Taxi Driver Online

TAXI DRIVER DENIES CHARGE

A taxi driver in Plymouth faces losing his licence after being reported for carrying too many people in his cab. Hackney Carriage driver Paul Harrison has been reported by two other drivers who claim they saw him pick up six people in his cab - one more than the legal limit in a Hackney Carriage - on February 15, 2004.

The allegation is denied by Harrison who claims that all six people did not travel in the cab - one only got on 'for a joke' and got out before the taxi drove off.

Plymouth City Council Licensing Committee will consider Harrison's evidence and make their decision tomorrow.

The allegation has been made by fellow Hackney Carriage drivers Andrew Hawton and Peter Danby.

They were standing outside their parked vehicles in Basket Ope when they were aware of six pedestrians looking for a vehicle that would take all six passengers.

The drivers say they were spoken to and asked if they would take all six passengers and the people were told they would need two cabs.

The pedestrians then walked away to the junction of Notte Street and Basket Ope and they hailed a passing Hackney Carriage vehicle.

Mr Hawton and Mr Danby both claim all the pedestrians boarded the cab which drove off in the direction of Plymouth city centre.

The two witnesses jotted down the number of the cab and reported the incident to the licensing office the next day.

The number was the cab owned by Harrison who was interviewed later.

A report to the licensing committee says: "At that taped interview, Mr Harrison agrees that the six passengers boarded his cab but claims that as a 'joke' one of the passengers got in the vehicle and immediately got off on the offside, into the road."

Harrison claims this would give the impression that six people had boarded and been driven off.

Neither of the witnesses saw a person in the road when the carriage was driven off.

When questioned about this, Harrison said: "The reason that neither of the witnesses saw this was that the passenger that got out walked alongside the vehicle as it was being driven off."

The licensing committee will meet to make their decision on at 9am at the Council House.

Grasses, not only that there is not a shread of evidence he carried 6, just a couple of narks.

what a couple of tossers! even if he did take six it would be his look out if caught or even had a accident but to have 2 fellow drivers grass him is [edited by admin]!

I wonder if either of these two has ever exceeded the speed limit, or if they declare to the taxman every penny they take?

I expect the answer is they do to the former, and they don't to the latter.

Not condoning wrong doings, but 'he who is without sin'.

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IDFIMH

Rules is rules. if he get caught breaking the rules then he's got to expect to lose out.

i've always said the short term gain is not worth the long term loss. goes for carrying more than your licenced, overcharging, PH picking up flaggers or whatever.

your doing a job where you can earn top money and your stupid if your willing to throw it away for the sake of breaking the law for a couple of extra quid.

Grassers simple as that.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133188&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133171&contentPK=10829267

BANNED FOR CARRYING SIX


12:00 - 25 August 2004

A Plymouth taxi-driver has been banned from driving his cab for a week after he was seen carrying six passengers.

Paul Harrison is licensed to carry a maximum of five passengers in his Hackney Carriage and was spotted picking up six people on February 15.

The incident took place on Notte Street at the junction with Basket Ope and was seen by two other drivers, Andrew Hawton and Peter Danby, who took his registration number and reported him to the council.

The group had just asked Mr Hawton and Mr Danby if they could use a single cab and were told they would need to take two.

The group then hailed Mr Harrison's cab, got in and were seen heading towards the city centre.

Chairman of the licensing committee, councillor Eddie Rennie, said: "We believe we have been lenient here - if it were to happen again it could be a lot more serious. You may have to look for a new way of earning a living."

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grasses or doing the right thing? everyone has their opinion. As i said before it's never worth the risk as a short term gain leads to a long term loss. i think he got off very lightly with just a 1 week ban.

Still grassers.

I'm not sure the law allows a weeks ban.

If the chap is deemed not to be fit and proper, then will he suddenly be so in a weeks time?

But surely the best way was to report him to the firm he is on, then they could deal with it internally. This way the trade has been shown in a bad light, and those lads that bubbled him had best watch their backs.

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IDFIMH

Exactly if he was one of my lads we would be off to the magistrates to appeal.

the committee are not there to judge, thats not councillors job if they thought he carried 6 they should prosecute.

I am disgusted with them, the officers and the grasses were they at committee?

appauling.

he's an independant HC WAV driver.

Sounds like it.

So if someone on the rank asks me to take more than I'm allowed, and offers me extra, and I decline and they jump into another car then if I complain then I'm a grass?

The rule is quite simple, and if it's not enforced then the bigger vehicles will be piling a dozen or so in.

Of course, those who accuse others of grassing are usually the type that are always breaking the rules themselves and are usually have no hesitation grassing others when it suits them.

What's your view on PH plying for hire, another act rendering insurance invalid?

There are certainly plenty of grassers for this.

Disgusting, isn't it?

You make a good point.

But if you do 70 on the motorway and another cab drives past at 75 do you report him to the police for breaking the law?

I would have had a word with the driver not just for taking 6 but for jumping the rank queue. Im quite sure if me and others put him right then it wouldnt happen again.

But reporting to the authorites is a bit strong, because nonre of us are whiter than white.