Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver given permission to transport GCHQ staff 'incognito'

Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 07:00

Their work is shrouded in secrecy and now their travel arrangements will be too.

Luxury taxi driver Douglas Stokes has been given special permission to operate without a private hire label because GCHQ is one of his main customers.

Licensing chiefs approved his request after he claimed staff at the intelligence centre told him they preferred to go incognito than in a marked cab. The 64-year-old is just the third cabbie in the borough to gain such an exemption.

Speaking at Cheltenham Borough Council's licensing committee on Friday, Mr Stokes said: "These are government officials who do like their discretion.

"It has been voiced as an opinion that they really don't want the cars identifiable, but we don't have anything official in writing from them."

The decision means he can pick up passengers in his £42,000 Audi A6 without presenting the council plate that is required of private hire drivers.

Documents submitted by the grandfather-of-one to the committee state that GCHQ workers "like to be able to move around without the locality they come from being identified".

Retired policeman Mr Stokes said many of the journeys he completes for the organisation are taking its staff to the airport or to London.

It uses a pseudonym when making bookings and did so 19 times between the start of 2011 and March 31 to destinations like Heathrow, London, Uckington and Churchdown.

Committee member Councillor Roger Whyborn (LD, Up Hatherley) said: "We all know who we are talking about, the biggest Government organisation in Cheltenham, and clearly they would be a lot happier without having plates on the vehicle."

Mr Stokes works as a driver for private hire firm Bridges, a specialist in corporate taxi services. Some of his other main clients include top bosses at Superdry, G4S and Spirax Sarco.

He said: "Most of these people travel first class and they expect certain standards. There aren't many other private hire firms in town which provide a bottle of water, a copy of the Daily Telegraph and the opportunity to work in the car."

The committee approved the application by eight votes to nil, with two abstentions. GCHQ has declined to comment.

Source; http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/ ... ticle.html

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Far, far too much information already in this news article for an 'incognito' service!!!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

The new Skoda superb has more room

I don't know why, but as I was posting this thread I thought, 'I wonder if this is one that Mr Skippy41 will be first to reply to'.

I wasn't wrong; there's a bit of the 007 fantasy in you, isn't there!!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Why are taxpayers paying for civil servants to be transported in a £42,000 Audi?

Defo need a southern Skippy.

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IDFIMH

It would certainly put a new twist on illegal plying for hire

I thought you were normally applauding taxpayers' money being lavished on taxi bills.

Wrong market here?

That's your beloved Cllr Brian Coleman's annual Minicab bill.

Does it have an ejector seat and machine guns?

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