DEREG DILEMMA
CHELMSFORD CABBIES VOW TO KEEP CALLING FOR TAXI LIMIT AFTER REQUEST DENIED
Taxi drivers in Chelmsford are con- tinuing their cam- paign to get a cap on the number of cabs in the city after council- lors rejected their request.
Proposals by the Chelmsford Hackney Carriage Association to limit the number of taxis were rejected by the city council’s Overview and Scruti- ny Committee.
But cabbies are con- cerned that the current free-for-all, in place since 2006, will prompt an influx into the area that will cause problems. Ian Vernon, chairman of the Chelmsford Taxi Association, told the Essex Chronicle:
“What we’re asking for is a thorough review. Round the sta- tion you can clearly see we have had a huge amount of taxis. The same goes for Baddow Road.” He added that this would cause prob- lems for other traffic, the authorities and police with conges- tion. Mr Vernon also said drivers were perfectly happy to pay for an unmet demand sur- vey themselves to take place, costing £20,000 and a week to monitor traffic to and from the rank, waiting times and various other parameters. The number of hack- ney carriages allowed
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The total number of hackney carriage licences issued in Chelmsford was 105 in 2005 - but after delimitation came in, this rose to 121 in 2006 and rose to 160 in 2008 - but over the past five years it has plateaued, rising to just 169 in 2009 and now stands at 174. According to the city council’s report, six new licences have been issued this year - but three of these are to existing operators. The report concludes: “This indicates that existing operators believe there is still
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capacity for more hackney carriages and an opportunity for those hackney car- riages to operate at a profit.”
It was decided not to limit cab numbers at the recent overview and scrutiny meeting. However, at a sepa- rate meeting held by
the Licensing and Regulatory Commit- tee on Thursday November 21, it was agreed that the maxi- mum age of a vehicle could be ten years to 12 years. Taxi drivers believe the previous ten-year system was making it too difficult for them
to stay financially above water, while keeping fares at rea- sonable prices.
Matthew Evans, licensing lead officer at Chelmsford City Council, said that the proposals are open and will be looked at again for review in two years’ time.
HURRAH! CAP IS PUT BACK ON LICENCES IN MILTON KEYNES
Finally, at long last, following a good deal of campaigning and a lot of hard graft on the part of the Milton Keynes Hackney Car- riage Association and the National Private Hire Association (the two Associations have long been affili- ated and have worked together successfully on many trade issues in this district), Milton Keynes Council has voted to re-regulate the number of hack- ney carriage licences to be issued in future, with immediate effect. In 2002, when there were 78 hackney car- riages, Milton Keynes was de-regulated against all the opposi- tion presented at the time from both the trade and some of the Regulatory Commit- tee members. Milton Keynes was then con- trolled by the Liberal Democrats, who were totally opposed to regulation and still are. Thank God we have a Labour party who have supported the taxi trade in Milton Keynes for over 40 years, and did an excellent job at the most recent meeting of the Regulatory Committee on Dec- ember 11th, leading
the unanimous vote for regulation.
Since 2002, the taxi trade has been in a spiral of decline but 11 years on, we’ve done it, regulated again. Unfortunately during that time the number of hackney carriage licences issued here has gone up from 78 to 217, and all this has hap- pened: 1. Drivers have had to work a basic 12/14 hour plus day with a possible one day off per week.
2. Takings are now 50 per cent down on what they were in 2002, with drivers all earning below the national mini- mum wage.
3. Vehicle mainte- nance is virtually non-existent, with many drivers using the council test to see what work needs to be done.
4. Drivers have had their vehicles claimed back by the finance compa- ny whilst working on the rank - how humiliating is that in front of one’s work mates?
5. Drivers and their families have had to leave their rent- ed/mortgaged
accommodation because they couldn’t find the rent or repayments.
6. Drivers who had given over 20 years’ service to Milton Keynes prior to 2002 have either left the trade or diversified to other levels of private/ public hire and courier services.
7. Consideration for passengers’ safety has gone out of the window. Milton Keynes now looks forward to a bet- ter life, I and officer members of our Asso- ciation have pledged publicly to work with the council, especially when and after the Law Commission presents its final report. To all deregulated areas out there, work hard and do all you can to get taxi trade re-regulated; there is absolutely no future in deregulation and poli- tics should never ever feature in the adminis- tration of the taxi trade.
Peter E Kirkham Executive Chair
Milton Keynes Hack- ney Carriage Asso- ciation 2011
PHTM JANUARY 2014
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