Taxi Driver Online

Well to me it looks like a load of PH waiting outside the station, with hackneys parked up the road. If that is the case then clearly no one there has ever heard of Eastbourne v Stirling https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Ad ... 0/410.html

Wintax takes over taxi rank by Winchester Train Station after SWR deal

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/ne ... -swr-deal/



WINCHESTER’S largest taxi company has taken over the top spots by the train station, sparking anger with hackney carriages being forced to wait on the other side of the road.

Tensions are rising between Wintax and the hackney carriages with Wintax purchasing a four-year tender from South Western Railway (SWR) to use the bays directly outside the station as a waiting area for its pre-booking-only vehicles.

One customer has spoken of "argy bargy" between the two sets of drivers.

Wintax vehicles must be pre-booked. Hackney cabs can be hailed in the street.

Winchester City Council has introduced a trial shorter taxi rank for hackney drivers on the opposite side of the road but they have been left frustrated by the lack of communication and decline in business.

Wintax said SWR gave them the opportunity to pay for the prime position tender after years of hackney drivers refusing to pay their permits.

A Wintax spokesperson said: “The tender for the train station was offered to other taxi companies who could have paid but we had to do it as a strategic business move to stop a whole other company come in.

“The hackney drivers shot themselves in the foot by not paying and now they’re trying to push the agenda that we’re taking their spot.

“I understand why they’re aggrieved but the council made it clear to them that they needed to pay to keep the rank.”

A group of hackney drivers said they didn’t pay in 2021 due to Covid but weren’t subsequently given the chance to pay for their usual permit following the pandemic.

A hackney driver, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The taxi rank has been in front of the station for more than 30 years and we have been paying SWR all of that time.

“We accepted the free rank but we weren’t informed of the tender at all and SWR has all our email addresses. Nobody told us anything. There should have at least been a sign up about the tender and more signs now to tell people we’re over here. People looking for a taxi are being told to book and wait without knowing we’re here.

Another added: “The permit price goes up every year, it's risen from around £400 to £890 but we still would have been willing to pay. This is our livelihood, 90 per cent of our business comes from the station and we’ve seen an 80 per cent drop since the changes.”

Commuters have also been left confused. Carol McGill, of Colson Road, Winnall, has been getting taxis from the station for years but said the new system was “absolute chaos” after trying to get a taxi with her friend and her dog.

Carol, 65, said: “It was a nightmare. All these people were stood around puzzled after being told the taxis are pre-booking only.

“It makes it much worse. There were two elderly ladies with heavy luggage confused to how to get a taxi and a hackney driver had to come over and get them so they didn’t have to cross.

“It’s no good for elderly people who don’t use a phone much. I had no idea about the changes and I know Winchester, it’s not a very good advert for the city.

“It’s been absolute chaos. Police had to be there at one point. There’s some argy bargy going on between the pre-booked and the hackney drivers.”

New signs, QR codes, tablets and pay phones have been installed to help people pre-book since Wintax’s contract started at the beginning of the month.

A member of Wintax staff is also on hand to help people book a taxi but is not legally allowed to approach people.

SWR was contacted for more information on why the area was put up for tender. In response, a spokesperson for SWR said: “Wintax has exclusive access to taxi spaces at Winchester station and they are responsible for managing the individual taxis. They are required to provide sufficient vehicles to meet demand at the station and comply with local licensing laws.”

_________________
IDFIMH

Except for the law on plying for hire

But the quote reads like the SWR spokesperson doesn't have a clue about stuff like 'taxis' and ranking etc, so the minutiae of the plying for hire rules probably totally lost on them.

But you might expect the council to be aware of the plying for hire scenario and the case law cited by Sussex. But instead they seem to have ignored all that and provided a new rank for the HCs on the other side of the road (if I'm reading the article correctly).

And, although it first glance you'd assume otherwise, presumably the PHV rank is on private land, while the road and the new HC rank are both public highway.

So the photo is an excellent illustration of why the public highway/private land distinction can be irrelevant to the plying for hire issue. The fact that the PHVs are presumably on private land rather than the public highway makes zero difference as regards the opportunity to ply for hire, and also illustrates why the distinction is obviously irrelevant to the paying public.

Oh look a railway company looking to cash in what a surprise

peterborough will be interesting as they are proposing to redevelop the car parking including all the pick up and drop off areas so where are the thousands of cars going to park after all it's about £15 a day so the railway must bank 6 to 8 million a year at a conservative estimate in parking charges.

And it will be swept away to build hotels,offices etc. so that they can get a one off chunk of money for the land !

_________________
Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Surprised Sussex didn't post the other TEN photos on the Hamshire Chronicle's website. Utterly disgraceful

Seriously, though, car's off the road and in the garage , so I've got lots of spare time, and it's easier doing this kind of thing than the deep clean of the house that I'm trying to do

And it's also interesting because the various photos perhaps underline and clarify the plying for hire angle.

