ROUND THE COUNCILS DURHAM:
BOURNEMOUTH:
Taxi drivers across County Durham are being allowed to request payment in advance if a journey is likely to cost more than £10 in a new scheme which aims to reduce crime. According to the Northern
Echo,
Durham Police has set up ‘Over 10 Pay There and Then’ because incidents relating to people not paying for their taxis were found to be on the rise. The scheme, which is currently being rolled out across most of the county, allows taxi drivers to request pre-pay- ment when the fare involves certain risk
SCHEME ALLOWS FOR FARES IN ADVANCE factors,
intoxication,
including large
groups and fares taken at night. All PH firms have been invited to join the scheme and a number have already signed up so passen- gers can expect to start seeing the Over 10 Pay There and Then badges appear- ing inside vehicles. Drivers who have signed up can ask for the full payment in advance, although they will still run the meter so passengers can see they have been charged the correct amount. Any difference in what was requested at the start of the journey will need to
TAXI DRIVERS ASK FOR FARE INCREASE
be paid by the pas- senger or returned by the driver once they have arrived at the requested desti- nation. DS David Bailey said: “This is a ground- breaking scheme as taxi drivers haven’t been able to ask for money in advance. Hopefully this will reduce the number of offences taking place which tend to happen when offi- cers are at their busiest meaning drivers were losing out on fares waiting for us to attend.” Taxi drivers wishing to get
involved
should email: over10 paythereandthen@
durham.pnn.police.uk
Taxi fares could rise in
Bournemouth
under plans put for- ward by drivers. The Bournemouth Echo reports that Kevin Holmes, chair- man
of cent the
Bournemouth Taxi Trade Association, has requested a two per
fare
increase from April. If approved by the council,
also rise under the suggested
tariff
posed fare changes would see
the pro- the
charge for the first mile of a journey increased by 11p to £4.69 with subse- quent miles rising by 14p to £2.37. Booking fees would
amendments. The request was to be considered by members of
council’s licensing committee
the on
Thursday February 14. Any changes would come into force from April 1.
WARRINGTON: NEW CCTV SYSTEM COULD COST £320K
Warrington Borough Council could fork out up to £320,000 to install the latest CCTV system in the town’s taxis. Since June 2016, cabbies across the borough have been required to have cameras fitted in their vehicles to improve the safety of passengers
and
drivers. But the issue has sparked major concerns, with some labelling the system as ‘intrusive’. According to the Warrington Guar- dian, following dis- cussions between the council and Infor- mation Commis- sioner’s Office (ICO), since June, cabbies have had permission to temporarily deac- tivate the CCTV when their vehicle is in personal use. And Warrington’s taxis will now be fit- ted with the latest system, which will give drivers the option to turn it off when their vehicle is being used for per- sonal
purposes,
although it must be in operation at
16
other times. The capital invest- ment is part of the authority’s commit- ment to work with the taxi trade to ensure the ‘highest standards of safe- guarding’ are del- ivered for drivers and the public. Around 600 vehicles in the town will be required to have the new system. It is expected to cost the council between £300,000
and
£320,000. Cllr Judith Guthrie, executive
board
member for environ- ment and public protection, said: “We recognise the valu- able public service Warrington’s taxis provide and we are committed to work- ing closely with the trade to promote best practice and to improve standards. “The security of taxi passengers
and
drivers is a high pri- ority for us, so I’m pleased that we are one of the local authorities leading the way in the intro- duction of CCTV. “The use of this tech-
nology in taxis is a new and emerging area for councils and there have been some challenges in getting it right. “We have listened to the concerns of the ICO and drivers around data protec- tion and acted on the advice given. Safety is paramount and that’s why we have carried out rigorous research and invest- ed in a high-quality system, which will fully meet the needs of Warrington’s taxi trade. “This policy has been introduced in the best interests of the travelling public and responsible drivers and I’m confident that the new systems will strike the right balance between protecting drivers and the travelling public, while protect- ing the privacy of drivers when they are not on duty.” Installation of the new system is expected to begin in March following the conclusion of the procurement exer- cise.
MARCH 2019
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