Taxi drivers across West Northamptonshire will be subjected to a new set of rules, despite objections from the trade.
CambridgeshireLive reports that hundreds of angry drivers took to the streets of Northampton on Tuesday evening, 9 January, to protest the council’s policy outside the licensing committee meeting.
A council committee reconvened as the initial proposal in October was deferred after drivers’ union ADCU protested in October last year when the taxi policy first went to the council.
Committee members have now had more time to consider the consultation response from the trade.
Cllr Gareth Eales, a member of the licensing committee, described the previous meeting as “some-what of a spiky affair” after the ADCU accused the council of “racist” and “regressive” regulations.
One of the proposals that has been highly contended by drivers but has now been given the go-ahead is a penalty points system designed to record rule breaks and misconduct from drivers.
Where a complaint is made from the public an investigation will then determine whether any action is taken and if points are imposed. If a driver has accrued more than 12 penalty points over 12 months, their licence may be revoked or suspended with immediate effect.
Mohamed Dogan, a taxi driver at the protest, said that he was “extremely worried” about the implications of the new regulations and felt that the points system was the “biggest issue”.
He added: “We have to be careful all the time. I have a family to support - I’ve been doing taxi driving for 18 years and we never had a problem. This policy is created to penalise us.”
Breaches include failure to comply with the dress code; not offering reasonable assistance with luggage; turning up late to a booking without proper reason and allowing noise from a radio or other equipment to be a “nuisance or annoyance”.
Cllr Eales told the meeting that the points system was actually an “upgrade” from the previous rules. He argued that there is a right to appeal at every step if a complaint is lodged, however under the old Northampton Borough policy the first time there would be an opportunity for the warning to be challenged would be “when they’re in front of a sub-committee with their licence under review”.
Other amendments to the policy include a “certificate of good conduct” whereby all drivers must provide documents from every country they have lived in for more than six months.
Changes to requirements, for example proper signage on vehicles and more training to be undertaken by drivers, will be given a period of grace to complete.
Existing licensed vehicles that don’t stack up to the new standards will also be granted ‘grandfather’ rights until a new one is purchased.
The policy will be kept under constant review to ensure it remains fit for purpose- quarterly meetings with the taxi and private hire vehicles trade are also to be reintroduced to “rebuild working relations” and address any concerns with the implementation.
Northampton chair of the ADCU, Shafqat Shah previously warned that drivers would be forced to hold strikes if the draft policy was enforced. He said the union had been “held to ransom” by the council and that drivers were being “unfairly targeted”.
He asked: “Where is any kind of protection in this policy that actually relates to the poor driver doing this job? Drivers are very angry- at the end of the day, it’s our livelihoods we need to protect.”
He added that he foresees a lot of drivers leaving the industry if nothing is changed.
The ADCU says it is consulting drivers on whether they want to take industrial action.
The council wrote that the new systems were seen as an “open and transparent way” of dealing with licensing issues and that ultimately each case would be dealt with “on its own merit”. It insisted that the policy was not “designed or intended to be punitive” and the main aim is to “improve safety” and provide the “best possible service to the public”.
The policy is due to take effect from 1 April.
Source: https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/taxi-drivers-across-west-northants-28420324
Motorists have had their say after Manchester city centre was ranked the second slowest place to drive in the UK in new data analysis.
According to the Manchester Evening News, cabbies were even among those saying they would turn down jobs in and around the city centre as it is 'not worth their time or money', with others recognising the regularly 'gridlocked' streets or saying they deliberately avoid the city when behind the wheel unless 'absolutely necessary'.
According to the data obtained by location technology company TomTom, journeys at a distance of 6.2 miles (10 km) in Manchester take an average of 23 minutes and 30 seconds to complete by road - making it the second slowest in the whole of the UK.
TomTom based its analysis on journeys in a 5km radius of city centres.
London ranked first as the world's slowest city because of 'widespread 20mph speed limits', with the same distance taking an average of 37 minutes and 20 seconds to complete.
When reported by the M.E.N. opinionated motorists quickly responded with their thoughts on driving in and around the city centre, with many opting to use public transport when travelling into Manchester.
Richard Foster said: "That's because half the streets have been either closed to traffic or made one-way forcing vehicles to all use the same roads".
And Sal Lloyd commented: "Probably because the actual state of the roads is shocking, was there at Christmas, they're so bad."
Taxi driver Ian David Munro wrote: "Am a cab driver for over 27 years if I get a job to town now I’d send it back to the operator not worth the time or money"
Julie Woolley said: "Yeah have you tried getting from north Manchester to Deansgate? Due to the city planners closing off roads to cars ….. takes nearly an hour."
Matty Bate wrote: "And yet apparently it has the best public transport in the country hahahaha I mean who puts road works on every street leading out of the city so it’s gridlocked every day."
John Robinson added: "Rarely drive there unless absolutely necessary."
It comes as the current 30mph speed limit on the Mancunian Way (A57M) could become permanent after a year of temporary restrictions. The limit was lowered a year ago from 50mph to 30mph on a trial basis after council officials reviewed the safety of the road, which is one of Greater Manchester’s busiest.
The road is known for becoming gridlocked in peak times and is expected to worsen and cause major delays over the coming weeks due to closures for safety inspections to take place.
A cyclist says he feared for his life when a taxi driver overtook him on a narrow road in North Yorkshire.
YorkshireLive reports that James Lee, 56, was cycling in Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales in October when a taxi passed him "leaving just inches of space" on the B6160.
He said: "An oncoming driver had to brake sharply and pull to the side of the road to avoid a potential head-on collision.
"Conditions were poor with wet slippery narrow roads and drizzly low cloud and sharp corners limiting visibility.
"In over ten years of cycling this is some of the most life threatening driving I have witnessed."
James, of Saltaire, Bradford, was so angry that he submitted on-bike video footage to North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Council.
He has now expressed disappointment at the response of both organisations, saying: "I believe North Yorkshire Police and the County Council aren’t taking enough action against drivers who risk cyclists’ lives by driving dangerously."
He says the police and the council responded to his video footage but he's unsure whether they have taken robust action.
James said: "North Yorkshire Police responded several days later saying they had taken ‘Positive action’ which could include ‘educational letters, courses, training, penalty points and or fine and court attendance.’
"Despite several requests, and the national Policing Code requiring that victims should be provided with ‘information about the investigation and prosecution’, North Yorkshire Police repeatedly refuse to clarify what specific action was actually taken.
"The police cite ‘lack of resources’ in lengthy time consuming emails saying they don’t have enough time."
He added: "Because the taxi driver was licensed by North Yorkshire County Council, I also reported the incident to the local authority’s licensing department.
"After considering the case, North Yorkshire County Council responded with: 'The manner of driving presented on this occasion has fallen short of the council's standards expected of licence holders.
"I believe the driver can take steps to prevent this happening again by completing the following; Review the recently update highway code advice given on points of particular relevance on this matter; Complete a driver awareness and improvement course'."
James said: "All this has left with me with very low confidence that North Yorkshire Police and County Council are doing enough to protect vulnerable road users."
YorkshireLive put James' concerns to both the police and the local authority.
In a statement, Karl Battersby, North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director for environment, said: "We take complaints of this nature seriously. A warning letter was issued to this driver in November 2023 to remind him of his obligations.
"The matter was also referred to North Yorkshire Police and subsequent action was taken to address the concern from a roads policing perspective.
"In the event of any further concerns, we may consider the driver’s suitability to hold a licence."
North Yorkshire Police has also been approached for comment.
Source: https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/yorkshire-cyclists-fury-taxi-driver-28422092
East Renfrewshire’s licensed taxi drivers say they have been “grossly let down” by the council’s parking enforcement department and East Renfrewshire’s branch of Police Scotland for their lack of action regarding their concerns that members of the public are persistently parking on taxi ranks, meaning they cannot gain access to them.
They say that this is affecting their ability to ply for hire and earn a living.
John Paul Duffy, Chairman of the East Renfrewshire Hire Car Forum said: “This has been a major issue for drivers for some time. They feel that they have been grossly let down by the council’s parking enforcement department and Police Scotland for their complete lack of action.
“When drivers ask members of the public not to park on the taxi rank, they are met with verbal abuse and very recently a female driver was physically assaulted.
"Drivers do report illegal parking on the ranks to the parking enforcement department but they rarely attend and is falling on deaf ears.
"The council needs to take action now to protect driver’s safety and not leave it up to drivers to try and police this themselves”.
It is an offence under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, section 21(7) for any vehicle other than a taxi to wait on any stance for taxis during any period for which that stance has been appointed by a licensing authority.
