Andy Peters Brighton & Hove Cab Trade Association
info@bhcta.co.uk www.bhcta.co.uk
GLIMMER OF HOPE
We now have a new government and maybe, just maybe a possible glimmer of hope for the genuine local taxi and private hire trades after the chaos and confusion caused by the last government due to the notorious 2015 Deregulation Act and the blatant disregard for localism. Such a government, which I have no doubt was very happy to work hand-in-hand with a multi-billion-dollar app to disrupt an industry that was always locally focused, as was the intention of the 1976 LGMP Act. It is even better to know that those who were holding those hands will probably never be back as an MP. I say be gone and never show your faces again Mr Osborne and Mr Cameron!
In 2023 it was good to hear what the Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, stated at that time about recognising the destruction of the local trade due to cross-border hiring, when he urged people not to use taxis licensed by a certain council in the West Midlands. Then in 2024 he made the bold declaration that Labour would ban taxi and PHV cross-border hiring should they win next election.
This started the ball rolling in Brighton with quite a few Lewes District private hire drivers, who predominantly work here in the city, looking to become properly licensed for the area in which they actually want to work. I absolutely take my hat off to those drivers for doing this and we welcome them to the local taxi/private hire trade as this means that the licensing fees are not being paid to other licensing authorities. Additionally, these drivers are then working to the same conditions of licensing as the rest of us, having passed the extensive local knowledge test and the fitting of local council controlled CCTV along with being answerable to our local Licensing Enforcement team.
Something that I have mentioned before, more than once, is that on the local (that’s a joke itself) Uber WhatsApp group, that is mainly made up of Lewes, Chichester, Havant, Southampton and Portsmouth drivers, they are often posting that they are fed up with Uber and the way they are treated and would be better
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off joining a local circuit. This is especially because of the lower rate they are now getting on the fares and also because the local ‘Uber Hub’ has moved, yet again, and has been reported as rarely being manned with limited opening hours. Effectively just an address to suit the conditions of the Brighton & Hove Operators’ licence. This means that there are drivers who are suddenly being deleted off the app with dismissive bot communications as there is no real human one-to-one communication.
Now, I can only speak of what goes on down here, but the two long established main local circuits in the city (one privately owned and one a driver owned Association which I’m on) have always had an extremely good relationship with their drivers. This is because the local companies are locally focused, as it should be. I have read that this is the opposite of how local companies in other areas treat their drivers… and shame on them.
So, when Andy Burnham made that last declaration, I did think that this was probably just wishful thinking as any new government would more than likely have the state of the taxi and private hire trade way down on the list of changes. In fact, this is what I was saying to drivers so they wouldn’t build up too much hope.
However, it was certainly a very refreshing boost to me and my trade colleagues here to then hear Christopher Vince, the MP for Harlow, speaking in the House of Commons (July 19 2024) on the chaotic state of the local taxi/private hire trade due to
the 2015
Deregulation Act and asking for a debate on the issue. Even more of a boost was to then hear the Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, agree to this stating: “Congratulations on raising such a big issue…” and adding “… that as the MP for Manchester Central… what a big issue this is for taxi drivers and others worried about safety… I will ensure that he gets a full response from the DoT”. View the video at:
tinyurl.com/chrisv-cbh
It was only that last bit that raised my eyebrows because I have no faith in the DoT regarding taxi and private hire matters, especially having read a recent suggestion from James Button about smaller local authorities handing over such local licensing to larger local authorities which the DoT in its infinite wisdom might agree with… and then we slide all the way back to square one.
AUGUST 2024 PHTM
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