IN THE NEWS
UNDER COVER OPERATION HELPS N.W. LEICS D.C. CATCH ILLEGAL DRIVER
A Belton man was caught operating an illegal taxi thanks to an undercover operation. According to the Coalville Times, licensing officers from North West Leicester- shire District Council posed as passengers to gather evidence and secure the prose- cution.
On 2 September 2010 Kevin Ellis, from Bel- ton, pleaded guilty at Hinckley Magistrates Court to two charges of failing to have a proper license.
The magistrates heard the council had first received information in December 2009 that Ellis was operating illegally and he had been warned he need- ed to obtain the correct licences.
When further informa- tion was received that he was continuing to operate illegally offi- cers mounted the undercover operation. Posing as members of the public, they ordered a taxi driven by Ellis to take officers from Belton to Staunton Harold. When he was subse- quently interviewed by the officers Ellis said because both he and his vehicle were licensed by Charn- wood Borough Council he thought that it was okay to operate within North West Leicestershire. Ellis was ordered to pay a total of £3,700.46, which included a fine £750.00 for each offence, costs of £2,185.46 and a victim
surcharge of £15.00. When imposing the penalty the chairman of the magistrates, Mr K Smith, said that despite the earlier warning Ellis had “knowingly flouted the regulations”. Following the court hearing Councillor Ali- son Smith environ- ment champion for North West Leicester- shire District Council, said: “This prosecu- tion demonstrates the district council’s con- tinued commitment to public safety - ensur- ing all taxis and drivers are properly licensed and follow the rules.
“It also shows our sup- port for local taxi operators who lose trade to illegal opera- tors.”
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ABERDEEN DRIVER FACED GRILLING OVER TWITTER
An Aberdeen taxi driv- er was summoned by council bosses after his comments to a pas- senger appeared on a social networking site. The driver, whose identity is unknown, launched a “severe verbal attack” on Aberdeen City Council while a businessman was in his car.
The taxi driver’s pas- senger, referred to as M in a report to an Aberdeen City Council committee, reported comments on the web- site Twitter.
Council staff saw his comments on a rou- tine search of the site and contacted the passenger to find out more and offer the
chance to make a for- mal complaint. The taxi driver, was identified and called in for a meeting by the Taxi Sergeant within 12 hours of the discovery. The report said the man told bosses it would not happen again.
In the report, council officers said the taxi case showed the ben- efits of using the sites, saying it let the council “monitor and follow what people are say- ing about the council”. North-east Tory MSP Alex Johnstone today said Aberdeen City Council’s use of social networks had the potential to do both good and bad.
“As a licensing author-
ity, the council has a duty to ensure taxi drivers behave appro- priately,” he told the Aberdeen Evening Express.
“In that respect, its action could be justi- fied.
“But if it is motivated by a desire to sup- press criticism of the council, that would be a freedom of speech issue.” Labour North- east MSP Richard Baker said people should be careful about putting critical comments on net- working sites which could be widely read. However, he said he would not expect the council to be monitor- ing individuals’ sites.
MANCHESTER DRIVER TOLD: DON’T SWEAR AT THE PASSENGERS
A Manchester driver picked on the wrong person when he swore at a passenger who quizzed his choice of route.
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He launched a foul- mouthed outburst at a ‘mystery shopper’ working for the council - to test the customer service skills of drivers. The driver became annoyed when the customer questioned the route he was tak- ing from Manchester Airport to Peel Hall Pri- mary School in Wythenshawe.
He snatched up his sat- nav to show the customer and said: “Listen, don’t give me a headache. I’m following the road, yeah? I can do without that s***.” The driver then took the mystery shopper, who said they felt threat- ened, to the wrong address and became annoyed again when asked for a receipt. The shocking evi- dence features in a Manchester council report detailing the
mystery shopping scheme.
The authority’s licens- ing unit launched the pilot scheme in a bid to improve the stan- dard of service black cab drivers provide. The driver involved now faces an interview with the unit which will decide on appropriate action.
Black cab journeys trig- ger more complaints than those in private hire vehicles - 69 per cent of all complaints in 2009 in Manchester. Problem issues include the standard of service for disabled people, night-time journeys from the city centre, inaccurate fare charges and drivers’ knowledge of the area. One hundred journeys were taken for the pilot scheme during May and June this year. Each mystery shopper assessed areas such as the external appear- ance of the vehicle and interaction with the customer.
They also gave a mark
for overall satisfaction. A satisfaction mark of 70 per cent was deemed acceptable. Twenty-one scored less than this, mainly due to the poor interpersonal skills of the driver. The licensing unit will now interview these drivers and some may be offered formal train- ing. Forty-seven drivers gave excellent service, scoring over 95 per cent.
A council spokesman told the Manchester Evening News: “We learned a great deal from the exercise. As well as showing up areas where the serv- ice could be improved, it also highlighted good practice. “We are going to carry out further exercises and already have one planned to look at the experiences of passen- gers with disabilities.” The pilot test comes two years after an NVQ course was introduced at Northenden College for drivers to improve their etiquette.
PHTM OCTOBER 2010
39mm
20mm
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