Taxi Driver Online

(A link to the consultation documents on the DfT website can be found at the bottom of this post)


Consultation letter

David Farmer
Head of Branch (2)
Buses and Taxis Division
3/13 Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
LONDON
SW1P 4DR

Direct line: 020 7944 2283
Divisional Enquiries: 020 7944 2278
Fax: 020 7944 2212
Web site: www.dft.gov.uk

Our Ref: BAT 7/4/021
02 August 2005

Dear Sir/Madam

Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing: Consultation on Draft Best Practice Guidance

The purpose of this consultation exercise is to invite your views, by 28 October 2005, on the draft Best Practice Guidance which we have prepared to assist taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing authorities.

Background

When the Office of Fair Trading produced its report on the UK taxi/PHV market, it recommended that the Department should produce Best Practice Guidance for local taxi and PHV licensing authorities. The Government responded to the OFT report in March 2004 and accepted their recommendation. Accordingly, we have produced a draft version of the Guidance and we are now seeking feedback before we publish a final version.

The draft Best Practice Guidance is attached at Annex A.

Application to Devolved Administrations

The Department for Transport has responsibility for taxi and PHV legislation in England and Wales, and, accordingly, the Guidance we eventually publish will be directed at local authorities in England and Wales. Responsibility for taxi and PHV licensing in Scotland and Northern Ireland is devolved, but the respective Administrations have been involved in the preparation of this draft Guidance and will decide for themselves the extent to which they which they wish to make use of it or adapt it to suit their own purposes.

Consultation Responses

A feedback form is attached at Annex B; using it would help us to consider your comments in an organised and coherent way. Electronic copies of the form can be found on the Department's web-site at www.dft.gov.uk.

A list of the initial consultees is attached at Annex C to this document. If you think any other organisation should see it, please let us know.

Please send your responses by 28 October to Andy Neilson in one of the following ways:

in writing to 3/13 Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR;

by fax to 020 7944 2212; or

by e-mail to Andrew.Neilson@dft.gsi.gov.uk.

If you are responding in writing please submit two copies of your response. If you are responding as a representative organisation, please include in your response a summary of the people and organisations which you represent.

Copies of Responses

A summary of the comments received will be published on the DfT website after the consultation period ends. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires public authorities to disclose information they hold if it is requested. This includes information contained in responses to consultations. The Department will generally publish subsequently the information it discloses under FOI on its website. If you ask for your response to be kept confidential this will only be possible if it is consistent with the Department's obligations under the Freedom of Information Act.

Conduct of this Consultation

This consultation is being conducted in accordance with the Government's Code of Practice on Written Consultation (April 2004). The criteria contained within the Code are set out in Annex D and apply to all UK national public consultations on the basis of a document in electronic or printed form. If, however, you have any comments or complaints to make about the way the consultation process has been conducted - as distinct from comments on the proposals in the consultation paper - you should contact: Andrew D Price, Consultation Co-ordinator, Department for Transport, Zone 9/09, Southside, 105 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DT (Tel no: 020 7944 3709, Fax no: 020 7944 5811).

Enquiries

Enquiries about the contents of this consultation paper should be made to Pippa Brown at the above address.

Further copies of the consultation paper

This document is available on the Department for Transport web-site www.dft.gov.uk. Alternatively, requests for further copies should be made to Andy Neilson on 020 7944 2292.

Yours faithfully


David Farmer

Link to full DfT consultation document

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

i have to admit that i also had a copy of this and i was reading this last night, what did i think, same old same old.............

these guys are determined to make it a free for all. Tell me who do you think you represent? cant be taxi drivers, let me see you guys must have some vested interest somewhere....

Well I represent myself, as I suspect do most of the good folk on here.

That aside, apart from the SUD stuff what do you object to in the DfT's draft guidance?

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IDFIMH

Yes, a vested interest in equality and a level playing field.

And as I keep on saying, and you fail to address, it's often the plate holders who want the free for all, at least if it means more drivers in the existing cars.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

and i keep telling you, i drive my own car and have no driver

a licence condition which requires a sign on the vehicle in a specified form. This will often be a sign of a specified size and shape which identifies the operator (with a telephone number for bookings) and the local licensing authority, and which also has some words such as 'pre-booked only'. This approach seems the best practice; it identifies the vehicle as private hire and helps to avoid confusion with a taxi, but also gives useful information to the public wishing to make a booking;

Bring it on.

Ollie

_________________
Happy to be legit.

it would make your nice red Merc look cheap, very cheap, but if you read on it does say that it would lead to more confusion.

And I've ever claimed otherwise?

But then you must get a bit sick of the fact that probably in any LA in the land anyone with a hack badge will be welcomed with open arms into the taxi trade, even to the extent of dumbing down knowledge tests and appointing head-hunting teams (for example) to facilitate this.

As I said in relation to Edinburgh, what would be worse for you if you worked there, 50 new plates (which 'the trade' objected to), or 300 new drivers (which 'the trade' was asking for).

I think the effect of the 50 plates would be negligible to you, but 150 more taxis out during the day, and the same at night, would have a significant impact surely.

So doesn't this underline the hypocrisy regarding restricted numbers in relation to 'the trade', if not you personally?

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Another thing I will celebrate the end of is Taxi Zones.

If a driver is deemed 'fit and proper' to ply by a council, then they should be able to ply throughout that council's area, not just bits of it.

What must customers think when a vehicle and driver licensed to ply by the council, can't legally pick them up in that council's area?

But then again, when did restricting councils ever give a dam about the public?

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IDFIMH

Err, what was that about us agreeing on most things?

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Told you before Sussex ring 01904 764764 [Country Cabs taxis] ask for the lady boss of the Taxi firm and get the details from her of how she won the right as zoned taxis to be able to ply the whole area of the council, its been done and sorted by magistrates, so you have something to work on

I think that the Castlepoint judgement out-lawed zones, it's just that others disagree.

But if the DfT wish to get rid of them once and for all, then good old New Labour.

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IDFIMH

i believe that if a survey was conducted and that it showed 50 new plates were required then so be it.

i would agree that another 300 drivers with 150 cars would indeed be bad for everyone.

wether you like it or not, restricted numbers do work, if you want a plate, you have to pay the going rate for one, thier is only so much work out thier. If you cant afford the £30k for a new TX2 then surely it makes sense to drive someones cab and see if you enjoy it.

tell me after derestriction in your area, do you make more now that it is de restricted? or less? has the business increased? are you inundated with customers? I would love to know about your utopia...

this is the sentence that i do not like:



more choice? dont they already have that? they can walk, catch a bus, or ring PH, how much more choice do they need?

I didn't say 150 cars per se, I meant the same amount of cars, which was why the trade wanted it.

But why do you think the trade wanted another 300 drivers?

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk