point of sale ..... point of sale .. CORNWALL:
WREXHAM: STUB IT OUT,CABBIES TOLD
Private hire drivers in Wrexham are being warned to stop light- ing up in their vehicles or face a fine. For more than two years it has been illegal to smoke in any place of work including taxis, PHVs and lorry cabs. But Wrexham Council says some private hire
drivers continue to smoke in their vehicles. One driver was recent- ly issued with a fixed penalty notice and paid a £30 fine for driv- ing while smoking a cigarette.
Andy Lewis, chief hous- ing and public protection officer, told the Wrexham Leader:
“Enforcement of the smoking ban will contin- ue and similar action will be taken against drivers who flout the law. “Drivers must remem- ber that this law is in place to protect the health of the public and we are committed to ensuring that standards are complied with.”
AYLESBURY VALE: NEWYEAR, NEWLOOK FOR TOWN TAXIS
The new year will see a new look for taxis in Buckingham and the surrounding villages. As part of plans to improve taxi services, the only taxis people will be able to hail will be purpose built cabs. To help make them easier to identify these will be black in Ayles- bury and white in
Buckingham, Winslow and the rural areas. All other vehicles are classed as private hire. Cllr Timothy Mills told the Bicester Review: “The public are not always aware of the dif- ference between private hire cars and taxis. The local taxi trade is very supportive of this initiative which
DERBY: CALL TO STOP CABBIES’ HANDSFREE CALLS
A ban on taxi drivers using hands-free mobile phones or satellite navigation systems while driving is being considered by Derby City Council. The proposed restric- tions follow com- plaints from passen- gers about cabbies being distracted by phones while driving. The authority’s taxi licensing section said it received regular com- plaints about licensed drivers using phones. Recent cases included a driver who held a conversation for the duration of a journey and another where the driver missed the desti- nation because he was concentrating on his telephone conversa- tion, leading to a higher fare for the customer. Cllr Martin Rawson, who sits on the taxi licensing and appeals committee, told the Derby Evening Tele- graph: “It is something
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we have been con- cerned about for a while. There has already been some consultation with the taxi drivers.
“In everything we do on the committee, we have the safety of the public at the front of our minds and that is what we are considering.
“I haven’t made my mind up yet, though, and want to hear the views of the taxi trade.” But taxi drivers have raised concerns about the proposals. Derby Hackney Carriage Union chairman Mohammed Saffaf said the law allowed drivers to use hands- free mobile phones via bluetooth headsets. “If the council is saying it wants to stop drivers using bluetooth head- sets, it is saying it is above the law. Does the council think it is above the law?” he said. The proposals would mean a licensed driver
could not talk on a mobile phone, even if it were hands-free, while there is a pas- senger in the car. In addition, they would not be able to operate a satellite navigation sys- tem or radio while the car is moving and there is a passenger inside. However, if navigation systems were pre-pro- grammed before the journey started, they could be used as long as they were not oper- ated while driving. Mr Saffaf agreed it was “common sense” for drivers to programme navigation systems before they set off on their journeys.
He said: “It doesn’t take long to pro- gramme and drivers shouldn’t be fiddling with them when they are driving because that will distract them. If they need to change something they should pull over, that is just common sense.”
will give added reas- surance to residents and visitors alike.” Ghulam Hussain, owner of AK Taxis in High Street, Bucking- ham said: “There’s not a lot going in Bucking- ham. I don’t think there would be enough trade to justify spend- ing money on a new purpose built cab.”
CABBIES TO STAY IN THE ZONE
Taxi owners in Corn- wall will continue to only be allowed to operate in designated zones after councillors agreed not to scrap the areas which had been set up by the for- mer district councils. Cornwall Council reviewed the situation regarding taxi licences after the new council came into force last April.
Zones had previously been set up restricting
taxis to operate in dis- trict council boun- daries but with the cre- ation of a new authority it was sug- gested that the whole of Cornwall should be one zone and taxis licensed to operate across the whole county.
Concerns were raised that it could lead to taxis travelling to “hot spots” such as Newquay Airport, events held across the
KIRKLEES: HIGHVISIBILITY PLATES FOR 1,500 TAXIS
Kirklees taxis are to display new style vehi- cle plates in a move to increase safety.
The new plates con- tain extra information and are more visible at night or in poor weath- er, helping people to identify a taxi more easily.
Current plates only show the vehicle licence number, but the re-design includes the make and colour of the vehicle, the maxi- mum number of
passengers it can carry and the licence. The new details will appear on every taxi, close to the rear bumper, as part of a rolling programme over the next 12 months. There are currently more than 1,500 pri- vate hire vehicles in Kirklees, along with 213 licensed hackney carriages.
In-car licence discs also have a new, more visible look.
Councillor Peter
McBride, joint Cabinet member for Regener- ation, Environment and Transport, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “These changes, which were made after consulta- tion with the police and the taxi trade, are all about improving safety.
“It is important that everyone can identify taxis at a glance so that people don’t com- promise their security.”
SOUTHEND: CONCERNS OVER NEW TAXIS FOR CHILDREN
Concerns have been raised over the safety of taxis to take chil- dren with special needs to school. Southend Council has awarded a contract to an Uttlesford-based company for its home- to-school scheme. Specially adapted cars will be used for the service, which will include transporting children with disabili- ties. Senior councillors say the contract will save the taxpayer £400,000 a year. But questions have been raised by oppo- sition councillors over whether the vehicles are suitable.
The Southend Li-
censed Taxi Drivers’ Association and the Hackney Carriage Association are unhap- py that the council has gone outside the bor- ough to award the contract, which started in January.
They believe there are problems with how the seats and doors are arranged in the Fiat Scudo Combi multi- purpose vehicles which, they claim, could prevent children being rescued in the event of an accident. Graham Hutchinson, secretary of the Hack- ney Carriage Asso- ciation, said the Royal Society for the Preven- tion of Accidents
raised concerns about the suitability of some multipurpose vehicles in respect of passen- gers being able to get in and out safely. But Roger Hadley, councillor responsible for children and learn- ing, said the vehicles were safe.
He told the Southend Evening Echo: “The vehicles meet Southend licensing standards.
“The original design is for abroad, but the vehicles can be recon- figured, which is what the company is plan- ning to do. The seating will be re- arranged, so it meets the requirements.”
PHTM FEBRUARY 2010
county or to seaside spots during the sum- mer season. Taxi driver associa- tions from different parts of the county all said that scrapping the zones would be bad for them and for their customers. According to the Cor- nish Guardian, the decision to retain the former district zones was backed by the full council at its meeting last month.
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