PROTEST PLIGHT
WAKEFIELD TAXI PROTEST SUPPORTED BY DRIVERS FROM ACROSS THE WEST YORKSHIRE REGION
of our deseased relatives affairs abroad. This is not only dis- crimanatory but not even the police or armed services have to do this.
• We are the only drivers who pay the most extortionate fees not once but twice a year.
• Our hackneys have to be two toned, not one colour like all other hackneys in West Yorkshire.
The trade in Wakefield protested outside the Town Hall on Wednesday 26 July, supported by drivers from across the West Yorkshire region. Wakefield drivers have a number of issues which they are unhappy about as detailed by the Chair of Wakefield Drivers Association, Yasar Ahmed. Mr Ahmed told PHTM: “Yesterday, we used our democratic right to protest against the most draconian and unfair taxi suitability policy in the country. FACTS: • We won at the High Court for our restitution money for inflated fees and haev’t been paid out.
• We are operating Euro6 low emission cars that we can only keep for 12 years when other authorities in our Yorkshire Combined Authority can keep them for 15 years, some even for the lifetime of the car.
• We are the only licensed drivers in the country who have to provide an international embassy with up to £700 for a “good conduct” certificate if we leave the country for a period of six months in order to take care
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• Our DBS checks have to be submitted once a year unlike other authorities which are once every three years. For police officers it’s every ten years.
Elected members are failing to hold officers who make all the decisions to account, which is crippling us financially and mentally.
This is damaging the trade. We are working class people who provide a very good service to the public and do it very well. We do not expect to be treated like third class citizens, especially
when our current councillors are against ticket office closures and unfair pay for bus and and train drivers.
The issues which Wakefield Council CAN control they do not want to engage in dialogue or change anything within the current unjust and unfair policy.” Some local councillors also supported the protest. -Thank you to Cllr Akef Akbar who posted this message on Facebook: “Today, I supported our hard- working taxi drivers who tirelessly serve
our community. They
protested for several valid reasons, and I stood by their side both within and outside the Council Chamber. Regrettably, our council seems to persistently overlook these pressing local issues, instead directing its attention towards criticising the central government for matters over which they actually have
little influence
instead of matters in our own backyard which we actually have the authority to deal with. “It is disheartening to witness our drivers being continually ignored. How much longer must this disregard persist? “
AUGUST 2023 PHTM
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