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'British' taxi stickers are racist, says cabbie
A COUNCIL has told cabbies to remove stickers from their vehicles which state they are being driven by "British drivers". The stickers have been displayed by some taxi drivers in Bishop Auckland, concerned about competition from foreign drivers.
But they have angered one Polish taxi driver, who said one of the stickers was passed to him by one of his passengers. Stanislaw Mackowiak said: "In my opinion, this is racist. A taxi is a taxi." The 52-year-old, who lives in nearby Coundon, said: "Europe is a free market for everybody. "If British taxi drivers want to come to Poland, then come on."
Earlier this month, Mr Mackowiak, who moved to the region from his home city of Poznan, said he was attacked in the town by a rival taxi driver because he was Polish. He said: "I was trying to protect myself with my hands, but he was full of anger and hate. "If other people had not come to help, he could have killed me."
A Bishop Auckland taxi driver, who did not want to be named, said he had not displayed one of the stickers, but supported those that had. He said: "We just want to remind customers that we know the area, language and rates best, and ask them to support us.
"The local taxi drivers just want to make a living, but Wear Valley (District Council) have allowed far too many in the area. "Some places limit the numbers, but in Wear Valley, there are more than 200 and the competition is too great.
"On Friday and Saturday nights, the ranks are heaving, so we have to sit for ages for a fare and cannot fit as many into a shift, so the money is getting tight. "The Polish drivers are just one of the problems we face in this business. I do not know how they can get a licence so quickly. They rely on satellite navigation, which goes wrong and are not used to the money, so I have heard of some stupid charges."
Tom Carver, the head of public protection at Wear Valley District Council, confirmed that some taxi drivers had been displaying the stickers and were asked to remove them. He said: "Irrespective of whether it is racist or whatever, they are not allowed to have anything like this in their cars without the consent of the council. "We did tell drivers that they had to remove them, but it is unlikely we would approve such a sticker anyway."
Mr Carver said concerns had been expressed to him about foreign taxi drivers, although the council had sought to allay these. He said: "The reality is that if you are an EU citizen, you can be a taxi driver on an existing licence, provided you take a British driving test within 12 months. The majority of our taxi drivers are quite happy with the situation and see it as just genuine competition."
A spokesman for Durham Police said of the stickers: "You might question the judgement of the drivers concerned, but it seems unlikely that any offence is being committed."
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I would fully support the drivers on this personally and surely it gives the paying public the choice then as to which taxi to take, surely the public deserve the right to choice, its not about RACE its about CHOICE, wake up councils 
