A cabbie was arrested for drug driving during a recent enforcement operation aimed at making sure taxis and drivers operating in Oldham are safe.
According to the Oldham Chronicle, licensing officers from Oldham Council, joined colleagues from the Greater Manchester Police Traffic unit, the DVSA and the Department for Work and Pensions on the night of action.
Officers from the City of Wolverhampton Council also took part because a number of private hire vehicles licensed in the Midlands are known to trade in Oldham, and surrounding towns.
In total, 26 private hire and hackney vehicles were pulled over by officers and taken to the council’s Moorhey Street depot so they could be checked over by trained mechanics to see if they were safe and roadworthy.
Of the vehicles stopped, 13 were immediately taken off the road for a variety of reasons, including cracked windscreens, balding tyres and faulty lights.
Of the 17 vehicles checked that had Oldham plates, five were taken off the road.
Eight of the nine City of Wolverhampton licenced vehicles were found to have faults.
The cars cannot be used to pick up passengers until the faults have been fixed.
Licensing staff also carried out checks on the drivers to ensure all their paperwork was in order.
The arrested cabbie, whose hackney carriage driver licence had expired days before, now faces losing his licences all together and gaining a criminal record.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Taxi drivers provide a great local service. A lot of people rely on them every day and they are a huge support to the night time economy.
“However, no one should be driving who isn’t licensed or is unsafe to get behind the wheel. They are potentially putting the lives of their passengers, other road users and pedestrians at risk.
“The same goes for their vehicle. If they aren’t up to standard, then they should not be on the road.
“We’ll continue to work with the trade and take action to ensure drivers and taxis that operate in Oldham are safe.”
Councillor Craig Collingswood, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “Public Safety is of paramount importance to us.
“Partnership working with our Licensing colleagues and other agencies shows our commitment to upholding our responsibilities; we expect drivers and vehicles licensed by us to always maintain the highest standards.
"This is irrespective of the administrative boundary within which they are operating at any particular time.
“City of Wolverhampton Council takes its enforcement responsibilities seriously and our officers are out across the country, every Friday and Saturday night, working to protect the public.”
Drivers and operators in Bury have protested rises in licence fees which they say makes it ‘increasingly hard’ for them to operate.
Taxi trade leaders say fees charged in the borough are higher than those in Wolverhampton, where many drivers register and then work in Bury.
The Manchester Evening News reports that earlier this year figures showed there were 21,853 private hire drivers licensed with the City of Wolverhampton Council. Of those, 4,049, were drivers who were registered at the time of their application as being in Greater Manchester.
In February, Bury Council approved increases in fees and charges for 2023/2024. The new charging regime should have come into operation on the May 4 but have been delayed due to opposition from drivers and private hire operators.
The change would see a yearly licence for taxis over three years old rise from £294 to £320 while operators with more than three vehicles would see their yearly licence charge rise from £410 to £450.
There are currently 752 private hire vehicles, 33 hackney carriage vehicles and 28 private hire operators licensed in Bury.
Bury Council said the total cost of the taxi licensing service for the financial year 2022/23 was £372,000 and the total income received by the service was £327,000. This resulted in an under recovery of costs to the value of £45,000.
They said the licensing service was working with the council’s finance department to develop a full cost recovery model and as the costs for the service will increase in 2023/24 due to inflation, fees and charges needed to be increased.
The borough’s private hire drivers association said that Bury’s fees were higher than other licensing authorities such as Wolverhampton and has urged the council to reconsider.
Their objection, said: “We understand that the cost of licensing is essential for the provision of regulatory resources and necessary services.
“The charges are making it difficult for our members and partners to continue operating the business.
“We have conducted a thorough analysis of the fees charged by Bury and discovered that our members and taxi trade partners are being charged significantly higher fees in comparison to Wolverhampton.
“This is causing financial strains on our members and partners while Wolverhampton licence holders working in Greater Manchester take full advantage of low cost licensing structure.
“Secondly, we believe that a fair and reasonable charging structure is necessary for ensuring public safety while also enabling our members and partners to carry out their operations effectively.
“Therefore, we propose that the current fee structure is reviewed to ensure that it aligns with Wolverhampton fees.
“We hope that the Bury licensing regulatory authority takes our proposal into consideration and takes appropriate measures to alleviate the financial strain experienced by our members and partners.”
A Bury Council licensing panel will meet to discuss the taxi licensing fees on Thursday, July 20.
If the proposed fees and charges are approved at the meeting, the total additional income that will be achieved from vehicle and private hire operator fees in 2023/24 is estimated to be £13,180.
Bolton Private Hire Association has stated that following a meeting took place on Thursday 13 July at Bolton Town Hall with the Leader of the council - Cllr Peel, Deputy Leader - Cllr Zaman and Executive Member - Cllr Sue Haworth and members from the trade: Mahmood, Yasif, Khuram, Haji and Mohsin.
Cllr Haworth opened the meeting and on behalf of the Labour administration confirmed that; following the Cabinet meeting of 26 June 2023 and other factors within the motoring industry, it had been decided that Bolton Council is to withdraw from GM MLS(2).
This news was welcomed unanimously by all attendees and we thanked the elected members for this decision, which was the best outcome for all concerned.
This will now go through the council formalities of a Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet Meeting to conclude matters.
