Cabbies lose out through being late
Published on Mon Nov 15 10:13:33 GMT 2010
As many as 16 taxi drivers in the Scarborough area are unable to earn a living at the moment as they failed to apply for their Criminal Records Bureau checks in time for the renewal of their licences.
The disclosure has prompted at least one driver to bemoan the increasing admininstrative and financial burden placed on cabbies during tough economic times.
Scarborough Council’s taxi and private hire policy, which was agreed last year, requires all applicants to submit a disclosure which is no more than six months old before they can be granted a licence or renew their existing one.
While more than 400 drivers submitted their applications in time, a minority did not – to their own cost and that of some of their employers.
Taxi driver and borough councillor Phil McDonald, who holds a dual taxi and private hire licence, said: “It’s disappointing that a quite a large number of drivers are going to be in a position of not being able to earn any income."
“As self-employed people they’re unlikely to be able to claim benefit for the amount of time they’re off work.”
Cllr McDonald said that although all drivers were given about three months’ notice of needing to apply for the checks, the bureau sometimes took longer than anticipated to process applications.
He said it was one more burden on a hard-pressed industry, in which drivers now have to pay for extra licence plates and apply for separate licences for their vehicle and their badge every year.
“That’s on top of having to pay for their CRB check, a doctor’s certificate, road tax, two MOTs a year and a new car every seven years,” he said.
“It’s quite expensive now, especially in a climate where there is much less work and more competition due to the fact that more people are being made redundant and are training to become a dual badge holder to make ends meet.”
Cllr McDonald said Scarborough taxi-drivers had also been hit by the loss of trade resulting from fewer coaches coming to the town and the introduction of the Park and Ride scheme.
Kevin Hutchinson, co-owner of Radio Taxis in Filey, which employs about 30 drivers, said five of their drivers had failed to get their CRB checks back in time.
He said: “It cost them and the company. But they had been given all the information and the opportunity to get in early, so they couldn’t really blame anyone but themselves."
“Scarborough Council have given us good support. In cases where CRB checks have taken more than 100 days, the council said they would allow them to use a temporary permit.”
Tracey Fordyce, who manages Atlas Taxis of Scarborough, said they worked closely with the council and made sure “every single one of our drivers” got their applications posted in time.
Andy Skelton, the council’s head of environmental services, said: “In line with the council’s taxi and private hire policy, applicants for taxi driver licences are required to apply for a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure before they can be granted a licence. CRB disclosures also have to be requested upon renewal of that licence every three years."
“As licensing authority, we sent out early reminders in April of this year advising drivers to apply for their CRB disclosures and we have since sent two further reminder letters."
“Despite this, some drivers did submit their applications to the Criminal Records Bureau too late and unfortunately until their disclosures are returned we will not be able to renew their licences."
“Drivers are in a position of absolute trust, often for example, carrying vulnerable people late at night. Our drivers have a good reputation and we wish to work with them to maintain that reputation."
“Clearly most drivers understand the importance of CRB checks and more than 400 submitted their CRB applications in good time. Regrettably a handful did not.”
Source; http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk ... _1_2760918
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