Not so sure about Carol and her dog, though






















All images: Hampshire Chronicle

Anyone who feels the need to read any of the signage etc can access high-res versions of the photos here

And if anyone thinks this is all a bit, er, anal, this is the kind of stuff the trade, council and police should be looking at as regards the legals etc, and the kind of evidence that might be cited in any prosecution or civil litigation. Correct me if I'm wrong

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911254

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911253

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911255

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911256

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911257

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911258

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911259

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911260

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911264

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16911265

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/re ... s/16912522
All images: Hampshire Chronicle

For a start, the old rank lay-by where the PHVs are queued is still prominently marked 'TAXIS' on the road.

Plying for hire, much?

for a town that can proudly boast of being the capital of England before London got the gig the station is surprisingly rustic and small scale



thought you might have been out and about enjoying the weather ! it's too hot for serious housework/gardening !

_________________
Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Try to keep out of the sun to be honest, Edders, so tend to do outdoor stuff later in the day in the summer. And spent about three hours outdoors yesterday, washing down doors and windows, cutting grass, strimming the longer grass etc. (Not that it's exactly a manicured garden, but there is quite a lot of it ).

And obviously this is the summer solstice this week, so sun at its highest in sky and most dangerous, especially for us milk-skinned oldies

Might go into St Andrews later to get some shopping, but again will wait till sun's a bit lower in the sky, because I don't fancy a seven-mile walk back with shopping bags at this time of the day. (Will either get bus in or cadge a lift, but don't fancy walking there and back - almost 15 miles...and taxis only in dire emergencies )

But it appears neither do the hackney trade, the PH operator, or the local licensing department.

_________________
IDFIMH

Well this is hardly a surprise, but still no mention of the plying for hire angle, and no mention of any council enforcement or involvement, or whatever.

But who knows precisely what the real reasons were? The operator spinning it to sound like they're doing everyone a favour, so whether or not there was any involvement from the council in terms of the legals and enforcement, the operator certainly not spinning it that way (ditto the train station operator SWR).

And they're trying to imply the HCs weren't safe either - that would have gone down well

And the operator also refers to the 'rank', effectively admitting they were plying for hire. I mean, it's self-evidently not on private ground that the public are restricted from entering...


Hackney drivers to return to Winchester Railway Station taxi rank

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/ne ... taxi-rank/

FOLLOWING eight months of disputes, hackney carriage drivers will be reclaiming the taxi rank outside Winchester Railway Station.

Wintax’s four-year tender to use the bays directly outside the station is being abolished, starting from next month, after the pre-booked taxi company agreed to a new deal with South Western Railway which will see the hackney drivers take back the rank.

Tensions were sparked in the summer after Wintax secured the rank for its pre-booked only vehicles, forcing the hackney cabs, which can be hailed in the street, to the other side of the road and confusing customers.

The Chronicle reported widespread unhappiness especially from the elderly and disabled over the confusion and the crossing of the carriageway outside the downside platform.

A management spokesperson from Wintax said: “Due to pressure from the hackney drivers South Western Railway has ended our contract after this month.

“We could have appealed the decision but we have obliged. We’re not fighting it. We’re not going to cause a fuss as we’re so busy and customers can still call us.

“It’s disheartening but we’re still the largest taxi company and this is not necessarily going to harm us. If they are willing to put up this much of a fight we thought we should let them have it. They rely on picking up from the station and do not have the same luxury as we do as a company.

“We don’t need the train station, we are a very good and well-known company. With all the grief we have had it’s just not worth it.

“Having the rank has been great – some customers have loved it and others haven’t but there have been more positives and negatives.

“It’s a shame and we’ve put a lot of hard work into it but we get it from both sides. Everybody has to make a living. We were offered the contract and we took it and believed it would improve safety for customers as we can track our taxis.

“South Western Railway has listed safety reasons with all our boards being up and a member of staff being there all the time.”

Wintax said the new deal was confirmed earlier this month. A spokesman for SWR said: "We can confirm that, following feedback from our customers and colleagues, Hackney vehicles will provide taxi services for our customers at Winchester station from Friday, March 1."

ah the telling phrase

_________________
Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Maybe someone from the hackney trade pointed out the illegality of the rank, or maybe the council did, but it was illegal and I suspect a high number of unlawful hirings took place, but no one is being held to account.

_________________
IDFIMH

Well reading between the lines it certainly sounds like Wintax have taken an almighty huff over it all

This in the comments looks like it's maybe from a local HCA, or similar.

But sounds like they're very good at the PR BS, although it all suggests they haven't a clue about the law

On the other hand, maybe it fits their remit not to mention the legal angle, lest it sound like sour grapes, or whatever. But who knows? It's all about the optics rather than facts and openness

The operator probabily found all his drivers were working off the rail and not spread around the town .
Also would be hard to feed the better jobs to his favourite people.