92 PRIVATEHIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
MAY 2009 DEREGDILEMMA
TOOMANYDRIVERSAND TAXIS IN BARRY
A Barry taxi driver has claimed that making a living is becoming more difficult - because the Vale Council is licensing too many drivers and taxis on local roads. Stan Harkus, who runs Street Cars, told The Barry GEM: “There are toomany taxis and driv- ers in the Vale now, and there isn’t enough work. I’ve known occa- sions recently when I’ve waited on a taxi rank for an hour and a quarter, only to pick up a fare that’s in the town centre and worth £2.60.” “There are a number of places where you can see
queues and
queues of taxis; there have got to be more than 300 drivers in the Vale and it’s too many. “It isbecomingmoreand more difficult to make a living and I’ve heard of some guys who are thinking of jackingit in.
“I think that it’s time for the Vale Council to stop licensing any more taxis and drivers, and let natural wastage reduce numbers.” Mr Harkus added that the council also had to speed up its taxi check operation so that drivers didn’t lose vital income: “My
wife its recently
booked her vehicle in for
six-monthly
check, and they couldn’t see it for a week. “That means a loss of wages for a week while you’re still paying run- ning costs, such as insurance.” Kate Thompson, an operational manager with the Vale Council, said: “The council does not have a policy limiting the number of licensed drivers or hackney car- riage vehicles operating within its area. “The
council is
unaware of a lawful mechanism to impose
such a limit and each application must be treated on its merits. “In guidance issued in October, 2006, the Department for Trans- port stated that best practice was not to limit the number of hackney carriages. “While it is not appro- priate for the licensing authority to comment on individual cases, there are systems in place to ensure propri- etors have sufficient time to book and test their vehicles; and they are issued with renewal remind ers six weeks prior to the expiry of the vehicle licence. “Vehicles can be tested up to ten working days before the expiry date and the booking of the test can bemade at any time before this period. “Proprietors
are
encouraged not to leave booking until the last minute.”
TAXIDRIVERSVOWTOSTEPUP PRESSURE INEASTBOURNE
finding exercise. We’ll explore all of
the
options available to us.” Another drive-through protest is planned. Nick Bodle, one of
the
organisers of the last demonstration,
said,
Taxi drivers taking part in a procession through Eastbourne. Photo courtesy of the Eastbourne Herald
Taxi drivers in East- bourne have vowed to step up their pressure on Eastbourne Bor- ough Council over the decision to boost the number of hackney car- riages in the town. Last month taxi and pri- vate hire drivers took part in an hour-long protest drive around the town centre in response to the licensing commit- tee
voting for
delimitation. Drivers say there are already too many and their livelihoods are at
risk. They’re also unhap- py with the way the committee reached its decision and are consid- ering taking legal action. A solicitor’s letter has now been sent to East- bourneBoroughCouncil asking for documents. The chairman of 720 Taxis, Barry Morris, told the Eastbourne Herald: “A letter from our legal representative was sent to the council offices requesting disclosure of certain items under the Freedom of Infor- mation Act as a fact
“There’s another drive planned for St George’s Day but I understand some discussions have taken place. “Should the situation be resolved and no action to delimit is taken with- out
the evidential
support of a survey, then hopefully there will be no need for further action.” Mr Morris said he’d spoken with Liberal Democrat
council
leader David Tutt and their conversation had been “encouraging”. The issue of taxi delimi- tation is a sensitive one. Alreadyacross thecoun- try councils have come under fire for delimitation and some have reversed their decision.
NONEWCABBIESONRANKS IN READING
No new black cab licences will be issued for a year in Reading following a plea from hard-up, overworked taxi drivers. Keith Johnson, chair- man of the Reading Taxi Drivers’ Association, urged Reading Bor-
ough Council licensing committee to freeze the issuing of new taxi plates for three years. But councillors decided instead to halt the issu- ing of new licences for one year and then review the decision in a year’s time.
Chairman of the com- mittee Cllr Jeanette Skeats revealed she had spent a day driving round with Mr Johnson on a fact-finding exer- cise
which she
described as “a real learning experience”. Mr Johnson’s case was
that with 214 licensed hackney carriage driv- ers already in Reading there was no room on the ranks for more. He described the pres- ent situation on the taxi ranks where drivers were already forced to circle the town centre
two or three times before they could get a space on the rank, and said taxi drivers were now forced to work 70 to 80 hours a week to make a living. He went on: “I believe that the public are being put at risk if drivers are working that long.” Mr Johnson said the recession was having an effect on the number of people taking cabs, but the real cause of the pressure wasthemarked increase in new licences, up 60 in the last year. In March 2007, Reading Borough
Council
removed the limit on the number of taxi licences on offer, but put a strict limit on the drivers allowed to apply. Mr Johnson produced an account of his “nor- mal working day” - the day he took Cllr Skeats on the road - and revealed his gross earn- ings for the day with tips were just £65 for ten jobs in nine hours and it had cost him£12 in diesel. Cllr Peter Jones wanted to know, given the cost of a new cab at £30,000 to £35,000 and the level of earnings described,
“Who in the world, especially in the present climate, would want to apply for a taxi licence?” Cllr Deborah Edwards proposed the one-year freeze on new licences and
Cllr Skeats
described the move as “a happy medium”. Other committee mem- bers agreed and also said they would allow anyapplicationalready in the pipeline to proceed. Members were told the council would have to, by law, carry out a sur- vey of drivers, costing £10,000, if they decided to restrict the issuing of licences in this way. Drivers at the meeting acknowledged
they
would be expected to pay for the statutory survey through their annual licence fees if the issuing of licences was frozen. After the meeting Mr Johnson told the Read- ing Evening Post: “We would have liked the council to stop issuing licences for three years, but this is something better than nothing. We hope that in a year’s time they will agree to do the same again.”
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