MAY 2009
COUNCILS HARLOW:
PRIVATE HIRE ROOF SIGNS TO RAISE SAFETY
Minicabs fitted with roof lights are among new measures being introduced to drive out unlicensed cabs and ensure passenger safe- ty in Harlow. All drivers will have to display the lights as well as door signage to help users identify the vehicle as legitimate. The roof lightwill display the message ‘pre- booked journeys only’ and door panels will state ‘Licensed by Har- low Council for private hire use for pre-booked journeys only’. The council’s environ- ment and community committee agreed the move lastmonth. Chair- man Eddie Johnson
told the Harlow S tar: “Introducing new door signage and roof lights on all private hire vehi- cles will
improve
vehicle identification, which is a good thing for local people and the trade. “Although there have been very few incidents of unlicensed vehicles in the town, there is a danger that people may pose as private hire drivers and this action will help discourage this. “People will be safe in the knowledge that they are getting into a prop- erly licensed vehicle.” The measure comes after years of lobbying by the private hire trade
to improve the identifi- cation of their vehicles in Harlow after con- cerns were raised about unlicensed
drivers
operating in the area. Following two years of consideration from the Private Hire Consulta- tive
Body, a
recommendation was made to the council that roof lights and side panels should be adopted. The decision was taken in February last year and councillors finally agreed its implementation last month. It is expected that cabs will be fitted with the lights and extra door signs from August 1.
FOREST OF DEAN: TAXI RULE CHANGE FOR AGE OF VEHICLES
Older taxis could be driven off the roads of the Dean under a new crackdown on drivers. According to the Forester, Forest of Dean District Council is set to bring in tougher conditions which will mean that, in most cases, they will only consider vehicles less than five
years old for first-time licensing. Exceptions will be made for special cases, such as vehicles with disabled access and old classics. Older vehicles will have to be checked every six months under the new guidelines which will also require seats to be big enough to be com-
fortable and drivers to declare any medical problems to the author- ities. The council is planning to bring private hire and hackney drivers and operators in line with the latest Department for Transport guidance. The new rules were expected to come into force on April 11.
EDINBURGH: CRACKDOWNONCABBIESTOTACKLE BAD DRIVERS
A crackdown on poor driving by cabbies in Edinburgh has been launched by police fol- lowing complaints of speeding and illegal parking. Taxis and private hire vehicles are the focus of a month-long police campaign called Oper- ation Orderly. Traffic officers will work alongside colleagues in the taxi examination office to monitor close- ly the driving standards of taxi and private hire drivers across Edin- burgh. The operation has been launched as a result of complaints from mem- bers of the public about the driving standards of “a minority” of taxi and private hire drivers in the city. Pc Kevin McDougall, of the road policing
branch, told the Edin- burgh Evening News: “There’s been a mas- sive increase in the number of private hire vehicles on the road in the last couple of years so there are a lot of black cabs and PHVs on our streets. “We will be trying to cut down on breaches in road traffic law and taxi regulations such as indiscriminate parking, illegal parking and speeding. “The taxi regulations state that taxi drivers are not allowed to queue within 50 metres of a taxi rank. We have had complaints from the public about taxis parking outwith the ranks while waiting for a space. “With the tram works the roads have become more congested, so
problems have just man- ifested because of that.” Operation Orderly ran until April 30, and offi- cers hope it will improve driving stan- dards and road safety. Police officers will also be checking driving documents and the general condition of vehicles, including any lighting defects and the condition of tyres. Mr McDougall added: “The aim is to get driv- ers up to a professional standard across the board and to improve the driving standards in the city.” A police spokesman said: “We cannot allow a situation to develop where those drivers who flout road traffic law and licensing con- ditions are allowed to tarnish the reputation of the majority.”
