72 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
IN THE NEWS
NORTH WALES NIGHT SPOT HITS BACK OVER £5 TAXI TRIPS
A North Wales nightspot has hit back at criticism it is helping poach drinkers from a Conwy Valley town. Publicans in Llanrwst have claimed cut- price clubber buses to Llandudno are driving trade away from traditional inns in the town.
They attacked a taxi deal that saw drinkers get a return trip to Llandudno and free entry to the Broadway Boulevard nightclub for £5. But the club’s assistant manager Neil Thomas defended the collaboration with Menyn’s taxis, stating
the service was creat- ed to ensure drinkers got home safely. Mr Thomas told the Liverpool Daily Post: “Over the last few weeks we have noticed an increase in trade from Llanrwst and the Conwy Valley area, whether it be by minibus or private vehicles. “Menyn Travel and Broadway Boulevard have joined forces to provide a designated driver service for these commuters on Saturday nights for the journey to help reduce the possibility of vehicles being driven by drivers who may be under the
influence of alcohol or tired along the A5 Conwy Valley road which can be treach- erous any time of day. “We haven’t created this service to upset the local trade of Llanrwst, we are sim- ply fulfilling what we believe is our duty of care.”
Landlords in Llanrwst say £5 minibus offers are creating a mass exodus of young people on weekend nights. Terence Jones, from Menyn’s, said his firm only took one 24- seater bus into Llandudno on a Sat- urday.
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WOKING CABBIE CALLS FOR ACTION ON DODGY TAXI FIRMS
A taxi driver claims that Woking Borough Council is not doing enough to enforce licensing issues in the town.
John Morrant from Woking, who has been a black cab driver for six months, claims problems are rife in the town cen- tre, with private hire cars stopping by the side of the road, especially in Chert- sey Road, and asking people if they need a cab when they should only be operating on a pre- booked basis.
He believes approxi- mately 1,000 jobs a week, at an average of £8, are being con- ducted illegally. He told the Woking News and Mail: “Dri- vers are getting more ind more brazen, they sit there in their cars and call out to people. “It is getting worse not better. The council blames the police and then the police blame the
council.
“The council happily issue licences to drivers and take their money but they are not policing the industry at all.” Mr Morrant added: “A lot of the drivers sort of know the rules but they have all been doing it for so long because there’s no enforcement and they believe the council won’t do any- thing.”
He also said the council needed to enforce cabbies who did not display plates on the back of their cars, proving they are licensed.
He believed the mat- ter was a criminal issue and should be dealt with by police. Israi Aslam, manager at Six Eights private hire company in Woking, said there was rivalry between private hire and hackney carriage taxis.
He said: “We abide by the laws. Our driv-
ers are well-behaved and follow the cor- rect procedures. “There seems to be a lot of contradictions between the council and the police as to what they do. Surrey Police said that it is putting extra officers on the streets to support the borough council’s enforcement.
Russell Ellis, the council’s licensing manager, said: “Wok- ing Borough Council takes the enforce- ment of private hire vehicles touting for business illegally very seriously. “Taxi ranks are patrolled regularly during weekdays and weekends by the council’s licensing team and Surrey Police.
“Many towns now have taxi rank mar- shals that provide a security presence at ranks and we are considering the fea- sibility of such a scheme in Woking.”
JANUARY 2009
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