Birmingham black cab drivers angry over age rules
http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2009/04/09/birmingham-black-cab-drivers-angry-over-age-rules-97319-23346095/
DOZENS of angry Hackney Carriage drivers have staged a protest against council proposals which could see their vehicles scrapped.
Members of the Birmingham and Solihull Taxi Association are demanding the council drop plans to take cabs, which are more than 14 years old, off the road.
The proposals would include black cabs even in a pristine condition.
The drivers gathered outside Birmingham City Council House in Victoria Square on Tuesday.
They said they had shelled out thousands of pounds for their vehicles and could not afford to pay £30,000 plus for a new one, if the new rules were implemented in 2010.
The association, which has 1,000 members, said that as many as 700 drivers could be forced onto the dole, as a result.
The taxi drivers are demanding that the council rethink their plans, especially in the current economic climate.
And they are planning a bigger protest, with more than 100 cabs, later this month.
Sajid Mahmood, director of the association, said many of the black cabs are kept in a pristine condition by their drivers and undergo a supplementary test on top of their MOT.
Mr Mahmood said: “Birmingham drivers do the least miles per cab, around 25,000 miles or less, compared to 60,000 which is the national average.
“These cabs are built to last 40 years not 14 years.”
Liaqat Hussain, aged 49, from Edgbaston, who has been a black cab driver for 25 years, said: “My cab will be just 14 years old next year and the council want to take it off the road.
“I would have to buy another cab for £30 to £40,000.
“I don’t have the money and would have to go on the dole. It’s a very good cab, in good condition and could go on for 30 years.”
Black cab driver Gharfar Khan, aged 38, said: “There are 2,000 black taxis in Birmingham and so few parking spaces for us. This is a way of getting rid of us.”
A council spokeswoman said: “For the safety of the public and to improve the carbon footprint of the industry, the city is proposing that Hackney cabs over 14 years old can be retired. That’s quite a reasonable figure given that the London Transport Industry recommends that cars over ten years can be retired.”
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