Taxi Driver Online

This is going well. 'Error on a spreadsheet', appropriately enough

(Several previous threads on this, but last one was the rooflights off PHVs one, so probably better to start a new one )


'Substantial' number of missed consultations sees North Northants taxi 'de-zoning' meeting cancelled

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/ne ... ed-4545103

The meeting was to discuss the findings of a public consultation

A crunch meeting to discuss the de-zoning of local hackney cab services has had to be abandoned after consultation documents were found to have been missed out of the report due to be heard.

But no sooner as councillors on the North Northants Council Licensing and Appeals Committee and members of the public gathered to hear findings of the report, the meeting closed.

Dozens had gathered to hear the findings of a 12-week consultation on proposals to ‘de-zone’ the area, a move that could see the four legacy boroughs brought under the same rules.

It means cabbies would only need to get one licence to operate, rather than four separate licences, but that they would have to sit a ‘knowledge’ test for the whole of North Northamptonshire.

Cllr Jonathan Ekins (Con, Finedon), committee chairman, said: “Unfortunately it’s come to our attention later this afternoon that a number of consultation responses filed by members of the public and the hackney carriage trade have not been included in the report as published.

“To ensure that proper consideration is given to all responses, I have decided as chair that this meeting cannot go ahead.”

A legal representative said: “It is an unfortunate position the committee finds itself in this evening. The absence of the responses presents a significant risk that any decision made without the opportunity to give them due consideration would likely be subject to challenge. The prospects to the success of a challenge would be ‘highly likely’.”

Cllr Ekins described the amount of consultees missed off as a ‘substantial number’ covering a broad range and the meeting would have to be cancelled to allow a new report to be written and so people could be ‘fairly heard’.

He added there had been ‘an error on a spreadsheet’ that had led to the comments being missed.

Results of the consultation had showed 94 per cent of responses were against the proposal.

Cllr Lyn Buckingham (Lab, Lloyds) said: “We need to know why this has happened, it’s really disappointing and unacceptable.”

The new meeting will now be held on Thursday, March 21 at 7pm at Corby Cube.

Literally I don't suppose that's incorrect, but I doubt if any drivers were actually using four different licences to operate across all four former council areas, as the above seems to suggest

so the knowledge tests for the single badge would mean the drivers would have to learn

Corby
kettering
Wellingborough
Rushden
Raunds
oundle
Desborough
Rothwell
irthlingborough
higham ferrers

that's 10 different towns (Albeit 5 are smaller towns with desborough & rothwell effectively one conurbation) and probably more streets than most major cities

plus know the locations of around 100 different villages

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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It certainly looks a lot more onerous on paper, Edders. But what's the betting that if it does all happen then the depth of knowledge required won't be the same as previously.

Thus more quantity in terms of area, but less quality as regards depth and detail. Or something like that...

but what's wrong with having 4 zones with the drivers being more specialised it's worked ok for the last 50 odd years ?

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Well I certainly never said there was anything wrong with the previous system Edders, for the avoidance of doubt (and I've made my views known often enough on the fare amalgamation issue in particular).

Just making the observation that, contrary to how the trade will portray it, I suspect that despite any new 'knowledge' covering a significantly greater geographical area, it won't necessarily be significantly more difficult to pass the test in terms of study time, or whatever.

It would be more a case of rebalancing the quality/quantity trade-off, I'd guess

Because drivers should be able to work where they want within their licensing authority.

Nothing stopping them from staying in those areas where they have worked previously, but if there is more work elsewhere in their licensing authority why shouldn't they be able to fill their boots?

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IDFIMH

The next installment...

But a wee bit more meat on the bones about how the new knowledge test would work - unsurprisingly, it's looking like it'll be watered down in terms of detail, but would cover the bigger area of the four ex-council zones. Who'd have expected that, despite previous claims from the trade that the knowledge would stay the same in terms of detail, but would cover four times the area?

But there's also the same BS about the amalgamation meaning that drivers will only need to licence in one area rather than all four

I've included the three photos that the Northants Telegraph has used. Not because they're particularly interesting, but because they're a bit...


Taxi ‘de-zoning’ in North Northamptonshire opposed by cab drivers

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/ne ... rs-4613568

Cabbies have spoken out against the proposal


Image: Northants Telegraph

Taxi drivers across North Northamptonshire have spoken out against the council’s plans to ‘de-zone’, with cabbies overwhelmingly disagreeing with proposals.

Plans to bring the four legacy boroughs of Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough and East Northants under one unitary set of rules have been branded a ‘blind ambition’ by a frustrated member of the trade.

Harmonising the zones would mean that drivers would only need to apply for one licence to cover the whole of North Northants and with it would come a new all-encompassing knowledge test and freedom to pick up customers in all zones.

North Northants Council (NNC) held a consultation on the proposal to remove the four separate licences at the end of last year with cabbies across the county taking part.

Of the 168 responses received that clarified their opinion on the plans, 110 drivers disagreed or strongly disagreed and just 52 agreed or strongly agreed- the rest were uncertain.

At a Place and Environment Scrutiny Committee held by NNC on April 30, disgruntled cabbies attended to voice their opinions on the potential legislation.

