Cash-strapped cabbies are furious they will have to bankroll a scheme to take more dangerous and unlicensed drivers off the road.
With a chronic dip in trade, and regular hikes in licence fees and driver numbers, Cheltenham Borough's 510 taxi operators are anxious they're being driven out of business.
Though many agree with the aims of the scheme - which was given the nod at a meeting of the borough council's licensing committee last Friday - the prospect of an extra £20-£30 being added to the licence fee is wholly unwelcome.
The project was put together after a number of shortcomings were identified in the current system.
The initiative aims to improve passenger safety by:
■ Ensuring all drivers possess a valid licence
■ Detecting the issue of multiple licences
■ Rooting out high-risk offenders
To do this, new licence plates will be pressed every year, re-designed ID badges issued, and annual DVLA checks carried out via an electronic database.
Although drivers are already subject to a number of stringent tests – including enhanced CRB checks and medicals – fears persist some unsuitable types are still worming their way into the profession.
To put a halt to that, the borough council will use the Intelligent Data System, which has revealed in other parts of the UK that one in 37 people driving taxis have been disqualified, had their licence revoked or failed to renew an expired one.
The borough council's licensing committee report said: "Several shortcomings have been identified in the current system.
"Because inspections of DVLA licences are being done annually, we have on several occasions not known about expired licences or additional points/endorsements until the next inspection. Furthermore the current procedure does not have any safeguarding mechanism against fake, forged, or duplicate licences."
The cost of each check will be £8.25, while the price of buying a new licence plate has been set at £15.
It is thought the extra charges will be incorporated into the licence fee from April.
Taxi driver Brian Higgins said: "I strongly object to all the proposals.
"Due to the current state of the economy there's not enough work to cover costs as it is, so the additional costs would have a detrimental effect."
Fellow driver Alan Wilsdon said: "I have been a private hire driver for over six years and have seen income decrease while expenses increase.
"Though I accept that the cost for the DVLA check is reasonable I'm less convinced about the introduction of new plates every year."
Addressing the committee, council officer Trevor Gladding was adamant the scheme would benefit everybody.
He said: "We realise these are difficult times out there.
"But we also have a duty to the public and the council to make sure things are dealt with properly.
"In addition it would stop council staff wasting hours and hours of valuable time chasing up and checking on taxi drivers' licences."
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/gloucestershireheadlines/Crackdown-unlicensed-Cheltenham-taxi-drivers/article-1493776-detail/article.html
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