LICENCE SHOPPING


DOES HAVING A FIRST AID KIT AND FIRE EXTINGUISHER MAKE THE VEHICLE SAFER?


Not in the slightest; in fact, due to their weight, and the presence of a pair of scissors, they make the vehicle more dangerous as a weapon has now been provided. Their presence serves no valid purpose, since those objects are not for driver use, or even passenger use, they are nothing more than an added expense, and added items to be tested or checked.


So what is it that makes one council safer than another? There is no lengthy way to answer this question, it is quite simply - nothing. Every single licensing authority in the UK will tell you that its licensing policy is the best, it is the strictest, anyone licensed elsewhere may not be subject to the same checks and conditions as their own licensed vehicles, operators, and drivers. Well, unfortunately, they cannot all be right, can they?


By definition, if they are all correct, then they would all be the same, which would then mean that none are any less safe right? My head hurts now.


SO WHY LICENCE SHOP?


Very simply put, any customer from any walk of life, will look around for the best, the most efficient, the best value for money and the fastest way to get what they need. This applies to cars, mechanical repairs, electronics, such as phones and computers, even food, even more so now with the cost of living crisis.


We have all seen the posts about fuel costs to try to help each other find the best prices; well guess what; this applies to councils and licensing too. Suck it up, because that is just the way it is.


WOLVERHAMPTON, IS IT A DIRTY WORD?


The largest supplier right now (outside of London) is Wolverhampton. Having spoken to a licensing operative


Article by Dave Lawrie, Director NPHTA 0161 280 2800


info@nphta.co.uk


ASSOCIATIONS • OPERATORS • DRIVERS • VEHICLE OWNERS JOIN US TODAY - STRENGTH IN NUMBERS! 0161 280 2800 info@nphta.co.uk


PHTM SEPTEMBER 2022 15


at Wolverhampton council, the comment made was actually very refreshing, as he said: “We simply want to provide the most efficient service to get drivers on the road as fast as we can, provided all the checks are in place, no one wants to see anyone out of work, and that includes us!”


The service Wolverhampton provides has been streamlined to make it more efficient, more accessible, and faster, whilst all the very same checks are made on vehicles and drivers.


The ONLY issue is cross-border working, which has been covered at length in this publication and discussed in detail at the PHTM EXPO. Drivers thinking they can be licensed anywhere and work anywhere in the country for any operator they choose, this is simply not the case, nor is it legal. The most important part is that the three-licence rule is adhered to, which simply means that: all jobs may only be sent to a driver by an operator that is licensed by the same council.


Is it legal to sit around predominantly working in a remote area? Well in reality, you are only parking, and until a predominant use is implemented onto private hire vehicles, as it can be for hackney carriages, you are technically not doing anything wrong. But be careful that you are not caught out under the Henderson v Gateshead definition of plying for hire, which is the act of parking on or near to a taxi rank, or on or near to a place which is highly crowded,thus making yourself appear to be available for immediate hire.


Summing up, the message to local authorities is: if you don’t like the fact that your licensees are going elsewhere for a licence then you need to look at how you can improve the service you are providing, in order to challenge the competition - that is simply business - and if you fail to achieve this, your licensees will continue to drift away.


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