Taxi Driver Online

As I'm told many times, councils are best to decide for themselves.

www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/ ... y-of-taxis

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IDFIMH

Although the local trade aren't best pleased.


Cab drivers steer towards protests

CAB drivers in Sheffield are threatening to stage a series of protests after it emerged that council leaders are set to refuse a moratorium on new taxi licences. In the past three years the number of black cabs has more than doubled in Sheffield city centre after Sheffield Council leaders decided to deregulate the service.

Taxi drivers say this has put undue pressure on the service they can provide, forcing many to have to work much longer hours in order to make ends meet. Earlier this year, drivers demanded Sheffield Council curb the number of taxi licences which it issued.

They are asking the council to stop issuing new licences and commission an independent survey to establish the demand for taxis in Sheffield. But despite hundreds of signatures on a petition and even a "go slow" protest two months ago, council leaders look set to refuse the request. A meeting of the strategic resources and performance scrutiny and policy development board on Wednesday is expected to recommend that the council keeps its licensing system as it is.

Now furious taxi drivers are planning to demonstrate. Sheffield Taxi Trade Association secretary Hafeas Rehman said: "It seems the council are giving out these licences to anyone who applies for them. "But this huge increase is causing untold problems with established taxi drivers as it is threatening their livelihoods. We asked the council to look into this and put a stop to issuing so many licences, but now it looks like they are to refuse our request.

"It is extremely disappointing and we are very upset.Other cities have regulations in place which work very well, but Sheffield is refusing to do this. We believe we have become caught up in some political warfare and our plight is being ignored by those who have the power to change things." He said the association would meet later this week to decide what course of action should be taken.

"This is not over yet, not by a long way," added Mr Rehman. "We will be heard. This is only a scrutiny board, but the licensing board seems to just accept what they have to say, so we will have to take our fight to a higher level."

Until a few years ago, the council imposed a limit of 300 licences for Hackney cabs but deregulation in response to legal changes meant anyone able to pass the council's test could ask for a licence, regardless of the number already working in the city. Since then the number has more than doubled to over 600, while private hire taxis have increased from around 600 to more than 800.

Coun Ray Satur, chairman of the scrutiny board, last night insisted the taxi drivers' demands had been carefully considered, but he said going back to regulation was not the answer. He said: "There are three associations for taxi drivers in Sheffield – one for black cabs, one for private hire and another for both. It is only the black cab drivers who are demanding this moratorium, all the rest seem happy with the way things are.

"However, we understand the drivers' concerns and we have not just ignored them. We hope by doing a number of things, including issuing new licences only to drivers who have new low-floored, low-emission cabs that this will go some way to curbing the situation. We hope this should impose a natural curb on new licences." He added that the scrutiny board was also considering recommendations aimed at helping cab drivers, including introduction of clearly signposted taxi ranks.

Better safety measures, allowing taxi drivers better access to bus lanes and changes to the one-way system are also expected to be considered at Wednesday's meeting, which will give its recommendations to the council's licensing board.

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IDFIMH

More sense from Sheffield.

In respect of demand surveys, the report of the Assistant Chief Executive, Legal and Governance Services indicated that where a Council has taken the decision not to limit taxi numbers then no demand survey was required. Where a decision has been taken to limit taxi numbers then a Council has to be satisfied that there is no significant unmet demand. There was an issue that the validity of such surveys has long been questionable as they only measure the demand that exists at the time and in the circumstances in which the survey is undertaken and do not attempt to assess what demand has been lost due to the unavailability of taxis. The surveys do not measure the detriment to certain groups of people (such as people with disabilities) limiting the availability of accessible taxis has. The OFT were very critical of the manner on which surveys had been conducted and the validity of their findings. The Government announced it had expected any future surveys undertaken to assess latent as well as existing demand. Although the legal test of “no significant unmet demand” remains, the new test put the onus firmly on the local authority to demonstrate that allowing more taxis to be licensed “would lead to significant consumer detriment” before it can restrict taxi numbers. The report stated that it was difficult to envisage the type of evidence that a local authority could produce that would satisfy a Court that this test had been met.

