Taxi Driver Online

St Albans taxi drivers call for limit on licensed drivers
TAXI drivers in St Albans claim the number of Hackney Carriage licences which are handed out should be regulated to help boost their income. The St Albans and Harpenden Taxi Association has called on St Albans District Council to put a cap on the number of licences granted.

The group say de-regulation has had an impact on their income, and has overcrowded the city centre ranks. Between 1995 and 1999 the council restricted the number of Hackney Carriage licenses it issued.

At the time the limit was lifted just 127 licenced taxi's operated in St Albans and Harpenden. As of February this year, there are 259 licensed drivers on the roads. The council's licensing and regulatory committee is to consider the calls made by the taxi association. But it has recommended the committee maintains it policy to not impose a limit.

The licensing team has said it will launch a consultation over additional ranks in St Albans and Harpenden to address the issue of overcrowding. It is proposed ranks could be provided outside Havana nightclub, in Victoria Street, St Albans, for approximately six vehicles. It would be operational between 9pm and 3am, Thursday to Friday and the nightclub licensee has agreed to use two of the door supervisors as taxi marshals.

Other ranks are proposed in the two loading bays opposite the Cross Keys public house and outside HSBC bank, to be operated between 6.30pm to 7.30am Monday to Sunday.

Mudassar Yasin, secretary of the taxi association, said: “It's getting a bit ridiculous now with the amount of taxi drivers there are in St Albans. “The additional ranks will only be in the evenings on weekends, so it won't change what happens during the day. “Before within ten minutes of starting your day you would have a customer, but now you could be waiting up to an hour.”

Mr Yasin said the problem of private hire taxi's illegally touting for trade in other areas of the town, including outside Havana night club, has always been an issue. He said it will help if the additional ranks are introduced, to give more trade to the Hackney Carriage drivers.

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Council reject St Albans taxi drivers' bid to regulate licences


TAXI drivers in St Albans last night failed in their bid to persuade the district council to impose a limit on the number of licences which are granted.

Hackney Carriage drivers across the district, who are members of the St Albans Taxi Association, asked a licensing committee to consider introducing a regulation. As the committee had recommended, however, the limit on licences handed out was not considered.

The drivers say they have been left disappointed by the decision and will continue to lobby the council on this matter.

Mudassar Yasin, secretary of the taxi association, added: “Some of the councillors on the committee did raise the issue that there is a problem.

“But our request wasn't accepted- it is disappointing. But we won't take this lying down.”

The taxi drivers had requested the limit to be introduced as they thought the high number of Hackney Carriage drivers on the road was affecting their income.

Similarly, Watford taxi drivers had also recently requested their council to look into introducing a cap. They celebrated an initial victory last month when the council agreed to carry out a survey to assess how many taxis the town needs.

source: http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/

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