TAXI drivers across the town are appealing for Warrington Borough Council to do more to support and protect them on the job.
Warrington Hackney Owners & Drivers Association (WHODA) has highlighted issues such as poor co-operation, unreasonable car checks and a lack of safety measures.
Recent cases have brought drivers under the spotlight but those pinned with the duty of transporting Warrington residents from place to place believe more should be done.
Approximately 149 licensed Hackney vehicles and 403 private hire vehicles currently operate in the borough.
“The implementation of the council’s taxi policies which affect the drivers lacks consultation and communication with the drivers through a proper channel” said general secretary of WHODA, Khalid Hashmi.
“There has not been much support from the council, in terms of driver safety, even though we as taxi drivers provide this service on behalf of the council.
“They have mentioned things they want to do but nothing has happened.
“There is now more scrutiny on the state of the taxi vehicles - also drivers are now getting failed for having minor scratches and dents which are usually caused by the drunken passengers.”
Although regular checks are carried out by council officials, the timing of these measures has been questioned by Mr Hashmi.
“Every few months licensing officers are out to check taxis and badges and mystery customers are part of these checks,” he added.
“I personally think licensing officers themselves should do mystery checks over the weekends when they will see drunk passengers argue and fight, which will make them realise how hard and dangerous our job is.”
A council spokesman said the authority is committed to working with drivers for ‘the safety of the public’.
He added: “While we always endeavour to work with taxi drivers to seek compliance, it is important to note that we will take firm enforcement action where necessary to protect the public and the legitimate business interests of the trade.
“Our new policy sets out some important changes, including the requirement of CCTV to protect drivers and the public. We are fully committed to working with everyone to introduce these important measures.
“Whilst we met with representatives of the trade as part of the consultation on the policy, we are committed to maintaining an open dialogue and to listening to their views.
“We have already written to drivers and we would encourage them to work with us to improve the service for the benefit of everyone.”
