COUNCIL chiefs have promised an inquiry after private hire drivers were accused of spoiling cabbies’ chances of picking up fares in Wigan town centre.
The complaint centres on early hours parking restrictions in King Street West.
Several Hackney carriage drivers say that they are finding it difficult to stop and pick up customers on the road because of illegal parking by members of the public on both double yellow lines and the taxi rank/bus lane and also because private hire drivers stop there when they haven’t got a fare.
Andrew Tilley is one of those affected. He keeps his cab going until 6am at weekends because of the late-night finishing of certain clubs, including Indiepedence on King Street West.
The Orrell 41-year-old said: “My main business is at weekends in Wigan town centre and I stay out until 6am or after now that several of the clubs finish at that time.
“Indiependence is one of those and so you want to be on the rank outside when everyone comes out. But a lot of us have been having problems because loads of other vehicles are illegally parked on the double yellow lines and the bus lane-taxi rank.
“Some of the obstructions are from members of the public parking there and also private hire cars.”
Unite branch secretary Ronnie Melling said: “This is part of a bigger problem with King Street West. I wrote to the police’s borough commander a couple of months ago about a lack of enforcement on there which also includes people ignoring the no entry sign from the Dorning Street end.
“Frequently you see private hire vehicles in the taxi ranks waiting outside the takeaways when there is no-one inside. They are probably waiting for a radio call for their next fare but should be going back to base.”
Town centre manager Mike Matthews said: “Wigan’s busy night time economy is very important to us and we work closely with bar owners and Pubwatch to ensure a safe and positive night out in town.
“Although there has been no formal complaint sent to us, we do have regular discussions with representatives of the cab drivers and parking is on the agenda for the next meeting.
“We will be addressing this issue.”
source: http://www.wigantoday.net/news/
Worth exploring
CONCERN: Mark Selley
Taxi chiefs in Preston have appealed for the public to help catch unlicensed cabbies after three drivers were convicted of the offence.
Trade chiefs fear the convicted drivers could be the “tip of the iceberg” and warned that unlicensed drivers are putting the public at risk.
Mark Selley, secretary of the Preston Hackney Carriage Association, says the problem is mainly at night because of what the trade calls ‘flying’.
‘Flying’ is where several drivers are using a taxi licensed only for one person.
And he today called on the public to complain if the face on the licence badge does not match the driver’s.
He added: “A lot of this goes on at night and with the best will in the world the council does not have the manpower to be making checks all night.
“The bottom line is the public are at risk here because they are making uninsured journeys.
“This has got to be the tip of the iceberg.
“What we can do is educate the public. Every cab should have a drivers’ badge in the rear.
“If the face on the badge does not match the driver’s report it to the police. A lot of the public don’t know they can complain if they are not happy.”
According to a report prepared for next week’s taxi and miscellaneous committee at Preston town hall, a driver from Lostock Hall was fined £350 for not having a licence to drive a Hackney carriage last February.
In March, a man from Preston was fined £135 for not having a Hackney licence.
A third man, from Brierfield, near Burnley, was also fined £150 for working the city’s streets without a licence in March.
Coun David Hammond, chairman of the committee, said: “We share these concerns.
“We just don’t tolerate it.
“I think what is interesting to note is over the past few months very few taxi drivers have been pulled before us for misdemeanours.”
source: http://www.lep.co.uk/news/rogue_cab_plea_to_public_1_772493
HACKNEY cabbies fear they could be forced to stage a public protest if council bosses fail to act on their plea to control the rising number and deteriorating conduct of taxi drivers in Chesterfield.
Chairman David Hopton, of Chesterfield Hackney Owners’ and Drivers’ Association, accused Chesterfield Borough Council of failing to act and presented a written appeal to a council meeting last Wednesday.
Mr Hopton said: “If nothing happens we’ll have to look at taking action and that could mean protests with drivers taking to roads at once and blocking up the town.”
