Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers raise safety concerns over rogue firms

TAXI drivers in Bournemouth say passengers are being put at risk by rogue operators. A group of drivers for United Taxis say that cars from outside the borough are hijacking their pick-ups by collecting passengers that have booked with them.

They say the problem is with private hire cars, which must be booked in advance – if a passenger gets in a private hire car that hasn’t been booked they will not be insured.

Driver Duncan Craig said: “It’s a public safety issue. If a guy is prepared to break the law to pick people up illegally, what else is he prepared to do? “These companies are taking off their door signs and posing as if they’re us. There’s plenty that are legitimate, but some are out of control.

“We’re turning up for a job and seeing them move off. It’s the same guys operating every Friday and Saturday night. “They know they can get away with it because it’s not being policed.

“If you pick up a passenger that you’ve not got a booking for, the passenger will not be insured. It also costs us a lot of money because we will be waiting for a job for half an hour sometimes. “If the driver has a crash, passengers haven’t got a leg to stand on, they can’t sue the insurance company because they’re not insured.”

Duncan will be making a deputation at a council licensing board meeting tomorrow. He has already spoken to licensing bosses, but he says he was told the council could not afford to police the problem. Fellow driver Richard Elsam added: “It’s a matter of public protection.”

Keith Evans, licensing officer at Bournemouth Borough Council, said: “A group of taxi drivers came to the Town Hall on Monday to alert me to this issue. I am aware that they will be making a deputation to the licensing board on Thursday, who will of course listen to and consider these concerns.”

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IDFIMH

The lads have called off their protest.

However the last sentence of this article just about sums everything up.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/8 ... w_protest/

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IDFIMH

Thats not right surely, I thought the customer was always covered by the Vehicles insurance and that it would be only the vehicle which would not be paid out on in the event of an accident whilst being used for something other than PH work or Social and domestic use....

This is something that taxi drivers have dreamt up to try and help their case. You are correct in saying that the passengers will be insured. The vehicle and driver will not be covered.

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Grandad,

The cover is below that legally required.
http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/vie ... php?t=6593

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Of course it is but the passengers will still be covered. So it is wrong to claim that they aren't. It would be correct to say that the driver and vehicle are not insured.

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Grandad,