Taxi Driver Online

Someone recently asked me If I had any news about Worcester and Malvern so just for them Ive put together some snippets from 2007 that might be of interest?
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June 9, 2007 Saturday

Taxi drivers could lose licence

Worcester News

TWO thirds of Worcester taxi drivers have been warned they could lose their licences if they continue to ignore requests to collect official guidebooks.

The city council is fuming after it was revealed 264 taxi drivers, owners and operators in Worcester do not have up-to-date copies.

Only 108 drivers have picked the books up from the authority so far - despite having had since February to do so.

But the taxi driver association said drivers had not collected the book because of a dispute over certain conditions.

Councillor Stephen Hodgson said at highly-charged licensing meeting: "We may have to look at seriously imposing conditions to say to drivers, you will lose your license unless you collect your book.

"It needs that degree of seriousness - if drivers are not prepared to collect them, we have to be firm."

The book contains details on rules and conditions of the licence, as well as important safety and bylaw information.

The Worcester Taxi Drivers Association (WTDA) told the trade not to collect them because it contained typing errors and omissions.

The Guildhall has now updated the book, and fired a broadside at drivers by threatening them with sanctions unless each one comes and collects a copy.

It comes after the taxi trade in Worcester fell out with the city council after it published the results of a series of spot checks on cars.

Coun Dave Clark added: "We've been pussy footing around with this, and I get so fed up of drivers not getting hold of the book.

"We really ought to nail it once and for all, because if we keep putting it off we're being made fools of - it's painful."

Former Worcester Mayor Coun Ian Imray, now head of licensing, said: "It's a bit disconcerting that we've got 264 people driving around Worcester streets who haven't got a copy of the new taxi drivers handbook."

He added that if the take up does not near 100 per cent, he may have to "look at what sanctions" can be taken.

Anne Murphy, secretary of the WTDA, said: "The reason members did not collect the books is because of the conditions under it was imposed.

"In particular, the fact the committee wanted to include something in the book saying Saloon cars should be replaced after seven years.

"They proposed it, and we said age is no guarantee of fitness, so they said it would state eight years in the handbook.

"When the book came out it said seven years, and despite assurances it was an error, we were afraid that the council would impose that rule - I'm afraid there is a lack of trust.

"Now it has been amended, I will persuade members to go and sign for the books."

Each taxi driver, operator and owner will be written to again to remind them to pick them up.
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June 2, 2007 Saturday

Taxi drivers and council to sort out dispute

Worcester News

TAXI drivers in Worcester have been invited to a city council forum to try and resolve an ongoing dispute.

The Guildhall has offered the trade an olive branch by revealing that it wants a better dialogue with taxi drivers from now on.

It follows a turbulent time in relations between the two, which started earlier in the year when the city council carried out a sting operation on cabs, and found 40 per cent of those checked were unsafe.

About 100 taxi drivers protested outside the Guildhall in March after the authority decided to make the report public.

Worcester Taxi Drivers Association (WTDA) has called it a "long overdue" attempt to ease relations.

Anne Murphy, secretary of the WTDA, said: "We haven't seen the final agenda, but I've seen some of the things likely to be up for discussion and it includes things such as limits to the number of licensed taxis in Worcester, the condition of vehicles, and people driving illegally.

"All we want is decent conditions to provide a service for the people of Worcester. There are lots of issues, such as how drivers suffer verbal and physical abuse, and it can't be swept under the carpet. That's why this meeting is well overdue."

The taxi forum, which has been confirmed for Monday, June 25, will be chaired by city council chief executive David Wareing and include representatives from the police.

Councillor Simon Ger-aghty, leader of the city council, said: "There are lots of issues that have been festering for a long time, many of which are not beyond the wit of man to resolve.

"Communication is the key. This is about making sure issues are dealt with so that we can move on into a new phase. David Wareing is the perfect person to chair it. This is not political, and any policy issues from the forum will be fed back to the cabinet."

A Worcester police spokesman said: "We work very closely with the Worcester Taxi Drivers Association and the city council, and this meeting is a more externally tangible version of that."

The county council will also be invited to attend the meeting, as will licensing officers and members of the South Worcestershire Safe-ty Partnership.
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April 3, 2007 Tuesday

Taxi strike did not help city s drivers

Worcester News

TEN days ago we wrote at length in this column about the dangers of being a taxi driver in Worcester. After two deplorable attacks on decent men going about their lawful business, we agreed with the city's drivers that it was time something more was done to help prevent them being victims of these random attacks.

Nothing that happened over the weekend has made us change that view - but we are now concerned that taxi drivers are not going about their campaign for change in the right way.

As we reported in yesterday's Worcester News, almost all of the city's taxi drivers chose to stop driving at 11pm on Saturday night as a protest against the attacks.

As self-employed drivers they were, of course, quite within their rights to do this.

However, it is difficult to believe that a great deal of thought went into this strike action.

Did the drivers stop and think how many people would be left stranded in the city? How many women were left to walk home alone?

