Taxi Driver Online

A mediation meeting to calm tensions between Wokingham’s taxi drivers has been put on ice.

British Transport Police (BTP) had tried to play peacemaker by organising a gathering of taxi drivers and staff from Wokingham railway station.

The meeting, which has been postponed, was designed to be an opportunity for both groups to get together with Wokingham Borough Council’s licensing team and discuss a better way of working.

Wokingham’s biggest taxi rank is outside station and one driver said at times friction exists between drivers.

Imran Hussein, who has been based at the rank for 10 years, said: “There is quite a bit of squabbling between the various drivers and problems have been escalating at the station.

“South West Trains owns the rank and we have been asking for a lot of things.

“There has been vandalism of the station toilets so they are often closed if there is only one member of staff but that means the drivers have nowhere to go.

“British Transport Police asked for a meeting.”

Members of staff from the council’s licensing department are trying to liaise with drivers to improve relations between them.

Mr Hussein added: “The licence to be on the rank costs £20,000 between the 50 drivers but there are too many taxis.

“Including private hire, there are 370 taxis in the borough and it means that with the closure of night-time places like Chameleon nightclub and the Duke’s Head pub there aren’t enough jobs to go around.

“The drivers are fractured and because they are sitting at the rank for long stretches of time, they sit around arguing.”

He added: “There needs to be a limit on the number of drivers [waiting at the rank] and that’s something we would want to discuss at the meeting.

“We are earning about £5 an hour at the moment because the rank is so quiet.”

A recent court case involving a driver who ran over a man’s foot outside the railway station was dismissed at Bracknell Magistrates’ Court on Monday, April 11, but Mr Hussein said it had caused consternation between drivers.

He added: “So far the meetings with the council have not made very much progress but I hope the planned CabWatch scheme gets going and things improve.”

source: http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/news/

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

What's he dripping about?? It's the same here as it is in most places up and down the land
If he doesn't like it why not go back to his homeland and see if he likes it there!!?

What's he dripping about?? It's the same here as it is in most places up and down the land
If he doesn't like it why not go back to his homeland and see if he likes it there!!?

Shhhhhhhh...or Gordon Brown may brand you a Bigot..

In this case he would be right.

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Grandad,

Would have to agree.

CC

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

Im not sure he is right....a freedom to an opinion should be a fundamental right...regardless of what side of the fence you are sitting on.

What has all this got to do with the station operator?

Not sure mediation is needed, but some sort of enforcement definitely is.

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IDFIMH

Not so much a bigot more a realist......

Or having the b888s to say what most people are thinking.

Thankyou