The leadership accepted that there were issues with licensing and for there to be a strong ongoing relationship between the trade and the council and its officers.
We agreed, however we did raise genuine concerns about problems within the licensing department and for there to be any real progression into resolving previous matters, this would need addressing as a priority.
Other matters which were briefly discussed included ongoing issues with applications. The main issue is the complexity of the forms (convictions and medicals).
In closing matters, we said that we would provide and assist the council with suggestions and areas of improvements by email and meetings. These will be discussed in the coming weeks.
Thanks for all your continued support and efforts in achieving this positive outcome. This was the correct decision and outcome for all licensees.
An email will be sent out to the administration and all the councillors, who supported and assisted the licensed trade.
With this chapter closed, there’s still plenty work to be done for a better improved department which can only be achieved through your continued support and feedback.
A Liverpool private hire driver who illegally plied for hire in Liverpool City Centre has been convicted at Liverpool Magistrates' Court.
The driver appeared at court on Thursday 6 July where he was fined and had to pay costs totalling £941 and 24 points were addec to his DVLA licence.
Liverpool City Council licensing asked the question: "Was it worth it?"
Source: https://twitter.com/lcc_licensing/status/1679049753705820160?s=48
A pilot project has helped give 68 taxi drivers a taste of greener transport.
According to The Free Press, Denbighshire County Council’s pilot Green Taxi Project has completed its final low emissions mileage, supporting taxi firms across the county who are looking to cut their own carbon footprints.
The council was one of the select few local authorities in Wales taking part in the Welsh Government-funded scheme.
Beginning during autumn 2021, the project initially included the use of four wheelchair-accessible Nissan Dynamo E-NV200 taxis to use as part of the “try before you buy” scheme.
Hackney-licensed drivers were able to try the vehicle, free of charge, for 30 days, including free electric charging at specific locations in the county, vehicle licensing, breakdown cover and insurance.
Feedback from the taxi drivers regarding long-distance work saw a Kia EV6 added to the options.
The vehicle can cover up to 328 miles on a single charge to allow taxi drivers to confidently work a complete shift including airport transfers without the need for charging.
Final mileage for the project saw the taxis cover roughly the distance of three-and-a-half times around the world at 88,086 miles.
The number of trips taken to support how greener taxi transport can help cut emissions finished at 12,760 individual journeys, operating across Rhyl, Prestatyn, St Asaph, Denbigh, Ruthin, Corwen and Llangollen.
Cllr Barry Mellor, lead member for environment and transport, said: “This pilot project has really helped taxi drivers across the county get a good experience of what it’s like to drive an electric vehicle (EV).
“It’s helped them all focus on their own carbon footprint and what they can do themselves to reduce their impact. Feedback has been really good from the drivers.
“The project has enabled us to source feedback on the use of zero emission tailpipe vehicles during taxi operations without compromising on service delivery and also show the fuel savings and impact against climate change that EVs can provide.
“The pilot has also helped our fleet department as well look at how different EVs can suit the urban and rural areas for transport that Denbighshire has.”
Police have stopped a private hire driver who was driving the wrong way on the M1 close to Junction 8 at Hemel Hempstead.
Newcastle City Council is set to introduce strict new measures to tackle illegal and inconsiderate parking near Newcastle International Airport.
West Mercia Police is appealing for information following a rape that took place in Malvern's Priory Park early on Sunday, August 4th.
Glasgow taxi users could be facing a near-10% fare increase and extended night-time charges.
At least 14 cars have been damaged since June, with drivers suffering financial loss and emotional distress.
The attack happened at around 12.45pm on Etruria Vale Road, Stoke, when the victim, driving a Toyota Avensis, was punched in the face by one of the men.
Cumberland Council has taken decisive action to protect public safety by revoking the licence of a taxi driver charged last week with a serious racially aggravated offence.
A historic bridge has been closed indefinitely after an Uber car became wedged on Saturday morning.
A local councillor has sparked a debate on passenger safety after claiming that using locally licensed taxis is safer than hailing an Uber.
A taxi driver was attacked and subjected to racist abuse after two brothers refused to pay him up front.
Christopher Hilling, 64, admitted to engaging a child in sexual activity at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday 8 August.
Abdigani Ebrahim, 38, of Grangetown, admitted charges of affray and criminal damage following the incident in Northcote Street, Roath, last July.
The crackdown targeted drivers operating across council boundaries to ensure public safety and compliance with regulations.
Lucio Valentino relies on his six-year-old Border Collie, Pixel, to help manage his mental health conditions, including depression and personality disorders.
Taxi drivers across the Fylde Coast are set to receive a briefing note aimed at clearing up confusion over out-of-area private hire vehicles.
Police are appealing to find a taxi driver who may have "vital clues" about the murder of Ryan Passey seven years ago since he was fatally stabbed in a Stourbridge nightclub.
A joint operation by Hull City Council, Wolverhampton Council, and Humberside Police has uncovered a number of safety issues with taxis operating in the city.
French taxi drivers are calling for government compensation after suffering significant revenue losses during the Paris Olympics.
Coventry city centre has introduced a new taxi marshal service aimed at improving safety and efficiency for late-night revellers.
A court heard harrowing details of the moment a drink-driving uninsured motorist killed three people in a 90mph crash.