One taxi driver said: “I’ve spoken at many meetings about the issues that the council created with a blind ambition to harmonise all services at all costs.


Image: Northants Telegraph

“Myself and others have tried to explain the complex nature of our industry and how these changes will not only impact taxi operators but could also impact others due to the lack of drivers available.

“You’re discussing the merger of zones, but one of the key points in it is the merger of the new knowledge test to include the whole of North Northamptonshire.

“If you don’t start listening to us, you’re going to see the demise of the hackney trade across North Northamptonshire.”

Instead of sitting a test on their ‘home’ area, all drivers will have to take an exam assessing their knowledge of the entire county - an area covering 382 square miles.

NNC said the new test - which has not yet been finalised - will consist of a mix of knowledge of key places across the county, such as train stations and town centres, and also being able to use a satnav to get to other locations.

Another cabbie said at the meeting: “I would suggest to all of you if you’re going to any other town, city or anywhere else in the country, and you get into a black cab and you tell them where you want to go you don’t expect them to put it into a satnav.

“The knowledge test at the moment says the following - English knowledge proficiency, general knowledge of local locations, driver and vehicle conditions, highway code, basic arithmetic.

“This is fundamentally what you would expect from a black cab - a detailed knowledge of the local area by zone, route planning and byelaws.

"We need to know where we’re going.

“For the geographical area to know all of that is impossible.

"It is in the interest of all parties that we work in our own local areas and the zones be retained.”


Image: Northants Telegraph

NNC maintains that the de-zoning will allow businesses who want to trade across the whole of North Northamptonshire to be able to, without applying for four separate licenses.

It added that it is a ‘personal decision’ for drivers and that if somebody wants to stay in their original zone they have every right to.

However, the same county-wide knowledge test must be taken regardless of the drivers’ intentions for where they work.

Iain Smith, assistant director of regulatory services, said: “We do need to make sure that we set the test at the right level which effectively reflects what’s required in a modern test, the increased size of North Northants as an area and the key locations that people would need to know.

“It’s not in anyone’s interest for us to set the bar in relation to this geographical knowledge test so high that people can’t meet that.”

The scrutiny committee recommended that the report be taken to the executive for their next meeting at the beginning of June to make a decision on the de-zoning.

A recommendation was also put forward for officers to conduct a consultation on the relevant tests and ensure that it is ready simultaneously with the introduction of any single zone scheme that comes in.

so no further forward then by the sounds of it.

Considering this article is supposed to be about the merger of 4 districts why have they printed 3 similar pictures of the new town centre rank in Corby (after the revamp of the town centre which quite frankly transformed an eyesore into another eyesore).

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Edders, just simply a lack of time and resources to get suitable photos for all the areas, I'd guess. Which, in turn, is why the press often used Google Streetview grabs for articles like this...

But looks like these are the paper's own photos. On the other hand, on a webpage they have a blank canvas and unlimited space, and no doubt numerous very similar images if they've actually sent a photographer out, or if the subject of the article maybe supplies them.

So oftentimes they end up with several very similar images on a webpage, like that above. On the other hand, because of space and resource limitations, they certainly wouldn't use three photos like that in an article in an actual newspaper

Good of them to blank out the numberplate on one of the cabs, though, but as is often the case, you can still just read the hackney number. It's more obvious on this high-res version - H237, I'd say, although the last digit isn't too clear:

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/we ... uality=100

It would make no sense to merge the councils into one yet leave the trade zoned.

Or even if the council did still zone it would make even less sense to have four different sets of entry and relicense criteria.

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IDFIMH

I'd kind of agree, Sussex, but would depend on various factors. As I always say, zoning and council boundaries are rarely delineated with taxi markets in mind, and to that extent can be pretty arbitrary.

We're still zoned in Fife, and that's along the lines of the old district councils, before Scotland got the single-tier authorities, and Fife Council comprises several of the old district councils.

For years even under the amalgamated Fife Council we were still administered locally in terms of the trade, and dealt with the old NE Fife council offices in Cupar, effectively. Then they centralised administration in Glenrothes, for the whole of Fife. Which there's obviously pros and cons about. Instead of our own fare structure, they centralised it overnight, which in my opinion caused a lot of problems, although they're maybe more historical now.

On the other hand, we still have our own testing depot in Cupar, which is good, because that's far enough away from me (12 miles), without having to go Glenrothes, nearly 30 miles away.

Don't want to go into the nitty gritty of it all, but I agree with what you say, while at the same time maybe each case should be decided on its merits. And, of course, with amalgamation and the like, there will always be those who benefit, while others will moan and moan. Not me personally, obviously - I'm always full of the joys of spring about all things taxi-related

supposing west sussex was merged into Brighton and dezoned would you consider that taxis from Worthing,Crawley Haywards heath would be welcome to come into Brighton on a busy saturday night and work the ranks ?

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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Well it wouldn't bother me, but I understand your point.

B&H used to be B and H separate, but the two councils joined to make a unitary council.

The two lots of hackneys joined and shared their respective ranks, and guess what, the world didn't end.

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IDFIMH