A private hire driver has lost his licence after using his phone while driving a customer on the M25.
The Watford Observer reports that Sajid Mahmood, from Hemel Hempstead, has had his private hire licence revoked by Three Rivers District Council after he was issued a fixed penalty notice from Surrey Police.
He had been stopped by officers for using his mobile phone while driving to Gatwick airport in the early morning on July 7, 2023.
Based on the conviction, which involved six penalty points and a £200 fine, the council revoked the licence “with immediate effect” a week later.
However, it later received an appeal, which led to an hearing at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on February 12.
Delivering their decision, the magistrates said: “The law is clear and by using your mobile device whilst driving you have not only put yourself at risk but also members of the public, therefore we find you no longer fit and proper to be a licensed driver and uphold the decision of the licensing authority."
Mr Mahmood was also ordered to pay the local authority costs of £1,200.
He will not be permitted to reapply for a licence for a minimum of four years.
Source: https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/24137332.taxi-driver-banned-using-phone-m25-gatwick-ride/
The busiest taxi rank in Reading has been revealed as more than a million journeys are made each year from ranks.
According to the Reading Chronicle, the horseshoe taxi rank directly south of the train station accounts for 11,628 journeys per week, which is 52 per cent of the total.
The taxi rank in Station Hill to the west accounted for 2,948 of weekly journeys (13 per cent), with 2,582 (12 per cent) of journeys being made from the rank at the north exit of the station.
These three station taxi ranks together account for 77 per cent of the cab trade.
Remarkably, approximately 2.73 million taxi journeys are made annually in Reading, with 1.17 million journeys being made from taxi ranks.
Figures show that 210,000 passengers use cabs, 368,200 hirings are made through apps and 982,000 passengers call to book a private hire journey.
These figures were revealed in a survey conducted last year to determine whether there is ‘unmet demand’ for cabs in Reading, which would justify more hackneys being added to the fleet.
The current limit of hackney carriage licences is 216.
Options to keep or relax the limit were recently discussed at a Reading Borough Council’s licensing applications committee.
Asif Rashid, chairman of the Reading Taxi Association (RTA) said: “This report was very thorough, it’s overdue, the results aren’t surprising.
“What does stick out is that there has been a drop in trade.”
The data from the survey conducted by Ian Millership, of CTS Traffic and Transportation, showed a 27 per cent drop in cab trade since 2019.
Mr Rashid said the ‘most significant’ statistic was that 85 per cent of passengers travelled at times when there was no delay to get a cab at all.
Syed Abbas, a driver who rents his cab, called for the limit to be eased so that he and others can make the switch from being cab renters to cab owners.
Mr Abbas said: “We only request to the licensing committee, officers and our RTA union and all other owners of hackney cabs to come forward and give the right to deserving drivers to have opportunities to get their licences.
“If the council issues five licences per year for three years that will help all the deserving drivers who have been working for more than 15 years.”
Councillors argued that removing the limit could only be justified if there is an increase in demand.
Cllr Tony Page (Labour, Abbey) said: “Given the catastrophic government we have, it’s hardly surprising.”
He also thanked cab drivers for their work during the pandemic.
Cllr Paul Woodward (Labour, Church), the committee chairman hoped the demand for cabs would increase as the economy improves.
Ultimately, the committee decided to retain the limit on hackney carriage licences at 216 at the meeting on Tuesday, February 20.
Source: https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/24135592.busiest-taxi-rank-reading-revealed-cabs-limit-set/
A formal bid to increase Wearside’s hackney carriage fares is due to be discussed by Sunderland City councillors next week.
The Sunderland Echo reports that at a meeting of the council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee on Monday, February 26, councillors will consider a formal request from the Sunderland Hackney Carriage Operators’ Association (SHCOA).
Bids to increase Hackney Carriage fares have been approved in recent years, including at a meeting in 2022 and a further increase being agreed in 2023.
A new bid from the SHCOA aims to increase “some elements of the present hackney carriage fares and other charges”.
A report prepared ahead of the meeting lists fare increases across the city’s three main tariffs and increases to waiting time and “soiling” charges.
A letter from the SHCOA, published on the council’s website, sets out the reasons for the proposed changes.
This includes “addressing the need to cover our increased operating costs during the present cost-of-living crisis” and other factors, such as the cost of repairs due to “large increases in the cost of parts, labour and energy”.
Other reasons include increased insurance premiums and the “almost prohibitive cost of a replacement wheelchair-accessible vehicle”, which was described as a “cause for serious concern within the taxi trade”.
New proposals set out charges based on three fare tariffs with a report prepared for the meeting setting out six example journey distances for each tariff, ranging from one mile to five miles.
Tariff one applies to journeys undertaken between Monday- Saturday, 7am-11pm, except public and Bank Holidays and the Christmas / New Year period.
The proposed changes would see an increase of 20p for a one-mile journey, an extra 40p for a 2.5-mile journey and an extra £1 for a five-mile journey, with an average percentage increase of 6.45 per cent.
Tariff two applies to journeys undertaken between 11pm and 7am each day and all day Sunday, except public and Bank Holidays and the Christmas / New Year period.
The changes for this tariff would see an increase of 20p for a one-mile journey, a 60p increase for a 2.5-mile journey and a £1.40 increase for a five-mile journey, with an average percentage increase of 6.8 per cent.
