Taxi Driver Online

Read the article here:

http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/court.htm

Discuss the issues below!

The DSA issue has been discussed many times, but is it really asking much for a professional driver to pass a professional test.

The more some drivers fight it, the more worried we should be as to why they don't want it.

As for why we should have it, well how much has your insurance gone up in the last 5 or 6 years?

This is the reason why we need things like the dsa test.
I wish they had one to check tax and the like.
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/ ... kdown.html

After passing the dsa test (reluctantly), all i can say is, i have already passed a test to drive a particular type of vehicle,(a car), like a bus driver takes a test to drive a particular type of vehicle(a bus), why should a mans livelihood and maybe his home,( if he has a new car on finance, how can he pay for that if he cant get his badges, because he failed his test?) be put at risk if he has bad nerves on the day of the test, or if he makes a mistake? That man might have a wife and kids to feed, and DARLINGTON BOROUGH COUNCIL want to put him on the dole, because all they are bothered about, is getting people to use public transport (ie: buses) they dont care about taxis.
Like the new bus that was supposed to start from the station to the airport,that is being subsidised by Darlington tax payers, that maybe 2 people will use in a week!
Another waste of taxpayers money.
I work from Darlington Station and in all the time i have been there, i think i have had 3 fares to the airport in two years!

Simon, our Council are in the process of putting buses on at weekends, we learnt last week thet the Council are putting Taxi fairs up double as from September, this is to entice people onto the buses and kill the Taxi trade.

I f you are saying that Darlington council are making current taxi drivers take the test you should point out that current drivers are entitled to renew thier licenses, under the same conditions as thier present licenses that is a fact.

there is a difference between new applicants and renewals, you should not be talking to us but Kearns and co solicitors.

your council are wrong in law/

I can see both sides of the argument here. I have real trouble finding full time drivers for my vehicles and would welcome the driving test for any new applicants after all if they are not known in the area how do you know how safe they are. But I can also understand the frustration of the long term drivers who have had blemish free careers for many years. Our fares here in the Dover District are pretty low, a new less than three year rule is in force, the cost of the CRB check has risen, so how do you make a living.
We have asked that the DSA test be only for new applicants and those who are seen to offend. I personally am not against it in principal but in our area unless a huge price increase is enforced to enable us to show some profit I believe that we will soon have a shortage of any type of Taxi Driver.

I do understand where you are coming from, but I disagree with you.
A council must decide if we are fit and proper to drive a cab now, not when you passed your DVLA test.
In the same way if you did a knowledge test 20 years ago, yet left the trade 10 years ago, you couldn't say to your council when re-applying that as you have done it a long time ago, you needn't now.
The same applies to medicals. We all do one when starting, but are you saying that we needn't have one when we become 50, 60, 70, just becaue we have had one before.
In short if we don't need any extra tests or checks, then why do we bother with licensing?

Councils can only put up fares if the drivers ask for them to be put up.

And we did, we asked for £2.20 kick off Tarrif 2 but the Council want £3.00, it's to put people off so they use the buses.

Then I would, along with your mates, object when it comes to committee.
Don't forget though that your fares are the maximum you can charge. So if you want still keep your existing rates, or set them to the rate you want provided it's less than the council's maximum.
If the council don't like it, then complain to the OFT.

We objected to it but they seem hell bent on getting it through.

So when does Tarrif 2 kick in?

And you would rather collect £2.20 than £3.00 for taking drunks home late at night?

You really think buses are going to reduce the demand at night by more than the 36% you want to surpress the fares.

You are bright Nidge.

_________________
A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

RAOTFLMFHO.

Tariff 2 kicks in at 12, try getting £3.00 off a Mansfield knuckle dragger who's drugged up and looking for a fight who's going round the corner, this is why we objected to it. We have many PH companies in Mansfield who charge less than half what the HC charge, for instance a trip to Nottingham in a HC is £19-£20 depending on where in Nottingham you go, a PH will charge £10-£11. The HC prices in Mansfield are among the lowest in the UK, people moan when it's £3.00 kick up at Christmas, what are they going to do on a normal night through the year? As you might know our Council are hell bent on getting these buses started, that's why they want a big kick up on fares so people are put off getting Taxis so pushing them to wards the buses, the whole trade has rejected the Councils proposal sighting that higher fares will not solve the problems of getting drivers out at night and getting people home faster. So yes Tom I am bright and thank you for pointing that out.