His statement claimed increasing numbers and a lack of controls meant drivers were having to work longer, some were quoting over-inflated prices, not using meters, taking customers on longer routes and there were increased carbon emissions. Mr Hopton argued there was no auditing or enforcement which has allowed inappropriate conduct, including refusal of disabled customers, selectively choosing customers on fare values and meter tampering.
He accused the council of failing to hold a survey for over 25 years and failing to enforce illegal-flagging by private hire cars and criticised Derbyshire County Council for not providing enough rank spaces or letting Hackneys use bus lanes.
Chesterfield Borough Council said it carried out spot checks and investigations and since 2001 had prosecuted 43 private hire drivers and most allegations were not substantiated .
It added that a survey on taxi demand is being considered.
Derbyshire County Council said it has discussed new ranks and it has safety concerns about proposed routes and the use of bus lanes.
source: http://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/
Private hire and hackney carriage cabs will be restricted from parking in designated areas of the town between 8am and 6pm Monday to Saturday.
The order covers Bethel Street, Bradford Road, Briggate, Commercial Street, Gooder Street, King Street, Lawson Road, Market Street and Park Street.
But Mohammed Iqbal, owner of Wood’s Taxis, said he would continue to fight the order.
“I have made an appointment with my solicitor and I am going to take the council to court. There is no law in the UK how can they have a law in Brighouse and not everywhere else in the district,” he said.
The new traffic regulation which was approved by Calderdale Council in December following a large number of complaints, only received one objection.
Coun Stout (Ind, Brighouse) said the signs would be up by the end of May which would restrict where the taxis parked.
“That means that if they are picking up a passenger they can park and pick them up but they can’t park,” said Coun Stout. “I will be requesting that the traffic wardens spend a lot more time in Brighouse, first of all to enforce the new regulation and secondly to make it clear that we mean business as far as illegal parking, whether it be taxis or not.”
He said he would be looking into providing more hackney carriage spaces to accommodate the six vehicles.
Gail Subham, chairman of Shopwatch, said: “It really is difficult trying to get parked up because the taxis are there. You cannot get parked on market street because taxis are parked in every single place.
“If people could park up on the streets I think it would really benefit Brighouse because it really does annoy a lot of people.”
Stuart Buckle, who owns Willows in Market Street, said he was happy the order had been passed and Eileen Vernon of Eileen’s also in Market Street said she was pleased the council was stopping them from parking in the town.
She said: “Brighouse taxis have been extremely good over recent weeks and haven’t been parking here.”
John Gilroy from Fawcett’s thought the order was a positive move and people were finding it easier to park now.
Owner of Brief Encounter, Sue Bellamy, said it would have a beneficial impact, adding: “People cannot actually stop and park in the town, if they are only coming in for a couple of items it puts people off. I have a lot of people that complain to me that they cannot park.”
Gordan Hayes, who has recently taken over at Le Gormat in Bethel Street, said he was hoping it would help his business. “You only have to look down the street and it is just full of taxis,” he said. “I am sure it will make a difference.”
Shoppers were also pleased with the news of the order. Olive and Tony Filiby of Rastrick said it was a good idea to ban them.
And Pamela Harding who works in the town said: “If they start a taxi rank they should make sure they have parking. You do get the odd customer that has been driving round trying to park.”
David Stokes said: “The taxis do take up a lot of spaces. I just hope the council sticks to it and keeps it up.”
CITY licensing officers are failing to keep checks on rogue minicab drivers at the times of night when passengers are most at risk it has been revealed.
The city’s taxi enforcement officers routinely work only until 2am, meaning that cabs picking up revellers piling out of night clubs during the early hours of the morning are unlikely to be checked.
Officials often check that vehicles and drivers are fully licenced, roadworthy and are not plying for hire on the city’s streets.
There is a fear that people posing as cab drivers collect drunks from nightclubs, either to make money on the side or worse to kidnap and attack lone revellers.
Opposition Labour Group deputy leader Ian Ward is among those worried.
Coun Ward said: “I am concerned that there is little effective enforcement at night and nothing after 2am when people are at their most vulnerable.
