Wellingborough MP Peter Bone has hit out at "bizarre" plans from West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to impose new policies on the area's taxi drivers.
NorthantsLive reports that the plans, which include the implementation of a dress code, were called "nonsense" by the veteran Conservative MP as he spoke on the Jeremy Vine show on Wednesday morning, March 1.
The draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy (https://bit.ly/3YbJaiQ) from WNC would introduce a penalty point system where drivers would face losing their licence if for not complying with the drivers' dress code or not arriving for a booking on time.
WNC insists the proposals are to keep passengers safe and has announced that they would be extending the public consultation on the plans.
Mr Bone's comments come almost a week after over 100 taxi drivers staged a protest outside Northampton's guildhall in which some called the proposals "draconian" and "racist".
WNC announced the draft policy last month, which it said aimed to "maintain vital safety standards." New proposals include strengthening the "fit and proper person" test and tests on drivers' spoken English.
Drivers would get points for breaking certain guidelines. These include two points for failure to keep vehicle reasonably clean or failing to search vehicle after journey and two points for not being "clean and respectable in their dress."
The proposals would also require foreign nationals who have stayed in another country for more than three months to obtain a 'certificate of good conduct' from their relevant embassy of the country. This also applies to UK citizens if they have lived outside the country for more than three months at a time.
Members of the App Drivers & Couriers Union (ACDU) organised a rally through Northampton town centre last Friday, February 24. Those at the march said they found the proposals "racist and misguided".
Speaking on Channel 5's Jeremy Vine show, Mr Bone said he "would be on the protests with the taxi drivers outside the Guildhall".
He said: "It seems as though they're going to give you a number of points if you don't dress properly and I don't know what dressing properly means. It is most bizarre."
"I just want to know that the taxi driver is going to get me from A to B safely, and I don't care what they wear. These taxi drivers are superb, I've never had any problem with any of them." This seems a bit of a nonsense"
Host Jeremy Vine then asked the MP "Why can't they wear a tie? You're wearing one." Mr Bone responded: "I have to wear the uniform, don't I? I have to wear this."
The panel erupted into laughter when Jeremy said: "A person in a suit, if he's a man, is going to be a better driver than a person in shorts, and there's no question about that."
WNC announced on 2 March that is was extending the public consultation (https://bit.ly/3EU54QZ) period from March 26 to to Sunday 23 April, "to allow people more time to fully review it and consider their views."
Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services on West Northamptonshire Council, said: “We have been encouraged by the high level of engagement and feedback we have already received as a result of this public consultation.
“A number of people have asked that we extend the consultation period to enable further time for residents, businesses and professional drivers to fully review the policy and have their say.
"We want to hear everyone’s views, so we are more than happy to extend the consultation period by another four weeks to allow people sufficient time to respond.”
Once the consultation closes, all responses will be evaluated and considered. The evaluation will then be presented along with the policy to WNC’s Licensing Committee for consideration.
A shocking image shows a Glasgow taxi window smashed after a 'break-in'.
The Glasgow Times reports that glass from the window lies in tiny pieces on the ground where the car was parked on Clifford Street in the city's Kinning Park.
Officers from Govan allegedly caught a 31-year-old man breaking into other cars in the street on Friday night.
He was held in custody to attend court at a later date.
Hackney carriage fares are set to go up in Sunderland after a decision by city councillors.
The Sunderland Echo reports that at a recent meeting of the council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee, councillors considered a formal bid from the Sunderland Hackney Carriage Operators’ Association (SHCOA).
This included a request to increase fares across three main tariffs, including a tariff covering the Christmas and New Year periods and other public and Bank Holidays.
The proposals, which taxi bosses said represented a 7.6% average increase across the three tariffs, follows a recent increase to fares agreed by councillors in April, 2022.
However representations from the taxi trade said the majority of this tariff rise had been lost due to inflation levels hitting “double-digit” figures.
A report prepared for the council’s Committee sets out example journey distances for each tariff ranging from one mile to five miles.
Tariff one: Monday- Saturday, 7am-11pm, with the exception of public and Bank Holidays and the Christmas / New Year period.
