Protect black cabs in Brum
By Adrian Goldberg
February 10, 2011
In early December, West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council mounted a well-publicised operation against private hire drivers muscling in on the black cab trade.
They cautioned several cabbies who picked up passengers without a pre-booking and warned them they risked losing their licenses for nothing more than a £5 fare.
It was a deliberate reminder in the run up to the festive season that only Hackney Carriages are allowed to ply for trade.
Two months later, it seems the message has already been forgotten.
Heading towards the taxi rank at New Street Station late on Sunday night, I was aggressively hustled by a driver from a private hire firm who was trying to blag my custom.
I bluntly reminded him that he was breaking the law and that if he had an accident on the way home, his insurance would be invalid.
Without breaking stride, he simply turned his attentions to another sleepy traveller and escorted them to the car park instead, where several of his colleagues were also prowling.
Nor is this the first time that I’ve seen drivers in identifiable private hire cars touting for business.
Only last week, a mate of mine hopped into one in Smallbrook Queensway, while I was recently offered a ride by a minicab driver after stepping out of a bar near St Paul’s Square.
Tumble out of the late night watering holes of Digbeth and it’s a similar story.
Most of the time, officialdom is happy to turn a blind eye, presumably because policing it effectively would tie up too many resources at the fighting end of the day.
Yet this matters – and not just to passengers who can often find there’s a financial sting in the tail when they are picked up in this way by private hire firms.
My friends in the trade tell me more than 50 Hackney Carriage drivers have turned in their badges in Birmingham over the last 12 months because they simply can’t make ends meet.
This explains why last year the council agreed to a three-year moratorium on issuing new licenses.
These drivers can pay up to £35,000 for a new vehicle and represent the flagship of the city’s taxi fleet. They deserve better protection.
Maybe the powers that be need reminding that licensing laws are for life – not just Christmas.
Source; http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingha ... -28148654/
Login
Register
FAQ
