Taxi Driver Online

Hi.
If anyone has got time to flick through the following it would be great.

Particulary need help stopping the council bringing in two town tests after 5 years and 3 after 10. yeap 3.
Also the point system they want to adopt. As far a I am aware it cannot be brought in as they are not a legal body as such. dunno???

This is the link. The draft is highlighted pdf link just below middle of page

http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Transport/Travel/Taxis/

Cheers

Juls

To be honest after a quick glance at the proposals it would appear that practically everyone who subscribes to this site already work under those conditions and some are a lot stricter.

A council by law can apply up to three tests a year but if you and your colleagues don't want that then you are going to have to convince the council that this policy is unreasonable. If that fails you can always go for a judicial review.

Another point is that a lot of people on here advocate what we call "quality controls" and to be honest these new conditions are probably being implemented in order to bring the level of entry to a higher standard.

Here are some of the basics plucked from that report.
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12. The Licensing Authority has no limitation policy for the number of hackney carriages which may be licensed within the North Somerset Council area. This does not imply that there is to be no regulation of hackney carriages, as the Licensing Authority intends that quality controls shall be rigorously maintained in relation to both vehicles and drivers.

13. Before North Somerset Council shall consider licensing a vehicle for the first time it shall meet the vehicle specification set out in Appendix A.

14. The Licensing Authority shall not grant first time vehicle licences for vehicles older than 5 years from the date of first registration of the vehicle. This provision shall not apply to non-motorised vehicles and special categories of vehicles detailed at Appendix A.

15. Conditions shall be applied to vehicle licences granted by North Somerset Council. The agreed standard conditions are shown at the following appendices:
Appendix B – hackney carriages
Appendix C – private hire vehicles
Appendix D – conditions applicable to horse drawn vehicles
Appendix E – additional conditions for stretched limousines

16. A licensed vehicle shall be tested once per year until it is 5 years old. Vehicles older than 5 years of age shall be tested twice per year.

17. The vehicle test shall take place at a garage approved by North Somerset Council, and shall be conducted against the vehicle inspection manual, which is a separate document supplementing this policy. The test shall also include all the elements of a Ministry of Transport (MOT) Vehicle Test.

18. The council operates a Certificate of Compliance scheme in lieu of the MOT vehicle certification scheme and all licensed vehicles are required to hold a valid North Somerset Council Certificate of Compliance.

19. Detailed provisions as to permitted vehicle markings which relate to the proprietor’s business and commercial advertising on licensed vehicles is shown at Appendix F.

20. The council has made byelaws in relation to hackney carriages and these are shown at Appendix G.

21. In relation to hackney carriages the council has decided that all vehicles shall be fitted with calendar controlled taximeters of a type that has been approved by the London Public Carriage Office.

22. With effect from 1 April 2008 the dual plating of North Somerset licensed vehicles with other council areas shall not be allowed. If a North Somerset licensed vehicle is found to be licensed by another authority, the North Somerset licence will be revoked.

23. Vehicles that fall into category A or B insurance losses will not be licensed other than in exceptional circumstances. No vehicle will be licensed as either a hackney carriage or a private hire vehicle where a condition report obtained from an approved organisation indicates that the vehicle has been previously classified as a category C, D or F insurance loss, unless a Motor Vehicle Repairers Association (MRVA) inspector appointed by the council indicates that the vehicle is safe to be licensed. The cost of the MVRA inspection report and any subsequent re-assessment must be met by the applicant. The council will conduct its own insurance history checks on vehicles and bear the cost of the same.

24 Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licences shall be issued for a period of one year.
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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.

Cheers for the bad news lol.

To be fair the problem really is not the council and them trying to bring this in it is the F"£c"£ING PRIVATE HIRE COMPANIES.
They run at STUPID STUPID rate (less than the lowest hack in the country) do not care how many cars they take on. Encourge drivers to take hack for the hell of it....... Bully the drivers so they are scared to stand up to them in case they cannot work.

Pityfull situation. If all the drivers did get together properly they could sort it out!!! so annoying.... There is only a couple of good ph companies left in the district now that try and run it fair!!!

AHH!!!! "pulls hair out"

Thanks anyway

One thing what you reckon to the points thing can that be brought in?
Ie WHAT DEAMS A "dirty car" Just be down farm track mud on vehicle all up sides??? 3 points because some council offical see your car covered in mud after doing a job like that. And belive me we have loads of dirt track roads round here.

Cheers

Juls

After reading it all, I am extremely surprised by the internal measurements that they have thought up, so I retrieved my tape measure and checked mine and my daughters car and the 29 inches from the back of the rear seat to the back of the front is imposable in the back, and only just manageable in the front if the front seats are pushed right back.
So thats a KIA Caren's out and a Vauxhall vectra 05 plate, my wife's car a Skoda Superb did manage all of them.
If they implement those measurements there are going to be loads of cabs and PH off the road.
I wonder if these councilors mothers know they are out

Another licensing officer who doesn't know the rules.

There is no, I repeat NO obligation on the part of your council to comply with anything in the DDA Act with regards accessible vehicles from 2010.

This part of the act has never been brought in.

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

And more of this side loading rubbish.

Why all these specific measurements about headroom etc but not be more specific on blacked out windows.

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

It looks like your PH should have meters fitted like most of the country, and be forced to have them on from A to B
and if they where also forced to put on vehicles no more than 3 years old when first licenced that may clean them up as well
Some of the rules they have drafted went out with the dark ages and have been dropped by nearly every council in the land

Whether it be a points system or just a warning system there is no statutory right for a third party determination to rule on whether the committee was right or wrong to place a warning on your record that will count against you.

A points system is just another name for a caution, for example instead of getting a caution for not wearing your badge alternately you're given points.

In effect I suppose a council can issue you with points because their position is that issuing points is the same as giving a caution or a warning. However if your license is suspended it should be worth pointing out that there is no provision in law for such a penalty system in respect of Taxi legislation, therefore the court might well disregard the points system and judge you on the item that you are being suspended for?

I notice there is no provision in these proposals for taxi driver safety. I think you should bring that to the attention of the LO and councillors, before these regulations are passed.

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.