Taxi Driver Online

The Council met last night and decided to go for option D which states they will, "Introduce a number of licenses each year until market forces regulate demand."

They are going to hold an unmet demand survey within the next few weeks to determine what the number will be and then review it in two years time. if there is no demand then they will not issue any more licenses, so it would seem to be a compromise.

It was stated that when deciding the number of new licenses to be issued the mindless drivers who continue to use Duncombe Place rank after 10pm are not doing themselves or anyone else any favours.

Or basically what the law says they should be doing anyway.

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IDFIMH

WTF has that got to do with it?

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IDFIMH

exactly, nothing to do with it, but i am doing myself along with other taxi drivers a favour by trying earning a living, regardless of the closed rank, there are the public arriving there wanting to get home, anyway i got a Minster parking badge for free parking right near the rank

have you any thoughts about what goes on with Streamline taxis down the side of the night club, all night long, hey that street is full of double yellows, but is bunged up with PH day and night, how do they get away with it
hows about all those takeaway shops with vehicles parked on the pavement/double yellows right on the traffic lights , Bootham, Gillygate, Stonebow, outside KFC, nothing seems to be done with those

but then again those places dont have a Best Western manager [Dean Court Hotel] who is doing his best to have the street to himself, and the Council have fallen hook line and sinker to his whims

maybe when the survey starts at least that rank won't be monitored after 2200hrs, which will help towards less cabs being put on

tonight the Heavies from the Parking Management was out and at exactly 2200 they placed themselves at the head of the rank, together with the Enforcement officer

on turning into the rank seeing a bloke walking towards the rank he caught my attention from his expression that he wanted a cab, i pulled up just after the head of the rank , i could see something was going on with the enforcement and parking team, i put my window down, the enforcement officer was telling this member of the public that taxis could no longer pick up on or near near this rank as it was closed

i got out my cab, went across to the enforcement officer and said what are you telling these people, the bloke wanted a cab and made it clear to me he wanted my hire, i called back the bloke and he got in the cab

i told the enforcement officer that you cannot seal off this street to cabs, its wrong what you are doing, maybe we cant use the rank but ply for hire is still legal, the team gave up after half an hour


if you listen in on the grapevine, St Saviorgate taxi rank, its started to get complaints, the Methodist Church [to those who dont know who don't live here, runs along side the taxi rank] have complained about taxi drivers smoking in the open air [public street] you will see from your newsletter from the Council [taxi dept] they are asking taxi drivers to stop smoking as they have been getting complaints

just wait while St Saviorgate residents [, it wont be long,] try and stop the thundering noise of taxis thundering up the street to get to the rank, in the evenings and early morning hours,
it won't be l;ong before all cabs sit outside the walls

Well I hope that the council give the plates to drivers who do not have one at all, and not some of the plate Barron's, it would be better if they stopped licencing PH but alas they cannot.
I hope the unmet demand survey is carried out by a reputable firm and not the toe rags that did it in Edinburgh,
the best way of beating them is hide all the hacks on the day or night so there is a massive Que at the ranks

I still can't work out exactly what York are doing that differs from what the law says is the minimum it should.

http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/display.var ... r_city.php

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IDFIMH

If they have to hold an unmet demand survey to determine what the number will be then they are obviously not in possession of evidence to refuse licenses, therefore anyone wanting a license should apply now and take a chance on the application being refused.

Section 16 Taxi licensing: control of numbers

The provisions of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 with respect to hackney carriages, as incorporated in any enactment (whenever passed), shall have effect—

(a) as if in section 37, the words “such number of” and “as they think fit” were omitted; and

(b) as if they provided that the grant of a licence may be refused, for the purpose of limiting the number of hackney carriages in respect of which licences are granted, if, but only if, the person authorised to grant licences is satisfied that there is no significant demand for the services of hackney carriages (within the area to which the licence would apply) which is unmet.

Regards

JD

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After reading the york press I was amazed to see they allow 10 year old sheds to be licenced as PH, surely now is the time to ask all councils to limit the age of PH cars that they licence, just a thought if they made it 5 years how many would be still on the road. that's the equivalent of 250,000 miles for a 5 year old one

Only if it was new when you put it on. Not all PH (or hacks, for that matter) do 50K miles per year. Vehicle condition should be more important than age.

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

The parking management who came and stood on the taxi rank after it closed didn't have helmets on, sorry, hats, its my belief thay should have had helmets on, sorry again, i ment hats, they wouldn't be legal would they if they had issued tickets

i think its all scare mongery to frighten taxi drivers

to what powers do Enforcement officers have to tell members of the public to go away and find another taxi rank, surely its up to any member of the public to decide where they can stand or wait to find a cab in any street, and can wait where they want for a cab,

a driver has been into the Council to to complain about the rank closing at 2200hrs, his reply from them was, "Its not yet set in stone", so looks like maybe a reprieve

If a person is deemed to have flagged a hack near that rank then there is nothing that the enforcement can do!!

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U

Pete, my understanding is that the Council are thinking of looking at this rank again, perhaps a way forward would be to start a petition and get the backing of the public then write to the council and seek a meeting with them, remember the pen is mightier than the sword.

Pete apart from a street with an open rank if your not first in the que, a hackney carriage may pick up when flag-ed anywhere within its licenced district