“The answers provided do not satisfy me that enough enforcement officers are working at the key times.”
Broad Street manager Mike Olley, a former Labour councillor, said: “It’s disappointing there are not more enforcement officers around and none after 2am. There is plenty of work for them.”
Birmingham’s licensing department has ten field enforcement officers who out of their 36.5 hour week must spend just six out between 6pm and 2am.
The breakdown is 250 hours of enforcement per week between 8am and 6pm and 36 hours per week at night.
There are 1,450 black cabs, 5,500 minicabs and more than 400 taxi rank parking spaces to keep tabs on throughout Birmingham. Plus many private taxi ranks including those at New Street Station and the Airport. But the licensing department claims its staffing levels are proportionately higher than most local authorities.
Coun David Osborne, the Liberal Democrat chairman of licensing, said that the enforcement is backed up with regular overtime initiatives.
He said: “The enforcement team have conducted over 6,000 checks on private hire drivers vehicles and hackney carriages. Officers have also submitted over 100 file for consideration of prosecution against driver who ply for hire illegally.”
source: http://www.birminghammail.net/news/
A Private Hire driver has been fined for illegally plying for hire.
Ibrar Latif picked up two passengers in Stone last July, despite only having a Stoke-on-Trent private hire licence at the time.
He pleaded guilty to plying for hire without a licence at Stafford Magistrates’ Court yesterday and was ordered to pay £605.
Lucky 7 driver Latif, aged 31, of Cromartie Street, Longton, may also lose his livelihood when his licence is reviewed by Stoke-on-Trent City Council next month.
Simon Turner, prosecuting for Stafford Borough Council, told the court that Sergeant Andrew Stone saw Latif parked outside The Lounge bar in High Street, Stone, in the early hours.
Sgt Stone noted that Latif’s vehicle had a Stoke-on-Trent City Council-issued private hire plate and saw two women approach the car.
Mr Turner said: “They spoke to the defendant before getting into the vehicle, which then drove off.
“Sergeant Stone followed in his own car and caused Latif to stop. He asked one of the ladies when they had booked the taxi.
“She replied that they had not booked it. They had seen it outside the bar and had asked the driver if he could take them.”
After he was charged, Latif initially claimed Lucky 7 had received a booking to pick up a customer in Stone.
But after the transcript of a police interview with one of the passengers became available, he changed his plea to guilty.
David James, defending, told the court his client had been a taxi driver for seven years and this was the first time he had been guilty of illegally plying for hire.
He said that on the morning in question, Latif had dropped a passenger off in Stone and had been waiting to see if another booking in the area came through. Lucky 7 did receive a booking, but it was not for the two women Latif picked up.
Mr James said: “He should have checked. But he didn’t have a phone number and he didn’t have a name.
“He knows that the general policy of Stoke-on-Trent City Council is that when a driver is guilty of illegally plying for hire, regardless of their track record, which in Mr Latif’s case has been good, they will be brought before the licensing panel. He could lose his livelihood, and that is something that terrifies him.”
Mr James added that since the incident, Latif had successfully applied for a Hackney carriage licence from the city council.
Tahir Mahmood, a Lucky 7 manager, said all their drivers were self-employed.
He said: “If a council officer told us a driver had been plying for hire, we would suspend them.”
The magistrates handed Latif a £100 fine and ordered him to pay £490 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
LOCAL taxi operators say that their livelihood is being affected by unlicensed drivers taking ‘hires’ for undercut fares - but are also concerned about the risks that this practice poses to passengers.
Drivers who contacted the Standard told of their anger at what they claim is the “blatant” use of private cars to pick up paying customers at discounted rates.
One taxi operator said: “If you are looking for a taxi and a car shows up without a ‘Taxi’ roof light, no badge on the rear and no meter on the dash, then do not use or enter the vehicle - it’s not a taxi.
“It might be cheaper but its uninsured. Please be warned.”
Another operator said: “I had suspicions that this was happening for a long time, and chatting with other drivers confirmed it.