Crawley cabbies have hit out at the council after being told that only one garage in town will be able to carry out their MOT checks. Previously,
four
garages were on hand to give local taxis a check-up but now Crawley Down Garage is the only one allowed to issue certificates of compliance - and the lack of choice has left drivers fuming. They are worried that a lack of competition could mean service standards slip and prices go up. A council spokesper- son told the Crawley Observer: “Only one garage met the coun- cil’s criteria when this went out to tender at the start of the year. “This garage
has
assured the council it can carry out all the tests needed for taxis inCraw- ley, as well as MOTs for private motorists.” Vice-chairman of the Crawley
Licensed
Cab Drivers’ Associa- tion (CLCDA) Derek Kiernan said: “I think it will affect us in a
PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY 103
CRAWLEY: ANGERASONLYONEGARAGEWILL CARRYOUTMOTS
number of ways. “First of all, the cost. If we can only go to one place they can charge us what they like. “Because they will be checking every taxi, I don’t want to end up waiting weeks for an MOT. “I’ve had so many phone calls in the last two or three days from angry cab drivers. We want more choice which should equal better service.” But Crawley Down Garage, in Brighton Road, has assured drivers that they have the backing of
the
council and that stan- dards will remain. Their after-sales man- ager John Thwaites said: “We were award- ed the contract and since then we have found out that we were the only ones.
It’s
going to be reasonable business for us to be honest. We’ve had meetings with the council who are happy with what we are doing. “We have had a few cab drivers who don’t like the idea of change
but we’ve invited them to come down to have a look around. “We are going to send out a letter to allay any fears the taxi drivers might have. “At the end of the day it has to suit the drivers because they’re the ones it will affect.” Crawley Down have also added that they can carry out ten to 14 compliance checks daily, leaving time to do MOTs for private motorists. Webber’s Garage, in Spindle Way, believe the changes, which were to come in from April 1, are unfair on the other garages who pre- viously did the checks because they cannot compete. A spokesperson for Webber’s said: “Why have the previous four garages been okay for the last few years - or if they
apparently
haven’t, why has Craw- ley taxi service been operating under sub- standard mechanical inspections and put- ting the public at risk?”
BRADFORD: TAXI FIRMS SUPPORT PLANTO RELAX RULES
Some of Bradford’s best-known taxi com- panies have backed controversial proposals to give cabbies more flexibility when their vehicles are tested. At present, taxis found to have defects during their annual test must be repaired immediate- ly, but new plans would see drivers given a ten- day period of grace to rectify minor faults. A document proposes 19 faults that would not lead to the immediate removal of the taxi’s plates, including defec- tive indicators, fog lamps, wiper blades and exhaust systems. Girlington Taxis,
the
biggest private hire taxi company in Bradford with more than 170 driv- ers, welcomed plans for increased flexibility. Company owner Yasser Iqbal told the Bradford Telegraph and Argus: “It got ridiculous a cou-
ple of years ago because they were pulling drivers for anything during ran- dom checks. “This new plan sounds more sensible. If some- one has a broken bulb, they should have chance to sort it out themselves rather than being taken off the road. They were always pulling drivers for stuff like that and it caused uproar.” Mr Iqbal said he knew instances of taxis pass- ing their MOT but failing the Council taxi test a short time later. Mohammed Abid from Barkerend Taxis said: “It’s a very good idea to have a bit more flexibil- ity and will make life easier for the taxi driver. “If we are paying £180 to get this test done, it causes real problems if they then turn round and say ‘the wind- screen wiper is slightly out - we are going to take plates off.’
“We should be able to carry on driving if we have a minor fault because it’s our liveli- hood.” As reported in the Tele- graph and Argus recently, Martin Hamer, Bradford Council’s principal officer for fleet management, said the council was consider- ing a “little more flexibility” without com- promising on safety. He said themove would bring the council’s pro- cedures on vehicle testing into line with the current MOT test. But controversy over the plan intensified when it emerged that Paul Mills, the council’s hackney carriage and private hire manager, and Andrew Mellor, the unit’s senior licensing inspector, had been suspended. Their suspension was under- stood to be connected to their opposition to the proposal.
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