4 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY BEST TALK QUICKLY...
NOT MUCH ROOM THIS TIME!! There’s that much mate-
rial to go into this issue, there’s very little space left for me to rabbit on about what’s inside. So you’d best get reading, starting with Page One and the current stance being taken in the capi- tal against illegal touting. That’s what’s shoved me off this page; we thought it was an important message and therefore didn’t cut a word of it. Much more of that action is need- ed... both in London and elsewhere.
Opinion also tackles another of the burning issues of the day: the current consultation document issued by the DfT on improving accessibility of taxis. I’m saying nowt here; leaving that to Chief Anorak, who’s also been busy again some more with the League Tables, showing that the national two-mile aver- age Tariff One taxi fare is now up to £5.05. So where are you against that figure, pray tell?
Our usual departments are departmentalising all over the place, espe- cially Rank Rumblings. We could barely include all the Rank stories this time; evi- dently some councils are finally getting the message that more rank spaces are need- ed to accommodate all these hackney car- riages that are coming on in areas that have been deregulated. Oops - sorry to be un- PC herein. Read more in Dereg as well. Both Profiles this month hail from the North West: the compa- ny profilee is Cresta Cars of Manchester, the biggest in the area and hoping to become biggest in the region. Our profiled driver Chris Hargreaves hails from Bury but has a message of national importance, and of empathy, for anyone who’s struggled with ‘passing off’ situations in their area. See how he’s sorted the problem
for his company. As you may have noticed, there’s a spe- cial A5 insert facing this page, which is all about this year’s Taxi and Pri- vate Hire Exhibition at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.
Wednesday/ Thursday, 27 and 28 May.
Dates: Get
yourselves organised into groups, pre-regis- ter and get in the show for free, and get your names entered into the prize draw for the Merc! Read all about it oppo- site.
That’s about all the space one has been allowed this month... get stuck into reading the proper stuff.
And
where’s all those good- guy stories we asked you to send in? Come on - we need our spirits lifted in these credit crunched times. We get enough moaning in all the other media... let’s have a few pats on the back for those who deserve them.
And we know they’re out there...
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continued from front cover
operations targeting offenders who pose as cab drivers.
“The safety of the public is paramount and I would advise everyone not to get into any vehicle that they have not booked and always book a cab through a reputable PCO licensed operator.” Steve Burton, TfL’s Director of Community Safety Enforcement and Policing, said: “We are determined to crack down on touting, which can be a cover for more serious crimes like rob- bery or sexual assault. No one should ever take
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a minicab without a booking – they are ille- gal, unsafe and uninsured, and it is just not worth the risk. To get home safely, take a black cab or book a minicab through a licensed operator.” Mayor Boris Johnson has taken a tough line on touting, and any licensed driver convicted of tout- ing will now lose their Public Carriage Office (PCO) driver’s licence. He also announced last year that the number of dedicated cab enforce- ment officers in the Capital would be dou-
bled to 68. The Cab Enforcement Unit has made over 4,500 arrests for touting and other cab-related offences and dealt with another 2,000 offences by way of sum- mons since 2003. This weekend’s opera- tion also involved TfL’s PCO, checking on the activities of licensed drivers and operators, and the Vehicle & Opera- tor Services Agency (VOSA) which carried out roadside safety checks of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles in the Strand and in Hay- market.
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