JANUARY 2009
PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
BUREAUCRACY BOWL JOY AS GLASGOW COUNCIL
SEPTEMBER DOES A U-TURN ON £40 FINE
A furious cabbie who was given a parking fine while dropping off elderly passengers at Glas- gow Airport has won his fight to have the cash refunded. The Paisley Daily Express told how William Bell was issued with a £40 parking penalty - despite only being at the airport’s free drop off/pick up area for seven min- utes.
The airport provides motorists with tick- ets which give them free access for up to ten minutes so they can pick up or drop off passengers. And 68 year old William was left fizzing when he was ordered to pay a £40 penalty for losing
his ticket. The Paisley grandad - who believes the ticket fell out of his hand as he helped an elderly couple get their suitcases from the boot of his cab - decided to complain to National Car Park bosses, who were responsi- ble for issuing the fine.
And, after viewing CCTV footage from the airport, NCP has now performed a U- turn and handed the cash back to William.
The relieved taxi driver told the Express: “I am delighted that I got my money back from NCP.
“I wrote a letter to them and explained exactly how I felt
OCTOBER
BOURNEMOUTH DRIVER TOLD: “SORRY I WON’T SELL YOU DRINK EVEN IF YOU’RE 61!”
Taxi driver David Hoskins was left stunned when a sales assistant refused to serve him alcohol despite him being 61.
He had visited the a One Stop conven- ience store in Boscombe, on behalf of a severely dis- abled customer to buy half a bottle of vodka.
When he got to the till, the cashier asked to see some ID, so bemused David showed her his United Taxis badge. But then the young woman refused to process the sale as he was “on duty”.
Mr Hoskins quickly whipped off tie and badge but the cashier called over the manageress who also refused to serve
him.
The gobsmacked taxi driver left the store empty handed and was forced to drive to another shop.
Mr Hoskins told the Bournemouth Daily Echo: “The customer- has terminal cancer so uses alcohol to numb the pain. He gave me some money and asked me to buy him some vodka so I went to the nearest One Stop. “I’ve done about 50 similar jobs for peo- ple so was happy to do it.
“I was wearing a blue shirt with a United Taxis tie and looked very pre-
sentable but the assistant refused to serve me. After ask- ing to see my ID, she then said she could
not serve a taxi driver who was on duty. “I laughed and removed my tie and badge but she still refused. The man- ageress came over and backed her up - she was very frosty with me.
“I’ve never heard of anything so daft in my life - if you ban taxi drivers from buy- ing alcohol then surely you have to ban van and car driv- ers.”
A spokesman for One Stop said: “This was a response to an initiative at a local level. It is not compa- ny policy not to serve taxi drivers who are on duty.”
It is believed the “ini- tiative” was prompted by an unrelated taxi driver drinking on duty.
about getting the fine. When I first received the parking ticket, I thought they had treated me harshly for making an honest mistake. “Someone from NCP contacted me by telephone and said the company would look into my complaint. They were very pleasant and professional. “They checked the CCTV cameras at the airport and found that I had only been waiting at the drop off zone for seven minutes. “I then received a further call and, this time, they said that I would be getting a refund. I am very pleased to say that the money has now arrived.”
NOVEMBER
DOG BAN THREAT IS ‘BARKING’ SAYS NORTHFLEET CABBIE
107
Picture courtesy of Gravesend Reporter
A taxi driver is con- cerned that new regulations may pre- vent him from taking his dog to work with him. For the last 14 months Bruce Parmenter,
through the window and instantly they have calmed down. “My customers love her.
of
Station Road, North- fleet, has been taking fares with his beloved boxer Mazie May sit- ting in the front passenger seat of his London-style black cab.
But if approved, new regulations drafted by Gravesham Borough Council will mean Mazie May will not be allowed to accompany Mr Parmenter in the taxi, even though she is separated from the passengers by a solid glass screen.
He said: “I take her out with me for a cou- ple of reasons: firstly, for company and sec- ondly as a deterrent. A couple of times I have had people arguing in the back and the dog has looked at them
She’s friendly, doesn’t bark and has never barked or growled at any of my passengers.” The 44-year-old decid- ed to take Mazie May with him after noticing the effect she had on two young men who were behaving aggres- sively in his cab. By chance the dog was in the back section of his estate car when he was called out on a fare and when he pointed her out Mr Par- menter says the men started to behave more civilly.
He said: “It had been on my mind to do it before and that was the final thing that made me do it.
“I actually bought this cab so I could bring her to work with me. If I was in a saloon car and she could get through to the passen- gers then I’d
DECEMBER
NEWCASTLE: TAXI IS NOT BLACK ENOUGH
A taxi driver has been refused a licence by his council because his black cab is not black enough. The cab driver was told his cab is just the wrong shade of black by
licensing officials at Newcastle City Coun- cil. The official said he detected a hint of grey in the motor’s colour and consequently refused to hand over a taxi driver licence. The
cabbie plans to appeal, saying his Vauxhall Vectra looks black and the log book says it is. Hack- ney carriages must adhere to the black livery.
understand it, but I’m not. There’s space for her up front and she doesn’t bother any- one.”
The restriction on ani- mals is one of a number of possible changes to the licens- ing of taxis. New plans also include the instal- lation of CCTV cameras and a stricter testing system for driv- ers.
A spokesperson for Gravesham council said: “Our view is that it’s a safety issue because the dog could distract the driver and we are concerned about that. “The issue is out for consultation and Mr Parmenter will be able to give his views on it.”
The consultation peri- od on the regulations ends on November 28. Updated regulations will go before the Overview Scrutiny Committee and finally the full council which will make a decision in January next year.
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