GMB PERSPECTIVE
Once again we welcome this month’s GMB contribution from Andy Peters from Brighton and Hove. This time he covers a plethora of topics, all of which we’re sure will be of interest.
Brighton and Hove Fare Review: After four and a half years without a fare review the trade decided it was time to go for one, taking into consideration that the previous one in 2015 only added 20p on the flag after a two-year period. One of the rea- sons why the trade held back was because of the arrival of Uber in late 2015 which did- n’t actually start operating until late 2016. Back then it was unknown territory and at the time the city was flooded with TfL PHV’s. We also had Wolverhampton and Sefton Uber drivers sleeping in their cars night after night on the sea front.
So we needed to assess the situation on pricing. However, the local BBC radio station did a like-for-like test on a run from the stu- dio to the University with an Uber (no surge) and a B&H taxi and both came out exactly the same. We also ran our own tests using the Uber app and with Uber showing esti- mated prices these were pretty much the same as the local council-controlled rate.
In B&H we work closely with the council and have a recognised ‘Fare Formula’ that takes into account the car purchase/insurance/ fuel/ etc and the average income here in the south. The AA figures for running a car on a set mileage are then used to calculate mileage rate, and a few months ago this came to about £2.44 per mile. We had been running at £2.20 per mile. From there I worked with Stuart at Radio Relay, the main meter agent here, to set the configuration as to what is needed.
The standard procedure for any fare review application is that it has to go to all the reps that make up the Taxi Trade Forum at a council-held meeting, so an agreement was made. This allows for anyone using any cab in the city to get the council local rate. We also took into serious consideration the plain fact that Uber seems to go into Surge Mode as soon as a grey cloud passes over the city and up goes the cost of using an Uber by 1.5 to 4x the rate. Uber cheaper? My XXXX!
I would like to thank Cllr Lee Wares for the support he expressed at the meeting, as did
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includes a rear plate fixed to the car upside down…quite incredible really.
Drivers attending the CSE course
Licensing Chair Cllr Jackie O’Quinn. I also agreed with Jackie that the fare review should be every two years. Since the [lat- est] implementation I have not heard of any complaints from customers.
Brighton & Hove CSE Course: The council held its new CSE course for drivers - who attended on a voluntary basis - and I am pleased to report that over 560 drivers attended which is roughly about half or so of the total amount of licensed drivers. The course provided valuable information and a second course will be run in the autumn.
OOT Conditions of Licence: With so many ‘OOT’s’ (‘Out of Towner’s, a descriptive explained elsewhere) predomi- nantly working in the city we have become very familiar with what they should be dis- playing on their vehicles according to their respective conditions of licence. As these ‘OOT’s’ are working many miles away from their respective local enforcement officers we consider it our duty to report back any such infringements of licence conditions.
We cannot stop them predominantly work- ing here but if they do then at the very least they have to comply with their own conditions of licence because it is very clear that ‘Out of sight/Out of mind’ is the current practice. For example: Lewes DC, which has been flooded with PHV/Driver applications (like Wolverhampton) to the east of Brighton, has recently introduced specific council livery for both its hackney carriages and PHV’s. And yet a consider- able number of these vehicles have not been complying with where these new signs should be on the cars, and we contin- ue to report these to Lewes DC. This
Additionally whilst the council has supplied these new livery door signs in an adhesive sticker format it has allowed drivers to stick these on magnetic bases, the result being that one has been found applied to a metal communal rubbish bin in Brighton and one applied on a metal siding at Fratton Railway Station in Portsmouth some fifty miles away! Brighton & Hove Council does not allow such magnetic door signs to be used because these livery identification signs could be used by bogus cabs for unsavoury reasons. Does your council allow magnetic licence ID? If it does, it shouldn’t.
We recently spotted a Southampton PHV working here in the city with an expired date on the rear council licence plate. This driver was politely questioned about this by a B&H driver (and recorded) and as it turned out, the driver was able to show a valid licence date on his mobile. However this was report- ed to Southampton licensing and to give them their due, the vehicle was suspended the next day and had to return to Southampton for the plate to be corrected. However we question the process that Southampton has for re-licensing vehicles… which appears to be via post?
This was very unlike Wolverhampton Council where a Wolverhampton PHV was also spot- ted in the city here very recently with an expired date on the rear council licence plate. This was reported to Wolverhampton who treated it as an ‘FOI’ which may be respond- ed to within 30 days This was not the response we expected! Maybe with having issued some 6,000 PHV licences [more like 13,000 these days!] Wolverhampton does not have the time to instantly respond and act appropriately as a matter of public safety.
Are we being nerds here in Brighton & Hove? Maybe... but if you are an ‘OOT’ pre- dominantly working in Brighton & Hove miles away from your own licensing enforcement then our cab network will be watching you…
Andy Peters Secretary GMB Brighton & Hove Taxi Section
andy.peters@
gmbtaxis.org.uk
OCTOBER 2019
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