The new charges would see an increase of 40p for a one-mile journey, an extra 60p for a 2.5-mile journey and an increase of £1 for a five-mile journey.
Tariff two: Between 11pm and 7am each day and all day Sunday, with the exception of public and Bank Holidays and the Christmas / New Year period.
The new charges would see an increase of 40p for a one-mile journey, an extra 80p for a 2.5-mile journey and an increase of £1 for a five-mile journey.
Tariff three: From 6pm on December 24 to 7am on December 27 and 6pm on December 31 to 7am on January 2 and all day on other public and Bank Holidays.
The new charges, if approved,would see an increase of 40p for a one-mile journey, an extra 80p for a 2.5-mile journey and an increase of £1 for a five-mile journey.
Trevor Hines, speaking on behalf of the SHCOA, outlined the reasons for the new proposed tariff increase. While noting that fuel costs had reduced, Mr Hines said the proposals aimed to cover general overheads, servicing, repairs and parts and the cost of replacement vehicles.
A SHCOA letter to licensing chiefs, published on the council’s website, added that the increase aimed to “address the need to cover our increased operating costs during an unprecedented cost of living crisis”.
It was also confirmed that no variations were proposed to fares for ‘waiting time’ or extra charges.
The proposals were presented to members of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee for decision on Monday, February 27.
Councillors heard that the fare increase fell against a backdrop of recruitment challenges in the taxi trade, as well as competition from ridesharing companies and new vehicle requirements from Central Government.
While councillors acknowledged impacts on the taxi trade, questions were raised about whether the fare rise could be justified and whether it would lead to an improved service.
After being put to the vote the fare increase was approved by a majority of councillors present.
Following the decision, the proposed fare increase will be published and if no objections are made, a council report states the fare increases would be expected to come into force in early-April, 2023.
South Wales taxi firm has generously opened its pockets to support those going through the worst cost of living crisis seen in decades.
According to the South Wales Argus, taxi and private hire firm Dragon Taxis, has made a donation of £300 to Newsquest and Community Foundation Wales cost of living crisis appeal.
We’ve seen some heart-breaking stories including foodbank Feed Newport seeing donations drop from 80 to just two a month, and Duffryn Community Link support service seeing children they help going hungry.
Dragon Taxis donated to the worthy cause through their new community support programme ‘Funded by Veezu’, giving the money to Feed Newport.
Kirsty Oram, Wales driver partner experience manager at Dragon Taxis, said it was so important for the company to help.
“Although our business is able to keep moving safety and efficiently, no one in our community should have to face going hungry,” said Ms Oram.
“We wanted to give something back to those in need in our local area and Feed Newport is an organisation of great importance during this cost of living crisis.”
Feed Newport has seen the harrowing reality of the crisis, with big gaps appearing in their food bank and soup kitchen.
Gemma Walker, manager of Feed Newport, explained the kitchen used to be open on a Friday and Saturday, but because of funding dropping they dropped the Saturday kitchen.
Now Gemma says there is a bit of hope, and was overwhelmed by the support.
“We’re so grateful to Dragon Taxis for their donation to the appeal and hope other local businesses will join in and support our community through this crisis,” said Gemma.
Major Labour councils were accused of leaving passengers “vulnerable” to unsafe taxi drivers by failing to carry out checks on a national safety database. The register was set up to stop taxi and private hire drivers who are stripped of their licences for committing crimes from working in another area.
According to the Express, details released in Parliament show four big local authorities failed to search on it once and another only consulted it on one occasion.
A Conservative source said: “To make all journeys in taxis and private hire vehicles safe, ministers have been pressing councils to make proper use of the national database - sharing information on drivers across the country.
“Sadly, five of the largest councils, all Labour-led, clearly aren’t. It’s time for Labour to put the interests of passengers first and start checking and inputting information onto the national database to protect taxi passengers, rather than leaving them vulnerable.”
Transport Minister Richard Holden released records in the Commons showing Birmingham City Council, which has 6,280 registered drivers, made just one search of the register last year.
Meanwhile, Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool city councils along with Sefton all failed to use it at all.
