OUR INDUSTRY


the clientele often learn the names of all their drivers, is clearly in the public interest. Regulators in a democracy should represent us and be the architects of our destiny. To quote, or rather paraphrase the late Tony Benn, they should act as signposts and not weather vanes. I have no issue with the existence of p2p apps, but I have a major problem with them monopolising the industry, and lobbying to tilt the regulatory playing field decidedly in their favour.


Public interest should always be placed ahead of corporate interests. Does anyone disagree with that?


Further advances in this technology are inevitable. Reasonable age limits ensure that this tech, which is intended to protect the public and is fitted as standard on most vehicles, becomes the norm on licensed vehicles relatively quickly without the hand-wringing, time-consuming consultations, friction with the trade and cliff-edge deadlines associated with the ad-hoc regulatory approach favoured by the DfT.


The real reason why they recommend the scrapping of age limits altogether is because the p2p apps want to be able to flood the market with as many vehicles as possible. It is a triumph of quantity over quality.


The walk-around check sheet is just an exercise in gesture politics that gives local councils a big stick with which to beat their drivers.


THE FALLACY OF FATALISM


Fatalism is the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. The p2p apps would like us all to believe that it is inevitable that they will event- ually completely monopolise the taxi and private hire industry, and that there is nothing that any politicians or local councils can do to stop it. It would be like King Canute trying to stop the tide. It’s da foochaaa!


Whilst there is clearly a place in the market for booking by app, particularly for timid Gen Z-ers who may be petrified of talking to anyone on the telephone or for the hard of hearing; others may prefer to book by tele- phone and/or make advance bookings. The visually impaired, for example, are likely to prefer this latter option. Our industry has to cater for a wide range of needs and disabilities. Consumer choice between apps, traditional operators, large national or even multi- national operators, and small local operators, where


PHTM JULY 2024 TAKING BACK (LOCAL) CONTROL


Before James Button delivered his presentation on his proposal for a Principal Licensing Authority at the recent Expo in Milton Keynes, I told him in advance that I would have a question for him at the end.


The question was as follows: “James, during all of your presentations or lectures on the subject of cross- border hiring, you have always said that it was perfectly legal, yet you have never mentioned Section 75 (1)(a) of the LGMPA 1976 in any of them. Why is this? Is it because you don’t think it is relevant?”


Section 75 (1) (a)


(1)Nothing in this Part of this Act shall— (a)apply to a vehicle used for bringing passengers or goods within a controlled district in pursuance of a contract for the hire of the vehicle made outside the district *if the vehicle is not made available for hire within the district;


*My emphasis


I was nervous as I asked this question and braced myself for the zinger coming back my way. His response was that he had read the article in PHTM from a couple of years ago written by Mark Jennings and Lee Ward, and had written his own response to it. He believed that whatever Parliament’s intention may have been at the time, it was no longer relevant today. He also said, that if a vehicle dropped off in another area and was not allowed to wait there in the hope of receiving another booking, this would not be good for the environment if another car had to be sent instead of using the one already there.


My reply to that was simply: “Ok, fine!” 67


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