Taxi Driver Online

Good to know they can help with legal advice in the event of 'Hair Ruined by the Hairdresser'

yes all this for a quid membership, surprised they haven't got listed "over charged by a licenced cab, ring this number"
I wonder if they can sort out some of our legal taxi problems

Interesting - they have a whole page pointing out that they aren't a taxi firm, which I suppose is quite impressive, but on the other hand they say they are licensed as PH, while they are in fact trying not to be licensed at all:

http://www.pinkladiesmembers.co.uk/pink ... -taxis.php

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

I suppose their defence is things like this, and when it comes down to it it's very difficult to refute it:



http://www.pinkladiesmembers.co.uk/safety.php

But I'm inclined to agree with Sussex - I would give it a couple of years at most.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Maybe you should send them a copy of the recent story from Ayrshire that shows the problems that can arise, which I repeat again below for good measure.

Plus there are safety concerns with drivers fiddling with sat-nav equipment.

TURN LEFT THEN NEXT ROUNDABOUT NORMAL FARE..

A STUDENT is being taken to court for failing to pay a £25 taxi fare - after the driver's sat nav took them on a wild goose chase. Heather McCartney's journey should have cost just £5 but the fare soared to £24.80.

The 21-year-old now fears her dreams of working in the US are in tatters if she is convicted of fraud. Furious Heather said: "I've since offered to pay and can't believe it has got this far."

The fare farce happened after Heather was rushed to hospital after suffering an asthma attack. She decided to go to her cousin's house after getting the all-clear - but got one letter wrong when spelling the address to taxi driver Shaun Granger, so his satellite navigation system could not recognise it. Instead of looking for Lorien Court, Heathfield, Ayr, he spent ages trying to hunt for Loren Court.

Heather, of Girvan, said: "The doctor said it would cost about £5 to get to Heathfield. To be fair, I thought the address was Loren Court - but I told him it was in Heathfield and near a park. He couldn't find it and we went round in circles. He eventually drove me back to the hospital, where we found out it was Lorien Court.

"By the time he finally found it we had been driving around for half an hour and the fare was £24.80. "I said I didn't have that. I searched the house but couldn't find cash. "The taxi driver drove away while I was searching and called the police."

Heather - who studies computer animation at Paisley University - was charged for failing to pay the fare on November 20 and appeared at Ayr District Court last week.

She pleaded not guilty to obtaining the hire without paying or intending to pay. Last night her solicitor Peter Lockhart said: "My client has written to the court explaining she is willing to pay and I will be in negotiation with the Crown to see if the matter might be dropped.

"If she has a conviction for fraud she will not be allowed entry to the US, which is a hefty price to pay for something which was not her fault."

Mr Granger, of Prestwick, who drives a hackney for Ayr Black Cabs, refused to comment. Ayr Black Cabs said: "We know nothing about this. Cars are owned by individual drivers, so this is something that would not necessarily come to our attention."

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Just say you are right and the council offer them a restricted license.

Exactly how big a market, in your manor, is the ladies only club one?

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IDFIMH

Could be right, but other a handful in London, exactly where are they working?

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IDFIMH

so in theory I could buy a black car with satnav, get an office, find a couple of drivers and set up with members only without the council interfering, lets say membership for men only under 5ft tall who don't have a drink problem, and call my firm whot, oh dear back to the drawing board

Well I think that's what those behind the pinkies hope and pray.

But I'm 100% certain they will fail either legally or financially.

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IDFIMH

the implications for the restricted licence are bigger because if the pink ladies succeed and the council allows this then they will have to do the same witth anyone who applies for a taxi/ph badge male or female as long as they are equiped with a sat nav which basicly means the flood gates will open and the trade here will see large increase of drivers all be it, it will affect the ph trade here more than the hac with more drivers on the various systems the ph guys who spent the time learning the town will lose out and the companies reps will get even worse with the increase of enevitalbe cockups this will bring

The WTDA is going to propose to the council that they split the combined ph/hac badge and have seperate badges for each and don't allow restricted hac badges as this would cripple an already screwed up hac trade in the town.

That could only happen for new drivers, not existing, and with dereg around the corner it wont matter.

Oh yea and they'll do that wont they




oooooooooooooo, a pig's just flown accross my screen

That's a point I hadn't realised i.e. dual licenses.

One would assume that they will only apply for and get a restricted PH license.

But I'm still 100% certain that the business case is never going to work.

Only time will tell.

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IDFIMH

Has this franchise group in Carlisle presented a business blueprint to the council yet? If they have, at what stage are you at and do you have any idea of the future timetable of events?

By the way, I did mention on TDO on the 4th May that their solicitor advised me they would be relying on the Pitts case.

Regards

JD

There is nothing in the 1976 act which specificaly states a knowledge test must be taken in order to obtain a Private hire driver license. However as per usual the council may be working from their own byelaws or this particular section of the 1976 act.

A district council may attach to the grant of a licence under this section such conditions as they may consider reasonably necessary.

Perhaps someone in Warrington can email the licensing department on Tuesday and ask them which specific section of the 1976 LGMPA part 2 states a knowledge test must be undertaken before a Private hire drivers license is granted.

The ideal scenario would be two types of driver licenses. Either a dual license enabling a person to drive under both codes of legislation, subject to a street knowledge test and a single private hire license which need not be subject to the same test. My own personal views on this matter are not important and I make the observation based on currrent legislation. In the abscence of any byelaw It would appear to me that the council is relying on section 51.2 of the 1976 act but the sooner we get confirmation the better.

51 Licensing of drivers of private hire vehicles (1) Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, a district council shall, on the receipt of an application from any person for the grant to that person of a licence to drive private hire vehicles, grant to that person a driver's licence:

Provided that a district council shall not grant a licence—

(a) unless they are satisfied that the applicant is a fit and proper person to
hold a driver's licence; or

[(b) to any person who has not for at least twelve months been authorised
to drive a motor car, or is not at the date of the application for a driver's licence so authorised].

[(1B) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section a person is authorised to drive a motor car if—

(a) he holds a licence granted under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988
(not being a provisional licence) authorising him to drive a motor car, or

(b) he is authorised by virtue of section 99A(1) [or section 109(1)] of that
Act to drive in Great Britain a motor car.]

(2) A district council may attach to the grant of a licence under this section such conditions as they may consider reasonably necessary.

Regards

JD