Taxi Driver Online

Hands-free radios call for Kirklees taxis

TAXI drivers should be made to use hands-free radios in Huddersfield. That's the plea being made later today by a Kirklees Council Cabinet member in the wake of tough curbs on mobile phones in cars.

Clr Martyn Bolt believes it is wrong that taxi drivers can still use hand-held radio microphones while driving when all other motorists are banned from using mobile phones while they are at the wheel. Now he is taking his case to a meeting of the full council.

He hopes to get all-party backing for his appeal to make Kirklees the first area in the country to implement a full hands-free system for drivers. He wants the hands-free radio system to be fitted in all taxis and private hire cars. He also wants it to be a condition of drivers being granted a licence.

A pilot scheme using the hands-free equipment was tested by Kirklees Council's licensing department several years ago, but was not taken up by taxi firms. Clr Bolt said: "It would cost about £50 to fit the equipment to a taxi. That is nothing compared to the cost of running a vehicle. "How much safer would it be for passengers if the taxi driver ferrying them home was not fiddling with a microphone and the radio controls while at the wheel?

"It needs only a discreet microphone, perhaps mounted on the sunvisor, to make things far safer. "There are at least 1,000 taxis and private hire vehicles in this area which would be much safer if we insisted on a hands-free radio system."

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IDFIMH

Ermmmmm and what about police ambulance staff firemen etc etc etc

how can you justify banning cabbies from using them and not the emergency services and i don't suppose that the councillor stopped for one moment to thing about WHY the government left two way radio equipment OUT of the legislation !

What's the difference between handling a radio mike and a gear-stick?

The thing is when you are mobile you hardly use the bloody thing anyway.

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IDFIMH

I wouldn't want you driving me home, if you don't know the difference between a radio mike and a gearstick.

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Former taxi driver

We have the hands free mics and they are good. Stops the knobheads grabbing your mic and shouting 'Breakker Breaker 19 over' at your controller.

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

The TIT.
Hand held 2 way radio's aren't banned for anyone! So why pick on taxi drivers!

It's rare to use voice anyway these days, only for a query.

How do you make a hands free mike active and how do you make it inactive?

I suspect if Kirklees tried to make it a condition of license someone might challenge it.

Regards

JD

because they arn't hands free at all JD.

You still have to press a button.

Ours all go on the gear stick.

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

Does that answer you question Mr Jimbo?

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IDFIMH