably the office also makes further financial gains. “In the long run it will cause discon- tent between the passenger and the
driver, which may later lead to a lack of repeat business. It’s not only the driv- er who is affected by this new practice but also the public. “Drivers don’t want to be blacklisted by speaking out pub- licly - but their Hull Drivers’ Association can do that for them.” Although the associ- ation has only recently been set up, it has grown by word of mouth with dozens of new mem- bers signing up. One experienced private
hire driver from Hull to have joined the HDA, said: “The association has given us a voice, given us good repre- sentation
and
support, without the danger of being per- secuted or victim -ised by the owners. “The new flat rate percentage fee is a massive issue for drivers and there’ll be many out there who are on now on slave wages well below minimum wage - especially those who have to hire their cars.”
THREE FRIENDS SET UP A NEW TAXI FIRM IN REDCAR
ny. It said its vehi- cles have been tar- geted in several at- tacks over the last year. Police confirmed officers are investi- gating the incident. A Green Metro Cars spokesman said: “Within a year there have been four such
incidents with car windows smashed, damage like that. It wasn’t even rob- bery, because noth- ing was taken, so someone must have a grudge against the company.” He said the driver was in a state of shock after the incident.
A Redcar taxi firm which has been set up by three friends is looking to take its first passengers. The firm, called Red- car Taxis, is ‘dedi- cated to Redcar and the surrounding areas’ and has been set up by locals Dar- ren Lee, Barkat Hussain and Rob Wiley. Rob said: “Redcar people tend to want a local firm. I think a lot of people do. We don’t want to rule the world - we want to run this as a decent, reliable local business with enough cars to keep Redcar and Cleve- land happy. “The response has been ‘brilliant’. Peo- ple say ‘it’s about time we had a local firm’.
L-R driver Dale Robins, Rob and Barkat
“We can’t compete with the likes of Boro Cars or Royal Cars financially, we know that. But we can try to do a good job.” The three of them have drawn up a contract that says none of them can sell their share with- out the others agreeing, in the hope it will reassure drivers.
They started trading on Monday 20 July with a fleet of 20 cars and the phone lines open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “It’s a start,” says Rob, “We are hoping that we will grow. We just felt there was a gap in the market, we talked about it one day - and so now we’re giving it a go.”
AUGUST 2020
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