Taxi Driver Online

Drivers want cab laws enforced



Hackney carriage drivers are calling for rival private hire vehicles to carry only people who have booked in advance.

Only Hackney carriages, as marked by the illuminated ‘taxi’ sign on the roof, are allowed to pick up fares from the ranks around town. Private hire vehicles must be booked in advance.

But Hackney carriage drivers say a minority of private hire drivers are touting for trade on the ranks, taking business from them at a time when they are already facing difficult conditions and could have to call for a rise in fares.

The drivers are also warning that, unless a private hire vehicle has been booked in advance, passengers are uninsured when travelling in them.

Bracknell Forest Council, which licenses taxis and regulates the Hackney carriages, is holding a meeting of its licensing and safety committee tonight, when it will decide whether to make private hire vehicles show signs telling people not to get in unless they have booked.

Andy Watson of the Bracknell Licensed Taxi Forum (BLTF) said: “This has come about through activity at the bus station where private hire vehicles have been picking up fares from the ranks.

“It’s only a minority of the drivers that are doing this – most of them wouldn’t do anything like that – but there is a small number that do and it’s happened countless times and has been going on for years.

“It takes business away from us and what we’re more concerned about is that the public are uninsured when they are travelling in a private hire vehicle that hasn’t been booked in advance and it puts them at risk.”

A spokesman for the council said: “Not only is a journey in an unlicensed taxi unsafe, it is also un-insured and can put passengers at risk of theft or assault.”

Councillor Iain McCracken, the council’s executive member for public protection, added: “Please only use a private hire vehicle that you have booked in advance or, if you are hailing a taxi in the street, please only use a Hackney carriage which can be recognised by its licence plate.”

Last year the council commissioned an ‘unmet demand survey’ after calls for a cap to be put on the number of Hackney carriage licences from the BLTF.

Although the council has refused to put a cap on the Hackney carriage numbers, the survey did suggest that putting signs on the private hire vehicles could be beneficial to public service.

Hackney carriage fares have not gone up in Bracknell Forest since 2008 – the longest period so far without a rise – but the BLTF is warning that unless something is done to protect the trade soon, fares will rise this year.

Andy added: “It’s a council decision but they will make it with input from us. We have not pressed for a fare increase for several years. We haven’t made a decision as to whether we will this year but it is a possibility.

“People should know the truth – and that is that the council could have kept the limit on and we could have avoided the fare increase.

“If we know how many cars there are going to be we can make a business plan, but we can’t do that.

“Fuel prices aren’t helping and while the regeneration looks no closer to happening it means there won’t be a night time economy and we are struggling.”

The licensing and safety committee were due to meet last Thursday.

www.getbracknell.co.uk/news/s/2085763_d ... s_enforced

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

so they dont have signs on them but folk try to get in them

now whats gonna happen when the PH car - with a sign on it - rolls up?...


oh look, its a taxi!

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

I note that Bracknell Forest Council have made it clear that there is an insurance issue something that Dundee city council still do not recognize

Nor the police

CC

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

The cabs office( police) have said that there is an insurance issue but will not make a general statement on it, its a start and at least they are going to look into the insurance issue when they catch private hire picking up when not being pre booked.The council just want to keep passing the buck.

#


Whilst I agree 100% with all the comments except one,how can it put passengers at risk from assault or theft any more than if that person had rung for a licenced PH?( I am PH by the way!)

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42 years now! and still going strong!

What a novel idea.

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IDFIMH

and, of course, we can all be assured the HCs break not one HC reg, always playing it by the book.....

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

Problem sorted

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Caledonian Cabbie

I guess they're working on the theory that if you haven't booked the ph you get into then it's not traceable and for that reason the driver maybe more inclined to turn into Dick Turpin for a few minutes or worse still some depraved manaic that wants to kill you

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

Precisely, and it's the same with out of area hacks and indeed private cars doing a bit of unlicensed work.

Let's face it, if any legitmate driver wanted to try something on, they wouldn't do it in their own back yard if they were calculating about it, they'd do it in an LA miles away - pick up a late night flagger who'll get into anything.

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Caledonian Cabbie

Yeah I guess you're right, Maybe Worboys would have got away with a lot longer if only he'd thought to leave London first

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

Interesting example, but in actual fact I think it undermines my argument rather than enhances it.

I didn't follow the case closely, but in actual fact didn't he get away with it for a very long time before tripping up?

Perhaps if Worboys had went into the Sticks to do his dirty deeds then he would have stood out more and thus been brought to book earlier.

More generally, though, I suspect driver intent on misdeeds would be more likely to try it on out of area, although whether they may be misguided in thinking that would make them less likely to be caught is another matter.

I mean, if someting happens in my manor taxi-related the cops are up and down the ranks talking to the drivers, usually with a vague description of some kind.

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Caledonian Cabbie

I dont think your right on that one, surely a driver in an area with a large number of licensed vehicles would be more likely to be able to blend into the crowd?

CC

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

Indeed, and perhaps that's the argument I was making regarding Warboys?

Perhaps it depends on where the driver works - if in a big city then better doing it there than when passing through a small town, while a driver in the Sticks might feel able to get away with it in a big city.

Whether in actual fact they do have less risk is another matter, but that may represent their perception of the risk, or at least that would be my perception if I was them

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Caledonian Cabbie