Anyone doing so shall be guilty of an offence and liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £50, which has been set by East Renfrewshire Council. Parking enforcement and Police Scotland have the power to issue fines to anyone stopped or parked on a taxi rank without any observation period.
Mr Duffy went on to say: “In November of last year (2023), the Scottish Private Hire Association, for whom I’m also Chairman for the East Renfrewshire branch, campaigned to re-establish the Hire Car Forum after a 17-year hiatus. The purpose of the forum is for representatives of the trade to engage with the council and Police Scotland on taxi and private hire issues.
“After the inaugural meeting, the council and Police Scotland carried out a day of action where they enforced the parking laws on the ranks. However, as soon as they left, the problem immediately returned. This was the only day in 2023 that the council and the Police took this sort of action. We need to see a permanent solution to this issue.
“We have called on the council to install ANPR cameras on the Busby Road, Kennishead Road and Mearns Road ranks to issue automatic fines to try and deter people from parking on them and restricting driver’s ability to work and earn.
"However, the council say that due to budget cuts, this isn’t an option”.
East Renfrewshire taxi drivers say they are ready to stage protests should their concerns continue to fall on deaf ears.
The Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner is calling for CCTV to be compulsory in taxis across Derbyshire.
According to The Spirit of Alfreton, Angelique Foster, Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe in a taxi, wherever they are and at whatever time of the day or night.
"That is why I have again pushed for CCTV to be compulsory in taxis in Derbyshire and Derby city.
“I am confident it will have a positive impact on the police’s ability to tackle crime, capture offenders and to protect vulnerable people.
"There is clear evidence that this stance will help protect our residents.”
She continued: “I welcomed the approach taken by North East Derbyshire District Council to become the first local authority to mandate CCTV in taxis in Derbyshire.
"There is also an ongoing consultation being run by Derby City Council on this proposal.
“You can read more about my campaign and to submit your views on Derby City Council’s consultation here: https://www.derbyshire-pcc.gov.uk/news/latest-news-police-and-crime-commissioner-calls-for-compulsory-cctv-in-taxis/
Source: https://alfreton.spiritof.uk/police-and-crime-commissioner-calls-for-compulsory-cctv-in-taxis/
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.
Cleethorpes taxi drivers are breathing a sigh of relief after council enforcement officers cracked down on vehicles illegally parked in designated taxi ranks.
A Barry man has avoided jail after launching a drunken attack on a taxi driver who refused him entry to his vehicle.
Jersey’s taxi service is in crisis, with driver numbers plummeting by more than a quarter since 2014, a new report has revealed.
On Wednesday 27 July, more than 300 vulnerable youngsters were taken on an all-expenses paid trip to Southport.
Taxi drivers in the town will be able to charge passengers more following a decision by the borough council on 31 July.
A taxi driver has been sentenced to a community order after admitting causing the death of a pedestrian by driving at excessive speed.
A joint operation by council, police, and DVSA officials has seen three taxis taken off the road in Oldham due to safety concerns.
Taxi drivers licensed by Mid Sussex could soon be forced to accept card payments, following a surge in complaints about cash-only services.
Two men have avoided immediate jail time after a high-speed race left a taxi driver with serious injuries.
BYD, manufacturer of new energy vehicles and power batteries, has announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Uber, designed to bring 100,000 new BYD EVs onto the Uber platform across key global markets.
Ways of increasing the amount of wheelchair-accessible taxis across the city are set to be explored to make it easier for those who need one to get one.
Cumbrian taxi drivers are fighting back against proposed licensing changes they fear will cripple their livelihoods.
Bolton taxi drivers are urged to sign up for free safeguarding and disability awareness training before the deadline on October 31st, 2024.
A Conwy Council meeting on Monday revealed a critical failing that allowed a taxi driver whose license had been revoked to continue transporting children to school.
Worcester City Council is seeking public opinion on a proposal to make safeguarding training mandatory for taxi and private hire drivers.
A proposal to increase driver, vehicle and private hire operator licences was discussed on Friday 19 July 19 at Sheffield City Council’s waste and street scene committee.
Through this collaboration, FREENOW willl provide additional benefits giving drivers up to 25% off pay-as-you-go rates across the entire bp pulse electric charging network and discounted fuel at all UK bp branded sites.
Wakefield Licensing, working alongside West Yorks Police Roads Policing unit, NPT, Off-Road Bike Team, Police Intercept Team, DVLA & DVSA, held a Partnership Day of Action at Thornes Park.