Taxi Driver Online

Minicab Safety Under Scrutiny

27 July 2009

By Channel 4 News

Minicab drivers' working hours are under the spotlight amid concern from MPs and road safety charities.

The national private hire association, which represents minicab drivers, claims some are working 16 hour days and sleeping four hours a night to make ends meet during the recession.

Now some MPs are calling for urgent research into working conditions, following the experience of a Barnsley family whose son was killed by a taxi driver at the end of a 13-hour shift.

Gary Glymond had been out celebrating his 18th birthday and was walking home in the early hours in March last year when, just yards from the family home, he was hit by a minicab as he crossed the road. His body was thrown 30 metres, and he later died from his injuries.

In the course of the investigation it emerged that the cab driver, Lee Sewell, was not only breaking the road's 30mph speed limit, but had been working since 1pm the previous day. He was convicted of driving without due care and attention and banned from driving for a year.

Gary's family are convinced long hours contributed to his death and are now campaigning for a legal limit on cab drivers' hours.

Stuart Jackson, Gary's step-father, said: "You're driving around in three quarters of a ton of metal; even if you're sticking to speed limits it's still a dangerous weapon. And if you're a little bit tired or your concentration's going, it doesn't take a couple of minutes to have an accident, it takes a couple of seconds."

Figures given to Channel 4 News by the department of transport show that in 2007 (the most recent statistics available) there were 1,050 accidents involving taxi drivers; 222 were serious, 11 were fatal.

One minicab driver, who did not want to be named, told Channel 4 News: "I've had airport jobs in the early hours, and you can feel your eyes closing as you're driving. It's worrying. If I'm working long weekend shifts back to back, I'll sleep in the car, get a few hours' sleep in and then start again."

Research from road safety charity Brake and the GMB union found that 60 per cent of taxi drivers surveyed worked at least 11 hours per shift, and the same proportion felt "coerced" into working more hours than they should.

Half worked a 70 week. That is almost double the limit set by the European working time directive, but taxi drivers are not covered by this legislation after taxi industry bodies lobbied for an exemption.

Minicabs (officially known as "private hire vehicles") are different to black cabs, in that they can only be pre-booked. Drivers are self-employed, and pay a fee to the cab operator and then keep what they make (after paying out for licence fees and vehicle up-keep).

The body that oversees minicab operators argues that drivers aren't actually on driving every hour of their shift, and that legal limits will affect earnings.

Patrick Raeburn of the private hire board said: "A driver's shift may be 14 hours but he'll only be on road for six hours. Legislation is an unnecessary measure which will mean a pay cut for drivers with no increase in public safety."

Calls to look into the issue have now reached Westminster. The chairwoman of the transport select committee, Louise Ellman MP, says it is an area of concern and is writing to the transport minister to ask for more research to be done.

Source; Channel 4 News - channel4.com

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
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With fuel costs, settle fees, vehicle costs and licence fees all varying throughout the country together with demand for HC/PH decling at the moment I wouldn't like the job of trying work out how many hours a driver should do before they can be expected to be able to earn a living.

Without the co-operation of PH companies to keep a ceiling on the amount of drivers they take on to cover their systems a working directive to cut hours worked just will not work. All the companies are interested in is their take of money and not that of their drivers.

The LA don't do anything to ease the situation because they are not in a position to do so. They have to issue licences if requested to do so and the person fulfils all requirements.

Whilst I agree that nobody should be working long hours driving or sitting around waiting for work it just can't be helped in the current situation and it is most unfortunate that a consequence of this is that accidents will happen.



I'm not entirely sure what it is they are hoping to achieve once the research confirms what we already know and that is drivers work long shifts

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

You write chinese ..... yes!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

It's going to be bought in one of these days.

Then That'll be the day I jack it all in and let the state keep me.

Imagine the joy on your Customers face as you tell him your having a 45 minute break or that you cant drive an further cos your times up...that will really fech up his day and pretty much fech up yours as well.

Tachos are fine In trucks and busses where the routes are pre planned or regular, but they are no use at all if your work is sporadic, instantaneous and which could take you anywhere in britain without notice.

Nope. wont work, and besides Imagine the tacho card after a day hopping in and out of the motor..It'd look like CD that someone had spilt ink over...

What would be wrong in having drivers employed on a proper hourly rate and working proper shifts of say 8 hours with a maximum of 6 shifts a week?
Drivers in the last hour of their shift would only be able to accept local jobs.
Of course this would cost the operator money on the quiet shifts but they would probably make more on the busy shifts. The drivers would probably make more on the quiet shifts and less on the busy ones.

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Grandad,

I'm not entirely sure how that would work if you employed 1700 drivers

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

To start with you would only employ the drivers that you needed and not just keep adding drivers to pull in the settle. There would be no settle.

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Grandad,

That's not quite how the likes of these operator companies work though is it. Their prime objective is to pull in settle by having as many drivers as possible and offering fast efficient service

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

er, no it wouldnt cos its digital now.....chip'n'pin...

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

That is not how they work now but if legislation dictates drivers hours they will have to change.

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Grandad,

Call it whatever..it still wont work.

Both buses and lorrys get caught up in traffic jams and accidents and manage to live with the delays that these cause. At the end of the day if it is decided that taxis and private hire are to go the same way we as a whole will have to adapt and work within the system.

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Grandad,

And thus work the more profitable hours?

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin