Taxi Driver Online

Had this e-mail arrive today, and if anyone can offer advice I'm sure the sender would be touched.

Alex


Hi there, i drive for myself and i am currently in just north of London as a licensed private hire driver. I am looking for a council that can provide the cheapest possible hackney carriage plate so i can licence myself with them as my council where i am is very strict. I am sure there are councils out there that can licence you without taking a local knowledge and just by applying. I am annoyed with my current council cos i cannot call myself taxi as i am private hire. My council is very dear and the licensing is very strict.

I just want a hackney carriage as i do my own advertising and i mainly do airport work.

Please can you tell me the following if you know:

A council which allows you to drive a saloon vehicle as hackney carriage.

Where a council can badge me without taking a knowledge test.

_________________
ʎɐqǝ uo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq ı ǝɯıʇ ʇsɐן ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ

Simply the best taxi forum in the whole wide world. www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Why not get an operator's license from your local council?

Then you can stay in your two-bob low standards manor?

_________________
IDFIMH

Hi all, my first time post! I have the same problem in North Wales. There are about 5 councils around me and all WAV's. All I do is airports and some out of town work. I too require a saloon car HC license. Chester City who I am with at the moment charge £502 without medical/CRB etc, for a Private hire lic, plate and badge with the prospect of an increase soon. My Home council will be charging £600+ including planning permission for 1 vehicle [& possible night time working constraints]. Bad all round realy. Most councils make it hard for the owner driver. Oswestry was, up to 31st December 2008 accepting applications for HC's, and an average yearly plate/badge price of £132, but they are stalling for time as Shropshire Council is taking over the resposability from the 1st April and they may not accept me. {ref Wrexham case notes}. There was Berwick but we all know the outcome of that. Does anyone know of more?

so? hardly a major obstacle, Im in the same boat

My council is very dear and the licensing is very strict.



if you mainly do airports why do you want a hack plate?

Please can you tell me the following if you know:



quite a few, ask around, BUT, for "mainly airports" do you want a saloon? an MPV or people carrier is even better, more leg/lugagge space



not many now, but they arent always so tough

_________________
Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

All things not being equal, with a HC one can take private hire bookings anywere in the country and not be constrained with local council red tape. i.e. like having to buy a LTI which does around 35 mpg average and no boot space or a large minibus like an E7 just to take 2 people to the airport. Not cost effective and they cost over £25000. Not eco-friendly either. Then there is the council that may say you may not operate after 00:30 untill 07:30 because of your vehicle movements, noise etc. unless you are leaving or returning just once. Your neighbours may be ok and not object, but if you had your HC you may do as you like within reason. The HC is the operating centre!

With a PH ops license you can do likewise, and if writing down the address of the customer is red tape, then so be it.

I think it's worth pointing out that councils issue taxi licenses to ply in their area, and following the Berwick judgement I wouldn't be certain that all councils will now issue a plate to a vehicle not working in their manor.

And it wouldn't surprise me if in the near future taxi drivers needed to record non path work.

_________________
IDFIMH

Yes I agree, the councils are trying to stop people having a HC out of area. I can even understand it. Council big wigs are forcing the smaller operators to pay for all the trapings of the larger operators. The Chester City council was to be fair quite reasonable where planning was concerned, they thought that as long as you had only 1 to 2 vehicles parked at your home address then they waived planning consent. My council is not as leanient. In fact if I had a pound or so I would take them to court as a restriction of trade case. However they are not restricting me just making it difficult and costly.

Cos I don't work in an area that needs planning permission for an ops license that bit hadn't crossed my mind, and if the council want one or two car ops to have permission that indeed is pointless red-tape.

Do you not know someone that has a shop or work-shop you could use as an address, or an existing op who could add you to his list?

As for saloon hackneys, well you will know you area better than me, but I think some of those Welsh areas have saloon non-restricted hackneys. And there's bound to be some rural areas in North West somewhere who would be more than pleased to take your money off you.

_________________
IDFIMH

Yes Mr Sussex [appologies if Ms] Denbighshire is another possibility. However they are about to merge with Conwy {more BS or knowledge test } but maybe worth a crack. I already use a friends address in Chester, very nice bloke but he doesnt have a pc to send bookings so I have to go down very often to place my bookings there. Not an ideal situation. Chester City Council were very fair which is unusual for councils generally. In the borough of utopia there are no private hire vehicles only HC's & you can have WAV's or Saloons but I can't find them on the map anywere! Well I may have to bite the bullet and plate with Flintshire. Incidentaly I think you can count the HC/WAV's in the borough on one hand.

Seems to me that you want to bend the rules to suit the way you operate.....dont blame you.....but thats how I see it.

CC

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

yes, but I would not complain if I lived in the Chester City area, now theres a thought!

Have you asked or appealed against the condition?

CC

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

I suspect there are real taxi drivers out there by the true defenition of the word TAXI Driver, who work of a set or a rank and work 8 to 12 hours 5/6 days a week. I have been there. I also know there are a number of taxi/chaufeurr companies who do work that is national and cross many council boundaries. They are the ones that havn't been able to be integrated into the taxi community. They should have a plate/sticker and be licensed. I understand why some just carry on without the BS. On my travels a lady in Nantwich borough council licensing informed me that I wasn't alllowed to do Private hire work outside of the borough . I could not pick up a job say in chester and take them to Manchester airport. I am always amazed at the different rules each council has. I shouldn't be I know!

Then that lady doesnt know the law.

CC

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

Is this guy on the methadone programme or the Benny Hill show