Taxi Driver Online

Nothing particularly new here, although there's plenty of detail, and it's all quite well articulated.

Funny thing, though, is that the trade here is represented by an ex-builder who's only been in the job a few months. Either he's been very astute in getting up to speed with the issues, or he's simply acting as some kind of front man


Taxi drivers back petition over out-of-town cabs

https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/artic ... -town-cabs


Image: Barnsley Chronicle

BARNSLEY taxi drivers who are struggling to earn the minimum wage due to out-of-town cabbies flooding the market have backed a petition calling for the council and local MPs to act - before it’s too late.

Drivers have previously bemoaned rivals - some registered more than 100 miles away - for moving in on their long-held patches despite having little or no knowledge of the area.

Councils such as Wolverhampton have around 45,000 taxi drivers licensed under their authority due to their registration costs only totalling £49.

In Barnsley there’s only around 500 licensed vehicles.

There are also no laws against drivers from other authorities coming into the town centre - but it’s left many Barnsley cabbies unable to make ends meet.

A petition has subsequently been launched by local taxi driver, 43-year-old Craig Sutton - and it’s already garnered more than 350 signatures.

He said: “The continued arrival of large numbers of out-of-town drivers is flooding the local market.

“As a result, many Barnsley-licensed drivers are now struggling to earn even the minimum wage across a full shift - before accounting for fuel, maintenance, insurance and licensing expenses.

“I’ve seen people who are working a full shift only earn £70 - once everything’s come out then they’re only walking away with about £20.

“When those costs are factored in, take-home earnings fall drastically below acceptable levels.

“These conditions are unsustainable and are forcing many long-standing, professional drivers out of the trade.”

Despite only becoming a taxi driver in the last year, Craig says he couldn’t believe the current situation going on in Barnsley.

“It’s incredibly bad at the moment,” he added.

“I was a builder until last year and since becoming a taxi driver it’s really opened my eyes.

“It’s a trade that’s really struggling in this town.

“It’s so difficult to make a living. There’s enough for people to cope with before they have drivers coming from out of town into the trade.

“It’s literally taking people’s livelihoods away.

“The volume of vehicles operating in the town centre has increased dramatically.

“Out-of-town drivers are contributing to congestion, gridlock and increased competition for rank and pick-up space - particularly during peak hours and weekends.

“This is not only frustrating for the public, but it directly affects the ability of local drivers to complete jobs efficiently and safely.”

And safety is an issue that Craig is hoping to highlight to the general public, having heard first-hand stories of out-of-town drivers.

He said: “Currently, Barnsley Council has no power to enforce rules on drivers licensed by other authorities, even when they are working extensively within our borough.

“This leaves our council unable to regulate safety, signage, or behaviour for those drivers, and the public exposed to inconsistent standards.

“Barnsley-licensed private hire vehicles are required to display prominent council-issued door signage, identification badges, and rear plates to make them easily identifiable and accountable.

“These safety features reassure the public that they are using a legitimate and properly vetted service.

“However, many out-of-town drivers operating in Barnsley lack these identifiers, as their licensing councils may not require the same display standards.

“This makes it extremely difficult for passengers to know if a vehicle is safe, fully insured, or properly licensed.

“The absence of uniform visual standards poses serious safeguarding risks for vulnerable users, particularly late at night or in isolated areas.”

Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis says he has written to the Secretary of State for Transport on the issue.

He told the Chronicle: “Barnsley’s local taxi drivers are rightly concerned about this situation.

“It is unfair that taxi drivers not licensed in our borough can operate here without any local knowledge and without needing to take any measures to register themselves with Barnsley Council.

“I met with several local drivers to discuss their concerns last year, and I’ve written to the Secretary of State for Transport for guidance on our next steps.

“I will continue to work closely with Barnsley Council to see how we can best address these concerns.”

BARNSLEY Council bosses admit they have seen an ‘influx’ of out-of-town taxi drivers in Barnsley recently – and say that their top priority is keeping residents safe.

The council’s licensing team are often out and about, especially at night, to patrol and check taxi drivers – whether they be registered in Barnsley or elsewhere.

Although they are unable to take action against out-of-town drivers, chair of the licensing regulatory board Coun Steve Green said they report them to the relevant authorities.

He told the Chronicle: “We acknowledge the recent influx of out-of-town private hire drivers operating in Barnsley and we appreciate the concerns raised by residents and licensed drivers.

“Our top priority is the protection and safety of the public.

“We uphold very high standards for Barnsley-licensed drivers, from their initial application to ongoing annual training expectations.

“Our vehicles are required to display permanent door signage and front, rear and internal plates making them easily identifiable.

“Private hire vehicles can legally operate across local authority boundaries.

“When conducting enforcement operations in Barnsley, licensing officers from other local authorities are frequently invited to attend.

“As part of the operations, out-of-town vehicles are stopped and checked for compliance.

“Barnsley Licensing Officers have no powers to deal with offences committed by drivers licensed elsewhere.

“However, any offences are reported to the authority that the drivers are licensed with."

It's maybe all those new local drivers coming into the trade recently

maybe they all got lost looking for Barns Ely and ended up in Barnsley

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector