Taxi Driver Online

Is anyone going to post this thread to Santa?

Who knows, if you're all very, very good, you may get a surprise in your sack.

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Former taxi driver

Under Scottish legislation, knowledge tests (topographical) for Ph are not permitted

Level playing field for all public transport please, the day the transport commisioner imposes an age limit on buses I'll except one for PH & taxis

Our council has a dual badge as an option so you can drive either on it. Ideal if your on a mixed fleet. Ok you have to pay extra but it's less than getting 2 badges.

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Life? Don't talk to me about life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjm2eslm6hI

This is a very interesting thread. It seems it just stopped after a bit so here's my attempt to revive it.

It will take time to change legislation but we should try to achieve it, however we could try other smaller steps in the meantime.

What about
(a) updating the "DfT Best Practise Guidlance for Licensing Taxis & PHV"
(b) Putting that guidance onto a similar footing to the OFT delimitation regs
ie The LA will apply the Best Practise unless they can show good reason why not.

It is much easier to achieve this than to try to get laws changed in Parliament and if we can get things such as PH roof signs and taxi-meters, common standards for vehicle ages / seating capacities / colours / door signage, typical HC / PH vehicle & driver conditions, etc etc included then we could at least sort out many of the common problems.

However I do realise that if we were to achieve this then it might undermine efforts to bring the Laws up to date. Hey damned if you do , damned if you don't.

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Our safety is Paramount

Maybe we can bundle up all the issues the folks on here agree with i.e. safety and cost saving issues, then send them to the DfT or NALEO, or get them onto the agenda for the Meeting of Minds.

All we need for that to happen is for someone at the MoMs to like TDO enough to put them forward.

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IDFIMH

A National fuel price for taxis simular to Red Diesel , National taxi (Mot) test, National Car Standard Saloon and WAV. (Government susbisdised) National Minimum Standards of Customer Care. National Disability Awareness Test.

Yeah dream on

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Life? Don't talk to me about life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjm2eslm6hI

Section 53 of the 1976 act refers to Hackney carriage and private hire driving licenses.

When you pass your driving test you obtain a drivers license that lasts you for the duration of your natural life, good health permitting. I don’t see any reason why a taxi license should not come under the same principle as that of a standard driving license. Therefore I propose that once a hackney carriage drivers license is obtained it does not lapse for the purpose of having to take another test if the license is not renewed after the period specified for renewal expires. The renewal process should be in the form of an activation process for the specified period or part period, or either? Therefore any requirement by any council requiring a driver who has already passed a drivers test to re sit that same test, would be unlawful.

Activation of a license that has not previously been renewed after a lapsed period would automatically be renewed for the specified period of the length of time the license is to remain in force.

The current legislation is listed below my amendment.

53 Drivers' licences for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles
(1)

(a) Every licence granted by a district council under the provisions of this Part of this Act and the Town Police Clauses act 1847 to any person to drive a private hire or hackney carriage vehicle shall remain in force indefinitely subject to the conditions of this and any principle acts relating to the enforcement and regulation of said license.

(b) Every drivers license so granted shall suffer no forfeiture on expiry of any specified period of license nor will any driver whose license be deemed to have so expired be subject to a retest of said license and that the licensing commissioner shall without prejudice reactivate any and all licenses set out in section (1.A) for the purpose of renewal under the specified period to which the said licensing authority deems appropriate.

(c) No administrative body shall substitute any additional charge for the processing of such license and any license not granted for the full duration of the normal terms of licensing shall be subject to a pro rata monthly reduction for any period that the said license is disadvantaged.

(d) Not withstanding the provisions in this act or the Public Health Act 1875 and the Town Police Clauses Act 1889, every licence granted by a district council under this act or under the provisions of the Act of 1847 to any person to drive a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle shall remain in force for an optional period given by the licensing authority to the driver of, one, two or three years. from the date the licence is issued or for such lesser period as they may specify in such licence.

Current legislation.

53 Drivers' licences for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles
(1)

(a) Every licence granted by a district council under the provisions of this Part of this Act to any person to drive a private hire vehicle shall remain in force for three years from the date of such licence or for such lesser period as the district council may specify in such licence.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of the Public Health Act 1875 and the Town Police Clauses Act 1889, every licence granted by a district council under the provisions of the Act of 1847 to any person to drive a hackney carriage shall remain in force for three years from the date of such licence or for such lesser period as they may specify in such licence.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of the Act of 1847, a district council may demand and recover for the grant to any person of a licence to drive a hackney carriage, or a private hire vehicle, as the case may be, such a fee as they consider reasonable with a view to recovering the costs of issue and administration and may remit the whole or part of the fee in respect of a private hire vehicle in any case in which they think it appropriate to do so.

(3) The driver of any hackney carriage or of any private hire vehicle licensed by a district council shall at the request of any authorised officer of the council or of any constable produce for inspection his driver's licence either forthwith or— (a) in the case of a request by an authorised officer, at the principal offices of the council before the expiration of the period of five days beginning with the day following that on which the request is made; (b) in the case of a request by a constable, before the expiration of the period aforesaid at any police station which is within the area of the council and is nominated by the driver when the request is made.

(4) If any person without reasonable excuse contravenes the provisions of this section, he shall be guilty of an offence.

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

What about a new CRB check?

I also have some reservations over areas that have grown, or changed in relation to the knowledge aspect.

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IDFIMH

Nothing changes in respect CRB checks because CRB checks are mandatory. That is why the amendment stipulates.

subject to the conditions of this and any principle acts relating to the enforcement and regulation of said license.

All the amendment does is keep the license alive if someone prefers to take a year or two out of being a cabbie.



Off hand I don't know of any areas that fit that description but I suspect if there was such an area then everyone would have to take a retest. I havent heard of anyone taking a retest and considering the Government don't allow zoning anymore then the only time a licensing area could expand is through boundary changes or perhaps two councils merging their licensed areas, such as I understand Adur wanted to do at one time?

However if "everyone" had to resit a knowledge test then all drivers would be in the same boat. The clause doesn't stop a council introducing its own policy on standards it merely stops them inconveniencing a driver who has decided to take a year out by asking them to resit a test which he has already past.

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.