12 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
A view from the trade by B. M. ROLAND
Opinion
THE NATIONAL PRIVATE HIRE ASSOCIATION 8 SILVER ST BURY BL9 0EX
TEL: 0161 280 2800 FAX: 0161 280 7787 e-mail:
npha@btconnect.com
2008 NATIONAL CHANGES
MAKE A DIFFERENCE...........!!! Eh !!!?? Sorry!! I missed them!!!!
SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE GROUPS ACT 2006 (INDEPENDENT SAFEGUARDING AUTHORITY)
REPEAL OF SECTION 75 LGMPA 1976
REVISED MAGISTRATES COURT SENTENCING GUIDELINES (TOUTING) CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER ACT LOCAL TRANSPORT ACT 2008
As usual, at this time of year, I pick up the back issues of the paper and have a look at the changes we have highlighted in the paper this year and try to do an assessment of the effects on our industry.
I'm afraid to say it appears to have been one of those non-event years. Oh it promised to be a cracker with all sorts going on but somehow, every- thing ended up on the backburner, or it got so delayed that 2009 might start the planned changes off at last.
So let's go through them and see where we all missed out.
We started the year with the consultation on the I. S. A. which I headed my article within the words. I See A problem. Due to
JANUARY 2009
start in October 2008 we were told ....but now to start in October 2009 and the problem that I foresaw has not as yet been answered.
The consultation foresaw that only drivers who had school contracts or contracts or the transport of vulnerable adults would fall within the requirement to become I. S. A. Registered. I pointed out that when the licensing officers completed an application form for an enhanced CRB check they had to sign a box, which certifies that the subject of that check did/would indeed be regularly carrying children and vulnerable adults; and this would mean that every taxi and p/h driver in the country would have to be registered.
We did put this point to the DfT and the Home office and those who issued the consultation document but the only reply we got was “mmm perhaps we need to have a look at the CRB form” but as yet nothing has hap- pened..... Perhaps, as we are now informed, the ISA won’t kick in till October 2009 we have sufficient time to sort this out........I have on many occasions stated in these pages that enhanced CRB checks should not apply to every single driver having said that, and I am not a person that lays bets but I bet that we will indeed end up having the entire trade reg- istered with the
ISA....watch this space.
Next up we had the repeal of the hated section 75 contract
exemption.....took effect in
January......prior to that date, councils had 14 months to prepare themselves for the stampede to get licences and to stamp on those who had been laughing at the licence holders for thirty two years and who did not stampede up the Town Hall steps.
Just step back, one year on, look around you, and see how well that worked
• No more FULL time 24/7 – 7/52 “volunteer drivers” • No more unlicensed cars sitting outside hospitals • No more unlicensed “Airport Transfer” services
What’s that you say?? No noticeable change, they are still all out there carrying on as if nothing has happened!!! Well I never!!!
Sorry to all those councils that have done the job and slammed the door shut on these people but, from the phone calls we receive on a regular basis it would appear that many council’s have not done a thing and the illegal trade goes on unchecked.
Why does the word chauffeur seem to bring on a question mark about the need to licence? Have you checked out the count when you type in “chauffeur services” on the old web site?........... 263,000 found according to
Google....most of them offer wedding servic-
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