LICENSING RULES REFORMS
SOUTHAMPTON COUNCIL CHANGES PHV SIGNAGE AND JOB CANCELLATION RULES
Following a long campaign of lobbying from GMB, at a public meeting on Wednesday 14 June, Southampton City Council licensing committee agreed to change its vehicle livery policy for private hire vehicles. Drivers will no longer need to display a company logo or operator name on their vehicles, freeing them up to represent more than one firm and no longer provide free advertising for a company when the drivers themselves are providing their own vehicle. This will effectively mean that private hire vehicles that display this new door sticker and no other operator advertising will be free to accept bookings from any Southampton operator. Licensing will allow current licensed vehicles to change to the new sticker should they wish. There will be a supply available to purchase from the licensing department with priority given to people applying for new or renewing licences over those purchasing new door stickers. For vehicles that are new or renewing licences issued on or after the 1st of July 2023, they must have the new stickers in place prior to a licence being issued. For clarification: • All PHVs
written exemptions) must display door signage. Any vehicle seen without will be suspended immediately.
• The new door signage is not 8
optional. Upon renewal, livery must comply with the licence issued at that time.
(except those with
• There will be no need to change existing door stickers until the vehicle renews it licence. Ali Haydor, GMB Private Hire Representative said: “GMB union welcomes the decision by Southampton licensing com- mittee as our members have been waiting for this change for a long time. “Let’s be clear though – this policy change is wholly down to the hard work of GMB and our national network of representatives. “GMB is a champion for any worker suffering from any kind of restrictive working practice and as such this is a big win for the union but more importantly for our members. “An unfair policy is a bad policy and GMB, as a campaigning union, will always fight to have these overturned, as we have done with Uber up to the highest courts in the land. “To any other local authority who
continues to enforce such unfair practices – if you don’t follow suit and remove this sort of red tape, GMB will be coming for you next.” Southampton City Council’s Private Hire Vehicle Drivers Licence Policy And Condition document, introduced on Wednesday 14 June, can be found here:
https://tinyurl.com/2stmzrpn As well as a change in its vehicle livery policy, the council has also introduced a new job cancellation policy: 8. ADHERENCE TO BOOKING 8.1 The driver of a PHV which has been hired to be in attendance at any appropriate time and place shall, unless delayed and prevented by some sufficient cause, punctually attend at the appointed time and place.
8.2 Once a hiring has been accepted the driver shall complete that hiring unless there is good cause not to. Any hiring that has been accepted but is not completed by the driver must be reported with the reasons to the operator immediately.
8.3 If the vehicle being used by the driver is advertising an operator then the driver can only accept bookings from the advertised operator.
The above policy has been
introduced to stop drivers cherry- picking the most lucrative jobs and turning down short journeys therefore potentially leaving passengers stranded and putting them in danger.
JULY 2023 PHTM
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