Taxi Driver Online

Crackdown on Leeds illegal cabbies

Friday 15 April 2011 08:35

Council chiefs in Leeds are cracking down on private hire drivers illegally touting for trade, the YEP can reveal.

The news follows a series of complaints to the YEP’s letters page by people concerned at the number of cabbies vying for late-night custom.

The city’s licensing committee is answering the calls for tougher enforcement of the law by doubling the number of enforcement officers from four to eight and bringing in late-night street patrols, seven days a week.

Enforcement officers are also stepping up CCTV monitoring at key locations and targeting taxis with “undercover” operations.

Councillor Suzi Armitage, chair of the licensing committee, said: “I want to reassure people who have written about this issue that this is something we take very seriously.

“Not only are these drivers breaking the law, there are also safety implications for themselves, their passengers and other road users.

“To help us crack down on those who don’t comply with the law, we are doubling the number of enforcement officers we employ and increasing the hours they patrol the city centre,” she added.

In Leeds, more than 90 private hire drivers have been reported as plying for hire in the past two years.

The figures also show that 59 drivers lost their licence, 10 got a caution and 29 are currently suspended and awaiting prosecution.

Councillors and licensing chiefs are also warning people who may be tempted to flag down a private cab to think again.

Coun Armitage said: “They are putting themselves at risk of harm, are likely to be overcharged, and are not insured if they are a passenger in an cab.

“If any private hire drivers from outside Leeds are caught plying for hire, we will report them to their licensing authority and, if necessary, take action ourselves.”

Source; http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... _1_3290911

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This is good news ( we had heard a sniff) and I hope it happens but the situation is a lot worse than reported and has been going on for a number of years- 90 ph caught in two years ???? I saw 90 this weekend !! The trouble is a result of the councils own actions I'm afraid and its not as if they didnt k now before the yorkshire post got invovled as we have been giving them evidence for years....there is 537 HC in Leeds and 6000 ish ph ( and growing) with 3 enforcement officers to cover the city - they only come out at weekends if at all and the ph warn each other which area the officers are at and move across the city - it's blatant and very difficult to watch but let's hope change is around the corner with this news!!!

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Justice for the 96 YNWA