STOCKTON SYNDROME KNUTSFORD FIRMS CALL FOR FARE PLAY
Taxi drivers from Knutsford have rais- ed concerns about firms from other bor- oughs who are taking their customers and threatening their live- lihoods.
It is claimed the prob- lem, which has ap- parently been in- creasing for the past five years, involves taxi companies from other areas coming to the town and poach- ing customers. According to some local companies, the drivers are parking illegally along King Street and approach- ing customers to offer them a lower fare than the one they have already booked. A spokesperson for
Knutsford taxi com- pany Abacus told the Knutsford Guardian: “There has been a massive change in Knutsford for quite a while because of the way that taxis are coming in from out- side, which they are entitled to do, but they are parking where they shouldn’t. Therefore when you go to pick up a fare, the only place you can go is the bottom car park.
“By the time you get there the customer has walked off, they have got in another taxi and gone.
“Our business is get- ting absolutely ham- mered because of it.” Knutsford drivers
believe that part of the problem is that drivers from other areas are accus- tomed to different rules and are not will- ing to respect the way taxi firms work together in the town. The Abacus spokes- person said: “They do not park on the rank, that’s the law and they know that. But they won’t abide by our rules. They live in a different commu- nity and it’s different there.” According to the taxi drivers, PHVs are pulling up and trying to poach their cus- tomers.
“These people seem to have no morals. They see people
standing there and take it,” said Abacus. The taxi drivers are now calling for more stringent rules and licence policing in the area, to ensure that only licensed taxis are trading in the area and to ensure that they park in legal designated ranks. One taxi driver, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Loads of these taxis are parking up on King Street where there is no rank. Someone will go up
to their car and say ‘are you my taxi to Manchester?’ and they will take them. Then they have taken an hour’s booking at least. It’s a complete waste of time.
“I’m worried we are going to go out of business. It’s ridicu- lous. There are cars that are unlicensed and working in our area.”
A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: “The licensing enforcement team is keen to identify indi-
viduals who flout the taxi licensing laws and, when provided with specific details, will investigate as part of programmed en- forcement events and take appropriate action. “There are occasions however where inci- dents involve drivers of vehicles who are licensed by other local authority areas and, in these instances, informa- tion is passed to the relevant authority for further action.”
CRACKDOWN PLAN FOR ROGUE TAUNTON DEANE TAXIS
Licensing bosses have moved to block a loophole that could potentially make it easier for rogue taxi drivers to sexually exploit children. New rules likely to be introduced to bar cabbies from out of the area registering in Taunton Deane have been welcomed by a taxi firm owner. The move comes after years of lobby- ing by the trade and follows the child sex scandal involving criminal taxi drivers in Rotherham and Rochdale. There are fears the current system makes it difficult to monitor dozens of ‘cross border’ drivers. This is mainly licence holders in Bristol who have legally ob- tained a licence from Taunton Deane Council even though they never or rarely pick up fares in this area.
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The authority’s li- censing manager Ian Carter, in a report to the licensing commit- tee meeting, said taxi forum members viewed the licensing procedure as “an area of major con- cern”.
He added: “National events have also identified safeguard- ing concerns over the activities of taxi driv- ers in child sexual exploitation and high- lighted that councils should assume that CSE is present and preventative activity must be put in place. “Although not an unlawful activity, there are potentially undesirable conse- quences of taxis and drivers licensed by the council operating remotely from it as the council has to su- pervise these drivers and vehicles.” Mr Carter recom- mended councillors to adopt a policy re-
fusing licence ap- plications from any- one living outside the district unless they can prove they gen- uinely intend to work “entirely or predomi- nantly” here.
The policy would also allow the authority to suspend or revoke licences of drivers who are not plying their trade in and around Taunton. Mike Davis, of Taunton’s largest cab firm A1Ace Taxis, welcomed the move, adding: “After a pro- longed period of discussion and pleading with the council to act respon- sibly, the new council has finally listened to us.
“The council has to be able to check the drivers are operating within their agree- ment, but with them operating in Bristol, Taunton Deane has no control over what they’re doing.”
OCTOBER 2015
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