“It is quite obvious and it seems to be school run trips in particular - doing a £5 run for £2.50, for example.
“I know that we are in a recession and parents may want to save money, but it could cost them dearly if their child was involved in an accident while travelling in such a vehicle.
“The reason that licensed taxi operators have to pay such high insurance premiums is because of the extensive cover. If you are in an accident in a taxi, and you are injured and unable to work, then our insurance covers you for that period. If it happens to you in an unlicensed car, then you won’t get a penny.”
“There is at least one on the go and probably others,” said another driver. “Trips out to Sandbank industrial estate are a problem too.
“I have seen it happening blatantly while I have been out working.
“It is hard enough for us as it is - petrol prices are rocketing and we have to cope with that.
“We are already paying out substantial costs for insurance, for our licenses. But if we put our prices up, we will lose even more business.
“We really feel it when more licensed cars come onto the road as it is, and this situation is making it even worse. Taxi drivers view it as theft, plain and simple.
“But what do we do? We are unhappy about it and have complained to both Argyll and Bute Council and the police, but it is still happening. We feel we are not getting the support that we need.”
Chair of Dunoon Taxi Operators Association, Michael McIntyre, echoed the concerns expressed by local drivers. “”It’s been happening for a long time. We have asked the authorities to investigate it, but police say it is hard to prove.
“However, we would argue that it is happening so blatantly, it can’t be that difficult.
“It definitely should be looked at again. There are big risks involved - anyone involved in an accident would not be insured, there could be no claim and no comeback.
“We would be more than happy to work with the police on this matter to get it resolved once and for all.”
Local councillor Alister MacAlister said: “The problem has been mentioned to me by a number of operators.
“Historically, police have maintained that unless they actually see money changing hands, it is difficult to prove that they are hiring.
“But action needs to be taken. This situation could have serious implications for passengers.”
Aside from the risks associated with the lack of appropriate insurance cover, entering an unknown vehicle with no legitimate taxi markings, particularly late at night and for lone travellers, poses a personal security threat.
The Standard was unable to obtain a full comment from local police before going to press, but in an initial discussion, a police spokesman said: “We can take action if we are contacted and if as many details as possible are supplied, such as car registration numbers.”
source: http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php/news/
DISGRUNTLED cabbies claim dozens of illegal taxis flooded Cheltenham for race week, stealing their customers.
Members of the town’s Hackney Carriage association say the area was swarming with taxi drivers from Gloucester, Swindon and Birmingham without licenses to operate.
They claim as many as one in every three taxi rides taken during the week were made by uninsured vehicles.
And they have hit out at the council’s enforcement officers and police, who they claim left the rogue cabbies to ride roughshod over the law.
Gary Knight, 44, a taxi driver from Springbank, said: “It was a complete farce. We had unlicensed vehicles picking people up all over town, right in front of the police’s noses.
“I complained to council enforcement officers and they did nothing either.”
Under licensing laws taxis must be registered with the local authority where they are operating to legally pick people up from designated taxi ranks, or be private vehicles booked for a specific job.
But according to some Cheltenham cabbies, unlicensed cars were stopping with impunity in the town centre and touting for trade.
Mr Knight added: “People will say this is sour grapes, but picking people up in unlicensed vehicles is a serious offence. It means customers have no insurance.
“If an accident happens – and sooner or later it will – then it could be disastrous.”
The complaints come just months after more than 100 Hackney Carriage drivers signed a vote of no confidence in the council’s licensing office, which they claimed had consistently failed to protect the interests of local drivers.
Malcolm Rogers, 60, a taxi driver from Prestbury, said: “We have this situation every time race week comes around but this time it was worse.
“I saw a driver from Swindon pick up a customer right in front of a police officer. When I raised it with him he just waved me away saying there was enough business for everyone.
“We feel badly let down by the council and the police. License enforcement in Cheltenham needs an overhaul.”
Both police and the council licensing office said they were notified about illegal taxi drivers operating during the race week.