Worcester Taxi Drivers' Association chairman Mohammed Ali is quite right to be calling for a truce to make sure such action doesn't happen again. It is a shame other drivers didn't listen to him when he called for Saturday night's strike to be called off.

It is right that taxi drivers are concerned with their safety. They are right that something should be done to help protect them. But they were wrong to think only of themselves and not the safety of others.
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May 21, 2007 Monday

Drivers test is road to ruin

Malvern Gazette

A MALVERN taxi firm owner fears his business is at risk if new rules on driver knowledge tests are not scrapped.
Steve Box, of private hire firm Steve's Cars, is angry at Malvern Hills District Council's decision to re-instate tests for drivers on their knowledge of directions.

The council brought back the tests after drivers in Malvern complained of an influx of Worcester drivers taking their business and getting lost on journeys.

All new drivers and those renewing their licence after three-years must sit the test, but Mr Box, of Fruitlands, says established private-hire drivers should not be included.

He said private hire drivers arrange pick-up and drop-off points before each journey, so can plan their route in advance. "The test contains questions on Tenbury Wells, which is 25 miles away, " said Mr Box, of Fruitlands.

"We rarely go out there, and even some of our drivers who have been driving for many years might fail the test on not knowing some of the streets or pubs there."

Drivers are allowed three attempts to pass the test or they will not have licenses renewed.

"I have three cars at the moment and if I lose any of my drivers, it could put my company in jeopardy," added Mr Box. "It could spell devastation to a lot of companies."

Shirley Smith, whose son Alistair runs Smith Taxis, of Barnards Green, said: "Lots of our drivers have been driving for more than ten years, so they know their way around the area very well.

"For new drivers, it's a must, to make sure they know their directions but our drivers feel it's a bit of a bind to have to take it every three years."
Phil Browning, district council licensing officer, said: "The taxi drivers asked for the test, so we're just responding to requests.

"The pass rate for the current test is about 98 per cent, so there's no reason for lots of people to fail."
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May 18, 2007 Friday

Cab passengers 'being stolen'

Malvern Gazette

TAXI drivers in Malvern say they are being driven out of business because of a flood of cabbies from Worcester taking their passengers.
They say the increased numbers mean drivers who do not know the town are taking passengers and often overcharging and getting lost.
Sue Penny, of Classic Cabs, said: "It is a nightmare and it is having a really bad effect on business.

Malvern Hills District Council dropped the knowledge test of the area and these new drivers don't know where they are going. The council has now reinstated the knowledge test, but it is a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted."

She said the council thought the town could cope with more taxis, but it has had an adverse effect for established drivers and passengers alike.
She said: "There's a lot of ill feeling. They are not living in the area.

"It's an insult - they don't know where they are going. Some of them are even charging the wrong tariffs."

Mrs Penny said she has had to scale back her business as her income has gone down.

"These are difficult times for many of us. I've had to diversify by buying a taxi for disabled passengers," she said.
Her son Mark, who runs Hello Taxi in the town, said his income has dropped dramatically.

He said: "If I plotted a graph I'm sure my earnings must be down by half.
"The passengers are losing out as well.
"When there were just Malvern taxi drivers, we knew each other and looked out for our passengers, and if there was anyone strange they stood out. All that has gone."

Worcester Taxi Drivers' association chairman Mohammed Ali said he was unaware of any problems with former city taxi drivers in Malvern.
A Worcester City Council spokesman said: "Our taxi drivers can pick people up from Worcester and take them to Malvern, or pick people up from Malvern and take them to Worcester.

"If a driver wanted to pick someone up from Malvern and take them elsewhere, he would need a licence from them."
Phil Browning, licensing officer for Malvern Hills District Council, said: "Our commitment is for adequate provisions for members of the public that they can travel safely in roadworthy vehicles.

"We have no right to limit trade." He said the knowledge test had been initially dropped because of complaints from the taxi trade that it was stopping new drivers working in Malvern but was then reinstated at the request of the town's taxi drivers. He said: "This was re-introduced in April. "We try to respond to what the taxi trade wants."
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May 18, 2007 Friday

Drunken man abused driver

Malvern Gazette

A MALVERN taxi driver was attacked and subjected to racial abuse after he picked up a drunken couple.

David Hodgkins argued with Mohammed Jamil after vomiting in his cab.
He then kicked and punched the victim before he and his girlfriend Stacey Harris left the scene without paying the fare, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Hodgkins, aged 21, of Malvern Meadows caravan site, Blackmore Park, Hanley Swan, and Harris, 20, of the same address, pleaded guilty to making off without payment.

The father-of-one also admitted racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Judge Toby Hooper QC granted him bail while a pre-sentence report is prepared.

He fined Harris £100 and said she was on a slippery slope as she had a previous conviction for assaulting a policeman.
The couple entered guilty pleas on the day they were due to face trial by jury.

Tim Green, prosecuting, said they went out drinking in Malvern on October 6 and were picked up by Mr Jamil outside The Vaults pub at 2.30am the next morning.

