Taxi Driver Online

Derby Evening Telegraph

August 2, 2006 Wednesday

HEADLINE: Taxi drivers could strike again over safety check row

Taxi drivers say they will not rule out further strike action after meeting with officers from Derby City Council.

About 300 taxi drivers went on strike on Saturday night, leaving revellers stranded in the city centre. They were protesting against council spot-checks and vehicle safety requirements, which the drivers say are too stringent. But the council says the checks are necessary and that 39 per cent of taxis stopped in the first three months of this year were found to have faults.

Representatives of the Derby Hackney Union attended a meeting with the authority yesterday and said officers advised them of a telephone number to call at the council they wanted to complain about the checks. They said the council also agreed to write to all licensed taxi staff in the city, both private-hire and Hackney carriages, to inform drivers about the number.

But a union representative said discussions were still needed and that further strikes could not be ruled out if changes were not made to the checks.
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