Taxi Driver Online

Fed-up cabbies call for clampdown

Fed-up cabbies in Northampton have signed a petition protesting against private hire drivers illegally plying for trade. The Hackney cab operators say their trade is suffering and out of the 140 taxi drivers in the town, 110 have signed the petition.

Yesterday they vented their anger during a meeting of taxi drivers, Northamptonshire Police and the borough council. Private hire drivers are banned by law from picking up passengers who hail a car. If they do pick up customers this way the driver is not insured for the journey.

Cabbies say their trade is being severely affected – and fear those private hire drivers who are breaking the law are putting the public's safety at risk. Cabbie Marc Blundred represented taxi drivers at the meeting with police and Northampton Borough Council, at which the private hire issue was discussed.

Mr Blundred said the situation with private hire drivers was affecting the amount of money taxi drivers are making. He said: "Private hire drivers working illegally stops passengers getting into taxis. "I haven't made a profit since December.

"These people are taking the food out of our mouths. "We need to raise public awareness. "These drivers are happy to drive without insurance. They have no contractual agreements when they illegally ply for trade so they can charge whatever they like. "We're losing trade to people who operate illegally. "There is total acceptance from all drivers. It's beyond frustrating."

The petition states: "In the current economic downturn, there has been a massive increase in the brazen attitudes of a large proportion of private hire drivers (in plying illegally for trade]. "It has become common practice for fleets of private hire vehicles to illegally rank in areas of the town centre..."

The cabbies now hope to raise public awareness, so that passengers don't put themselves at risk. Insp Dave Rayfield, of Northamptonshire Police, said: "We are aware of the issues and are formulating plans to tackle them.

"To that end, we are working in partnership with both the Hackney cab operators and the private hire companies, and also the licensing authority at Northampton Borough Council, to ensure that the rules and regulations are being adhered to."

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IDFIMH

I have pointed out to passengers on numerous occasions that if they get into a PH vehicle without booking it first the drivers insurance is invalid. The reply is usually "yeah I've heard that before but at the end of the night you just wanna get home". It's not they even want to save money they are quite happy to pay over the odds to get home. Go figure

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Joe public don't give a fig roll who is HC or PH they are clueless. A taxi is a vehicle to get home in. The government & all councils should abolish privatehire. All Taxis should be black with the word TAXI on the roof, its idiot proof. All drivers could then rank, or do phone work or kerbcrawl.

I've always been a fan of getting rid of PH taxis and just having all vehicles as HC's. I'm not bothered if the vehicles has to be black but I wouldn't want a WAV or purpose built vehicle and I don't think I'm alone in that. It's not about the cost of the vehicle either it's just preference.

I wouldn't want to kerbcrawl either that's a bit wierd

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

In many areas that's called delimitation.

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IDFIMH

We are bad bad bad People us PH...

Pleaseeeeee!! Dont tar all PH with the same brush, theres a rogue element to every trade and in these instances this rogue influence is compounded by poor council enforcement of the rules.

If all vehicles were Taxis the people in the taxi trade would probably suffer more due to a five fold increase increase in taxi numbers and a five fold increase in their competition.

There is nothing wrong in PH, the only thing thats wrong as always is the attitudes of some poorly motivated councils in clearing up the rogue traders...still, after 5pm weekdays what council employee is going to give a stuff, their jobs just a fastrak to a chunky pension and a safe weekly wage, no motivation to rock the boat or create extra work when their week is done.

Sorry I've got to disagree with you bloodnock. The competition is already there for HC it's called PH. It would make things so much simplier if it was all the same as far as taxis were concerned. Leave PH to the Fun buses, Mini buses, Limos etc

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Well...Seeing as its you ...your disagreement is much appreciated ..

I should of said cobbling, bit of a slip
I have to agree Toots but I would go further and say its the cost [twice as much] & extra fuel etc. I think its also a lack of choice, either a van or a TX.

so im ok then?....

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

I propose a whole new system

"Passenger Carrying vehicle Class 2" (as opposed to D/D1 buses/coaches)

Able to take flag downs, rank work, must have a meter and "For Hire" roof sign

25% to be WAVs, all to be Black.

To be monitored/tested/regulated by VOSA

LOs to be reduced to issuing badges only

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

It won't work, there isn't rank space to do it, wait until you've experienced marshall's waving you on cos the rank is full, after two or three attempts it becomes very demoralising.

Anyway if you abolish PH whose gonna pick ppl up who aren't stood on a main road, there's a need for both, but both should operate as they were intended.

Illegal pickups has gone on forever, difference now is that where 5% of drivers used to do it it's now 60%+ and it shows up, we've got a few going to court but it's been adjourned because the accused parties can't speak English, how so I thought it was part of the test and if they can't how can they understand where a punter is asking for and above all else how do they ask for the fare at the end of it


One word defines it all....Blatant.

I'll second that emotion!

I can feel a song coming on Apart from that I think it's a good idea

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!