The register was set up following concerns that drivers who had committed road traffic offences or other more serious crimes could be stripped of their taxi or private hire licence in one local authority area but continue to work by simply setting up in another area.
A DfT spokesman said: “The safety of passengers using taxi and private hire vehicles is vital, which is why since 2020 Ministers have consistently urged licensing authorities to make use of the database – writing to them again on the topic as recently as this week. We will continue to keep any further potential measures under review.”
A Birmingham City Council spokesman said it follows a “comprehensive vetting process” for all driver licence applications for hackney carriage and private hire vehicles and is “moving to a model” where the vetting will include using the national database.
“Public safety is our priority and we are confident that our vetting process ensures that we have taken appropriate steps to safeguard all passengers and ensure drivers are “fit and proper,” the spokesman added.
Newcastle City Council said it will start using the national register after a new policy was put in place.
“The safety of passengers is of the utmost importance and all drivers are subject to stringent licensing authority vetting processes, and their records are proactively consulted upon and shared with Northumbria Police,” a spokesman said.
Manchester City Council said it has “one of, if not the most stringent licensing regimes for taxis and private hire vehicles in the country”.
A spokesman said it had only been given technical details of the database Wednesday and “only now can we integrate our own processes within this system, which we will do immediately”.
Liverpool City Council said its procedures for licensing drivers are “extremely robust” and involve a “rigorous six-stages process”, which has been benchmarked for best practice against other major cities in the UK.
“The council also has a sharing agreement already in place with our neighbouring authorities in the Liverpool City Region and our respective licensing departments all share details of those drivers who have been revoked or refused a licence,” a spokesman said.
A Sefton Council spokesman said: “The licensing authority has appropriate checks in place, including DBS checks, to ensure that passengers are not placed at risk when using a Sefton licensed taxi or private hire vehicle.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1741225/labour-councils-uk-unsafe-taxi-drivers-licences
A private hire driver was found asleep in his vehicle in the middle of the road, prompting concerns for public safety.
A private hire driver who continued to work despite having his licence suspended, has been prosecuted by Oldham Council.
The Hinckley Area Taxi Association has proposed new tariffs to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, which could make the borough's taxis the most expensive in Leicestershire.
Shaun Meenan attacked the teenager, who was a stranger to him, both in his vehicle and then in her home after gaining entry under false pretenses
Hillingdon Council launches consultation on PSPO to prohibit PHVs and taxis from waiting in residential streets around Heathrow Airport.
A taxi driver was left shaken after being robbed and assaulted by a knife-wielding passenger in Gateshead.
The proposed changes,which are set to be discussed at the licensing committee this week, would affect fares during weekdays, evenings,weekends, and festive periods.
A 71-year-old taxi driver has had his license revoked by the Stratford-on-Avon District Council due to public safety concerns.
Wolverhampton taxi drivers are set to be given powers to record audio in their cabs if they feel in danger following a spate of attacks.
Residents of Stirling are being invited to have their say on plans for a new taxi rank in the city center, as the local authority looks to address a growing demand for taxi services.
As of this year, only 278 licensed taxis are in service, significantly lower than the government's goal of 310.
Over 200 children from across England suffering from chronic or life-limiting conditions experienced a dream come true this weekend, thanks to a heartwarming initiative by London's black cab drivers.
Residents are being encouraged to participate in a consultation on proposed new taxi charges.
Taxi drivers at Bristol Parkway railway station are expressing frustration over a subsidised bus service that they believe is cutting into their business.
A year after the removal of a taxi rank due to lack of customers, Ipswich Borough Council is proposing to introduce a new five-place rank on Key Street.
A taxi driver who had his licence revoked following allegations of posting offensive material online has been given the chance to reapply.
The Glasgow Low Emission Zone (LEZ) has shown initial positive results in reducing air pollution, according to a new report.
Colin Aylward, who lives in Chittys Lane, Dagenham, captured the shocking incident on his home security system.
Independent Councilor Dave Patrick warned that the proposed increases would make Fenland one of the most expensive places in the country for taxi travel
Bleed kit charity, RAPAID, has already installed over 5,000 kits in UK cities in a bid to put emergency bandages in permanent circulation so that they are on hand whenever needed.