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IDFIMH

If I can politely cut through the BS here (I find that these departments like to speak in a differing language to the rest of us mortals)



Okay so this means if there is an application, to refuse the LA must be satisfied there is no SUD.



I'd suggest that is slightly inaccuate and perhaps Halcrow & Jacobs would differ in opinion.



Errm yes but you have 600 WAV's in Sheffield, significantly more WAV's per head of wheelchair bound population than I would suggest is required, and more than many other City's that aren't as apparently as enlightened as you in Sheffield.



Yes, but the OFT would say that now wouldnt they. And according to the survey companies they do assess latent demand.



Try the following;

We've done our LTP and we don't plan to assess/already have assessed taxi demand and we take taxis seriously in our area. We will consider demand as part of an on going policy. That ought to work.



Seems to me that your a little like the local authority down in Rhyl, keeping those lovely letters sent by the DFT for your own assessment rather than allowing councillors to judge them for themselves.

Captain Cab

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I see the lads have done a drive around and are not happy.

http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewArtic ... ID=1103185

I wonder how they expect the council to meet the new proposed DfT SUD criteria.

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IDFIMH

Laugh away, Sussex, but the situation in Sheffield is that the number of cabs has doubled, but the number of fares picked up has remained static. Why so? obvious isn't it? the upshot is, now nobody makes a living.
Come the "revolution" , when you pick up your free plate, you will join a rank the length of Brighton seafront, and probably not do a job all day.
Still, it'll be fair, won't it? If it is the case that a free (plate) for all is a good thing, how come no deristricted areas come on here to tell us stupids how wonderful life is now there are so many more cabs on the streets? And why they wish it had happened years ago.
In restaurants less is more. On Taxi ranks more is less.
The other day I was in the only cab on the station rank. "you are the only cab here" said a lawyer (Crown Court £3:60, hour wait) " How many do you want?" I asked. "just the one," he replied," "Sorted" said I.

I suspect I will rank up at some seafront, but not the one you mentioned.

Bit common along there.

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IDFIMH

So you still avoid the question, in sheffield the number of black cabs doubles, but the fares don't. please do not give us the old chestnut about less private hires. Who makes aliving since de-limitation in Sheffield, or anywhere? New Thread there I think.

Why a new thread for what we've discussed dozens of times, but the points made are just ignored until the next time round.

What about London for example, no restriction there?

And how does giving journeymen their own plate (which increases numbers, but does not decrease work per driver) make a difference?

Of course, there won't be the scenario of one part of the trade lining the pockets of another, but you can hardly use preferential treatment as an argument for continuing it.

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

Not yet de-limited, but this appeared in the local rag today re: Worthing.

Can I first just say the heading is slightly wrong because it implies a switch from saloon taxi to WAV taxi, when in fact it was saloon PH to WAV taxi.

Cabs switch boosts trade

Taxi drivers are switching to London-style cabs in a bid to boost trade.

The number of traditional looking TX11 taxis on the streets of Worthing has risen from one to seven in the past ten months.

Drivers said their trade has gone through the roof.

Trevor Fenton-Goss, 48, from Worthing, has seen takings increase by a quater since he swapped to a London-style cab last month.

He said: "The customers love it. It is the image. London taxis are part of the fabric of Britain and everybody recognises them."

The TX11 taxis are made by LTI vehicles. Sales and marketing director Matthew Cheyne said: "The traditional black cab has become iconic. They see the familiar and reassuring shape and will walk past other vehicles to get to it.


So there you have it, if you had more black cabs in your manor, you would be far better off.

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IDFIMH

So where does the work come from? The Sheffield drivers aren't complaining because they have too much work, are they?
And The Knowledge keeps the numbers down in London as you know only too well.

Well I don't think they would complain

Why ask where the work comes from if you ignore the point I made above - if taxi journeymen get their own cab, this doesn't mean that they will be any less busy, does it?





Yes, that's why I'm all for making it less easy to get a badge, as you should well know.

But as I also keep on saying, it's the plate holders in many restricted areas that want to make it as easy as possible to get a badge.

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

REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

So which particular aspect of the posts that you've repeated is it that you have a problem with?

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