Trevor Gladding, community safety and licensing manager said: “We launched a licensing enforcement operation involving officers from Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Gloucester councils.
“Throughout the four days the team received a number of complaints about non-compliance with licensing regulations and are taking action.”
A police spokesman said: “We would stress the importance of taking taxis from established ranks and firms.”
source; http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/gloucestershireheadlines/
Fine for unlicensed High Wycombe taxi driver
Wycombe Magistrates' Court
AN unlicensed taxi driver from High Wycombe has been ordered to pay more than £2,000 by magistrates.
Zulifqar Ali, of Whitelands Road, pleaded guilty to operating nine private hire vehicles without a valid private hire operator’s licence when he appeared at Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
He was fined a total of £1,800 and ordered to pay costs of £323.
The prosecution was brought by Wycombe District Council.
The council’s Chairman of Regulations and Appeals, Cllr John Savage, said after sentencing: “We are pleased at the successful conviction. It demonstrates the excellent work officers do in ensuring that taxi operators do not ignore the law and are bought to justice if they do.”
source: http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/
Nine illegal private hire cars have been seized from the streets of Gloucester in a new clampdown.
Seven of the nine vehicles were seized by police during the operation which ran on Friday and Saturday night.
The action was taken in response to complaints over private hire cars picking up passengers who had not pre-booked.
Only hackney carriages are allowed to pick up passengers after being stopped in the street.
Sgt Elonor Lakin, of the Gloucester City Safer Community Team, said her team joined forces with roads policing officers, special constabulary officers and city council officials for the crackdown, codenamed Operation Acro.
She said: “The operation was launched following a growing number of complaints about the drivers of private hire cars picking up passengers who had not pre-booked.
“By picking up fares in this way, the private hire drivers are also invalidating their insurance, leading to concerns for the safety of their passengers. This operation was a great success, nine drivers were prosecuted for a range of offences over the weekend.
“However, the number prosecuted on the second night was half that of the first night, showing that lessons were already being learnt.”
A spokesman for Gloucester City Council said: “We held an enforcement operation over the weekend in conjunction with the police.
“It is something we carry out from time to time.
“We caught a total of nine vehicles who were plying for hire, and seven of those cars were seized. There were six caught on Friday and three on Saturday night. We are now in the process of deciding what appropriate action we should take against the drivers.”
Zeya Ahmed is the chairman of the Hackney Carriage Association, said: “We have been asking for the council to do some enforcement because there have been issues with us working within the rules and the rogue drivers taking away our business.
“It has also hit private hire firms who operate within the law, whose trade is also taken away by these rogue operators.
“Therefore the benefits of this clampdown will be for all drivers, and those breaking the rules have got some thinking to do about the way they operate in the future. We are very grateful to the police and the council for getting this going and making this clampdown happen.”
One private hire driver, who did not want to be named, said: “I am pleased they are clamping down on these drivers, they are the ones who give the rest of us a bad name.
“We are just trying to earn a living, and nearly everyone plays by the rules, it’s just a few who try their luck, but it looks like they are getting caught now.”
Writing in today’s Citizen, Editor Ian Mean gives his view on the crackdown:
So called “cowboy” taxi drivers are a menace on our roads.
That is why the iron fist of Gloucester City Council, which came down hard on nine of them at the weekend, is to be welcomed.
Why should licensed Hackney carriage drivers, who alone are allowed to pick up fares from city streets, be penalised by these “cowboy” operators?
Nine of these illegal taxis were seized by police during the operation over last Friday and Saturday.
These illegal drivers are private hire taxis picking up passengers who have not pre-booked from the street. Nothing wrong at all in hiring a private hire car if you have pre-booked, of course.
Those of us who have hired one of these “cowboy” taxis have probably never even realised that the drivers are invalidating their insurance by picking up in this way without being pre-booked.
The consequences of a crash or accident in one of these private hire cars could leave passengers in a very awkward position legally in terms of any compensation claim for injury.
source: http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/