Tariff three applies to journeys undertaken 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 proposed changes to this tariff would see an increase of 20p for a one-mile journey, an extra 60p for a 2.5-mile journey and a £1.40 increase for a five-mile journey, with an average percentage increase of 6.2 per cent.
Elsewhere, the SHCOA has requested the “waiting time” rate for vehicles to increase from 20p per minute to 30p per minute.
The current maximum charge for “fouling of vehicle” is also being proposed to rise by £10, from £60 to £70.
If the revised fares and charges are approved by councillors, there will be a notice period allowing for objections to be made.
If no objections to the variations are made, the variations would come into operation from April 1, 2024.
The debate on taxi fares and charges will take place at City Hall and members of the public are welcome to attend.
Leicester’s taxi drivers have issued an appeal to members of the public over a proposed policy change.
Leicester City Council is currently consulting on a scheme that would extend how old a taxi can be when it is licensed.
Currently, taxis cannot be more than five years old when they are first registered and must be less than 11 years old when they are relicensed.
The taxi policy was last reviewed in 2012, according to the authority, and since then the trade has experienced the pressures of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and changing customer demand.
The council is considering increasing the two age restrictions to up to nine years when first registered and up to 15 years when re-registered.
Tanveer Hussain, 51, is a taxi driver in the city and represents the Leicester Taxi Driver Group on the council. He told LeicestershireLive that buying a suitable car that is five years old or less can cost in the region of £20,000 to £30,000.
To be able to pay the finance on this, a driver must work for 10 to 15 hours more a week than they would to be able to afford a nine-year-old car, he claimed.
For Mr Hussain, this means he is able to be at home with his family less. He has four children under the age of six.
He said: “We on average have got to do at least 15 hours extra to keep paying towards the car monthly payment. It's really hard and some of us, because they can't even get the finance, they are struggling to work.
“People have to work longer and spend less time with the family. Just to keep the expensive car, I'm doing on average 15 to 20 hours extra in a week.
“That’s time I could spend with my kids, my family, take them out and it would not affect my living wage. And this is the story of every second or third driver.”
Mr Hussain added: “What difference does it make if [a car is] nine years old, as long as it’s in good condition and the car is running fine and [meets the council’s] standard?”
He said the pressure of the cost of living crisis is really taking its toll on those in the trade. In addition to the cost of acquiring a policy-compliant car, fuel costs have also skyrocketed for drivers.
While fuel costs are outside of their control, Mr Hussain said the proposed changes will also help them in that regard. He said: “If I drive more, I'm gonna use more fuel. If I don't have to work, obviously I'm not spending [as much on] fuel.”
On behalf of city taxi drivers, Mr Hussain is calling on people to respond to the consultation and support their bid to extend the permissible age of their vehicles.
The consultation can be found on the Leicester City Council website: https://consultations.leicester.gov.uk/comms/taxi-age/consultation/intro/
People have until Sunday, February 25, to respond.
The unique branding for taxis in Windsor and Maidenhead is set to change in recognition of the substantial costs of hybrid and electric cab vehicles.
According to the Slough Observer, since 2012, all new taxis in the area have been required to be white and feature a purple bonnet and boot along with the coat of arms of the Royal Borough (RBWM).
This has created a distinctive look for hackney carriages in Windsor and Maidenhead for over a decade. But this policy of requiring cabs to be white has proved expensive for drivers.
According to Autotrader research, the cost of regular electric and hybrid cabs ranges from £17,000 to £30,000. That rises to £66,000 for wheelchair-accessible cabs which increases by £550 for the required white paint.
Therefore, the Royal Borough’s licensing panel has been considering changing the livery in recognition of these costs, which was discussed at a meeting on Tuesday, February 13.
In a recent consultation, the public was presented with three options:
Of the 320 responses to the consultation, 89 per cent said they recognised the livery, with 87 per cent of people who are not cab drivers calling for the livery to remain the same.
Speaking at the panel meeting, cab driver Mr Sabir noted that RBWM is the only council in the area to have a defined livery.
Mr Sabir said: “We feel that those councils actually listen to their drivers, but our council doesn’t seem interested, we are always thinking about the public, but we have to put our drivers first as well when their views actually matter.”
Fellow cab driver Mr Yasin pointed out that a ‘tiny proportion’ of the borough’s 155,000-strong population responded to the consultation, arguing that the small amount of people who support liveries should not be allowed to dictate policy.
He presented a possible design for a magnetic sign which could be used as a replacement to the livery.
However, councillors on the panel generally agreed that the liveries should remain albeit with modernisation.
Cllr Simon Werner, the council leader, argued the livery needs to be classy, which he feels is not the case at the moment.
He said: “The pinky-purple bonnet looks more like an ice cream van than a taxi that you want to be proud to be travelling in.”
Ultimately, the Royal Borough licensing panel chose to delegate authority to the council’s assistant director of housing and public protection to change the livery.
These changes will be undertaken in consultation with Cllr Werner the cabinet member for public protection and Cllr Mandy Brar, the chair of the licensing panel.
In a vote, seven councillors voted for the change, with Cllrs John Story and Genevieve Gosling voting against it.
Source: https://www.sloughobserver.co.uk/news/24132664.branding-taxis-windsor-maidenhead-set-change/
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.