Taxi Driver Online

A message from a concerned TOA driver



I AM yet another driver within TOA Taxis who wishes to voice his disgust at the ongoing shenanigans within this office.

As you are aware, eight of my colleagues have now been dismissed for whistleblowing. As a result of this, all driver protests have ceased for fear of similar repercussions.

After the submission of a report to the licensing committee where the council virtually washes its hands of the matter, the board of TOA now feel invincible and are disabling drivers’ systems, bullying and threatening drivers with dismissal at every turn.

Read between the lines and you will see that all the driver concerns of recent months are coming true.

The board members of TOA have now admitted they are in fact privatising this association so that they, the 22, can benefit financially, to the detriment of all the drivers who make this association function. Speak up against this and you will be victimised or dismissed.

Now that the association is to be privatised, the penny appears to have finally dropped that they need a new West Dunbartonshire Council taxi booking office licence to operate legally.

The terms of this, as with any formal licence application sought from WDC and the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, is that they are required to post notice to the general public for a period of 21 days to allow any reasonable objection to be submitted.

Given that the TOA members feel they are beyond question and reproach from the council’s licensing committee, their drivers, and the general public, did they even think to post notification of their licence application?

No, they didn’t. Their arrogance and defiance of the law continues. Late afternoon on Tuesday, February 8, such a notice did appear – but was placed 10 inches high in their window giving any member of the public walking by little chance of viewing.

Around 10am on Friday, February 11, this notification was removed. What do they have to hide?

I therefore take this opportunity, as a concerned driver and member of this community, to ask the people of Dumbarton and Alexandria to write to the head of legal services at West Dunbartonshire Council objecting to TOA as not being fit and proper to receive a second taxi booking office licence.

My concerns, and those of over 100 of my colleagues, are that in allowing TOA this option, it means the door is open to organised criminals to become shareholders in TOA.

Name and address supplied and withheld on request

http://www.lennoxherald.co.uk/comment/

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

Who or what is TOA Taxis????

supposedley a co-operative?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

It'll be an abbreviation of Taxi Owners Association. One that each driver may have had a share in, until recently it seems. If the 22 man committee can sell a company of over 100 members without their say, I'd be [edited by admin] off too. There's something far wrong with what's going on, and I don't think the council will be the ones to resolve it. I'd be contacting the FSA, if it's an Industrial and Provident Society or Companies House if it's incorporated through them.

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My heart is heavy, but my consience clear,
I voted Yes, without any fear.

Owners own, drivers are just the slaves that come with their licence.

The drivers should just get their own licence and be masters of their own destinies.

Where would these owners be without their drivers?

I haven't checked yet, but we can assume this a restricted area

I think they are more than 22 owners in the company. therefore more than just drivers are being [edited by admin] on from a great height.

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My heart is heavy, but my consience clear,
I voted Yes, without any fear.

It's just another case of rats feeding on rats.