Taxi Driver Online

Not enough detail about the disputed SD card/CCTV thing and the vehicle conditions here, but obviously it's irrestible force meets immovable object given the numerous previous articles about this in previous threads.

But they're both crying foul over the legal minutiae. Not clear who's right, but Mr Jones seems quite a smart cookie, and this is the council with the secret squirrel panel that brings people in off the street to decide the future of drivers accusde of things. Or something like that

But at least they've got the knowledge test watered down. Didn't Mr Jones claim absolutely no one could pass it, including existing drivers? Or something like that


Festive taxi strike threatened for Herefordshire

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/2317 ... fordshire/


Image: Hereford Times

Hereford’s taxi drivers are threatening to strike this New Year’s Eve if new, “not fit for purpose” licensing conditions are imposed on the trade.

The lengthy task of bringing taxi licensing in the county into line with government rules has been an ongoing source of friction between drivers and Herefordshire Council.

The council, which oversees licensing of around 900 vehicles in the county, intends to finally approve new requirements covering vehicles and driver proficiency at a full meeting this Friday.

Drivers say the impact of these changes will be to drive many out of the job, as is already happening, and will discourage newcomers, making it harder than ever to get a taxi in and around Hereford.

While they have succeeded in getting some of the tougher requirements relaxed, such as a “knowledge” test of routes around the county, drivers still had outstanding concerns and demanded a further meeting before their final approval.

One issue is that, having demanded drivers install in-vehicle CCTV that records onto removeable SD memory cards, the council’s new rules insist that “SD cards will not be acceptable”. The evidence that drivers must provide to show their vehicle is roadworthy also remains contentious.

Senior council official Marc Willimont wrote to Hereford Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association chairman John Jones last month saying it had been agreed with senior councillors that “there was no requirement to meet, given that decisions had already been made on the outstanding matters”.

In response, the strike was proposed and agreed at an association meeting unless the council backtracks on this.

Now Mr Jones has lodged a question with Friday’s meeting, demanding: “Why are the taxi policy/conditions on the agenda when it is full of flaws and legal errors?”

Accusing the licensing department of “a cavalier attitude”, he claims it failed to make agreed changes to the text, adding: “We only required one meeting” to straighten these issues out ahead of the vote.

He said he still hopes councillors will hold off approving the new rules “until further necessary and some already agreed changes are made”, rather than those before them which “are not fit for the purpose”.

Otherwise, he warned Mr Willimont: “It might be worth you notifying the police of the likely implications.”

The briefing for Friday’s meeting warns that making any changes to the policy at this stage “is not recommended as it has been created by a legal specialist following consultation with taxi trade members and then meetings with both the local and national trade associations”.

Should the new package of rules be voted through, they will come into force two months later, “to allow time for trade compliance”.

Back in March, more than 50 Hereford taxi drivers rallied at a council meeting and across the city to show their anger at how the licensing changes were being made.

I suspect the trade, or the part of the trade this fella represents, is requesting to use the cheapo dashcams you can get off eBay for next to nothing. And the council wants a proper system.

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IDFIMH

You could be right, Sussex, and that's kind of what I was thinking.

But the way it's portrayed, it's saying the council changed the spec from cheapo SD cards as storage to something more sophisticated (like a hard drive or similar in the boot, only accessible by officials).

But, as usual, who knows, and it's possibly misreported.

well I do believe they were on the royalist side during the civil war.

seriously though this seems to be another part of the growing winter of discontent that is sweeping the nation with those in power trying to enforce increasingly burdensome terms and conditions .

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Another numpty taken in by the 160,000 loss of drivers lie.

https://yourherefordshire.co.uk/all/new ... ier-today/

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IDFIMH

Everyone is now happy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-h ... r-67103336

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IDFIMH

Can't be bothered looking back, but as I recall it it was never really clear what the trade was actually complaining about, specifically, and what they wanted precisely in terms of vehicle spec and topo tests etc. Ideally, none at all, I'd guess

And that BBC report above is also short on detail of what was actually agreed - I suspect it's really just slowing down the implementation of the green stuff etc, but all we get is the usual self-congratulatory waffle rather than specifics.

Had a look at the local press version to see if that would shed any light, but it's largely the same stuff. Couldn't help notice one particular detail, though (as highlighted below), which is a bit


Herefordshire taxi drivers welcome new county licensing deal

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/2385 ... sing-deal/

Herefordshire’s long-standing wrangles over taxi licensing have finally been resolved with a new deal agreed between drivers and the county council, which operates the licensing system locally.

At a full council meeting today (October 13), Herefordshire councillors voted unanimously to adopt a new taxi and private hire vehicle policy which will run until 2028, following changes in national guidelines on licensing made in 2020.

Hereford Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association chairman John Jones, who has campaigned during this period to have drivers’ concerns taken into account, welcomed the move.

The association’s members had unanimously backed the new policy earlier this week, following “quite a lot of meetings” with council officials, he said.

“We now have a good set of conditions that are fair on taxi drivers.”

Mr Jones has already retired from the trade, “but I stopped in just to see this through”, he added.

Previous sticking points had included a proposed “Knowledge”-style test of the county’s routes and tight age limits on vehicles.

In March last year around 50 taxi drivers protested at a council meeting where an earlier draft of the licensing policy was being debated, before staging a rally through Hereford in their vehicles.

The drivers then threatened to call a strike last New Year when they felt their concerns still hadn't been addressed.

Herefordshire Council licenses around 900 owners of taxis and private-hire vehicles as well as so-called dual drivers of both classes. The new policy strengthens tests on drivers’ suitability and their safeguarding responsibilities.

“It also includes consideration for environmental impacts, such as encouraging as many different fuel types as possible, including small two-seat electric and hybrid vehicles,” according to the council’s cabinet member for roads and regulatory services Coun Barry Durkin, who latterly oversaw the process.

The new measures will be implemented in two months’ time, “to allow time for existing licence holders to achieve compliance”, he added.

Liberal Democrats group leader Coun Terry James, a former leader of the council, welcomed the breakthrough, saying: “We’ve got to where we should have been a long time ago.”