Hodgkins' barrister Lee Marklew said he had no previous convictions. The judge banned him from entering any taxi in Worcestershire before sentencing.

Graeme Simpson, for Harris, said she had a two-year-old daughter and the couple only went out twice a month because they relied on job seekers' allowances and child credit.
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April 4, 2007 Wednesday

Worcester News

TAXI drivers from Malvern and Droitwich claim they were threatened by striking Worcester cabbies as they went to pick up passengers during the weekend's impromptu strike.

Julian Tibbetts, a Droitwich cabbie, told how he was followed by a car with four men in it and advised to stay out of Worcester.
But the Worcester Taxi Drivers' Association says it is not aware of any intimidation.

Mr Tibbetts arrived at the Marr's Bar, in Pierpoint Street, Worcester, at about 3am on Sunday to pick up pre-booked passengers.
He said: "An unmarked car stopped along me with four men. One of them said: Make that your last one and I don't want to see you in town again.' They then followed me for a few minutes up the Blackpole Road to add to the intimidation. We work under Wychavon and these taxi drivers shouldn't involve us in whatever problems they have."

Malvern taxi driver Ruham Hussain told how he was also subjected to threats when he went to pick up from the Postal Order in Foregate Street, Worcester.

He said: "A Worcester taxi driver, who I know, threatened to smash up my car. He insulted me in front of my passengers. I was very angry. I was only doing my job and didn't deserve this."

Neither of the incidents were reported to the police.
The strike was called late on Saturday as a protest against attacks by the public on drivers.

A fortnight ago a 52-year-old cabbie was attacked by passengers in Warndon, Worcester. A week earlier another driver was repeatedly punched in the back of the head by four passengers in the back of his cab.
Cabbies have also blamed Worcester City Council for creating unrest after a report said that two in five cabs were unsafe.

There was only four working taxis in Worcester late on Saturday night, leading to hundreds of people being stranded.

Martin Layland, of Classic Cabs in Malvern, said: "The demand was incredible. I was doing two journeys an hour getting people back to Malvern. We had girls of 18 and 19-years-old crying down the phone to us because they were stranded."

Mohammed Ali, chairman of Worcester Taxi Drivers Association, said he did not know of any threats to other drivers who came in from outside the city. He said: "I am totally unaware of any intimidation and very surprised to hear this."
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March 1, 2007 Thursday

Killer Cabs are still on roads

Worcester News

Taxi drivers continue to flout the law by driving dangerous cabs - just weeks after a sting which showed that two out of five should not be on Worcester's roads.

The spot checks revealed 40 per cent of Worcester cabbies were driving unroadworthy cars on Friday.

The figure - two out of every five drivers stopped - was identical to the results of a sting on Friday, January 26.

The drivers were flagged down or approached at taxi ranks and taken for checks by Worcester City Council, police and the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA).

Coun David Clark, chairman of the licensing committee at the city council, said it may take another 12 sting operations before drivers begin to take notice. He said: "It's more than disappointing - it's diabolical. These people have got to get the safety of the public to the forefront of their minds.

"That 40 per cent need to get their act together or get out of the trade. That's the shame of it all. A responsible taxi driver, knowing the results of that last sting, should make damn sure his vehicle was going to be okay.

"If I wanted a taxi and the taxi looked

shabby and the driver looked much the same I would probably think I'm not too sure about the vehicle either."

During the January checks 11 drivers out of the 27 were breaking the law compared to 10 out of 25 drivers this time - 40 per cent in both cases.

The results were worse for Hackney carriage drivers than private hire drivers, which Coun Clark blames on the cabs having more than one driver, none of whom take responsibility for faults.

There are currently 72 private hire vehicles and 185 Hackney carriages licensed by the city council - 257 in total.

Anne Murphy, a spokesman for the Worcester Taxi Drivers Association, said the results were down to a small minority of drivers.

Miss Murphy said: "The city council has ignored taxi drivers for a long time and they are making us look like a bunch of cowboys.

"That doesn't do the relationship with us any good.

"I'm a responsible taxi driver and my vehicle is in top condition whenever I go out.

"I would make drivers who break the conditions plead for their licences back.

"It's scandalous what some members of the trade are allowed to get away with.

"When the Government announced that local authorities were taking over the licensing trade, taxi drivers were ignored.

"We're the first impression outsiders get of the city and the council have let some real cowboys slip through."

Problems included faulty lights, tyres below the legal pressure limit, missing links on anti-roll bars and leaking oil and petrol.

Those who were found to have faults will now need to demonstrate to officers that they have been rectified.

Six drivers may need to go before the licensing committee for further inspections for a range of breaches, including empty fire extinguishers and not having tariff cards in their cabs.

They could receive strict warnings and, ultimately, if problems are not resolved the driver or the taxi may be taken off the road permanently.

Coun Clark said the Government had removed restrictions on taxi drivers, making it easier for them to enter the trade.
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