Taxi Driver Online

I get the impression drivers aint happy whatever happens......but i'm fairly sure they'll all be unhappy if PH move in

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

No news yet on the result/judgment of the Judicial Review.

We are all puzzled why it is taking so long, considering that it was supposed to have been available last Friday or yesterday.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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The double grapevine has just advised that the Judicial Review judgment will not be out until;

1. Monday 27th July, next week

OR

2. It will be three to four months before the judgment.

So I'm gubbered if I know what is going on now?

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Brummie Cabbie.

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BASTA & Another

v

Birmingham International Airport Limited & Another

JUDICIAL REVIEW

The judge has spoken;

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Adm ... /1913.html

Here endeth the lesson!!!

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Brummie Cabbie.

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Not a glowing endorsement of the new firm either.

There is one feature of the evidence adduced on behalf of the Defendant which is unsatisfactory. Mr Gilmore is the "controlling mind" of the Interested Party. In his first witness statement he clearly asserts that the Interested Party was established to provide the taxi services at Birmingham Airport. That statement carried with it the suggestion that the Interested Party was incorporated on about 20 May 2009. Thereafter Mr Gill disclosed records from Companies House which showed that the Interested Party had been incorporated on 12 February 2009. In a short statement made on 13 July 2009 Mr Gilmore sets out to explain this apparent discrepancy. All I need say is that the explanation proffered is not wholly convincing.

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IDFIMH

Birmingham International Airport Wins High Court Battle With Black-cab Drivers

July 28 2009

A lengthy dispute between taxi drivers and Birmingham International Airport over a terminated contract has finally ended after a judge ruled airport bosses had acted legally.

Members of the Birmingham and Solihull Taxi Association, who have served the airport for more than 50 years, claimed they had been unfairly treated after losing their contract to rival Passenger Transport Services on June 1.

In protest, hundreds of BASTA drivers took part in a drive-slow through Birmingham city centre which brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill. More mayhem ensued over three days, as cabbies flocked around New Street station and other busy ranks looking for fares.

But an injunction granted last month had allowed drivers to return to work at the airport until the judicial review was settled at Birmingham High Court.

Justice Wyn Williams ruled airport bosses had acted legally in awarding PTS a new contract because of BASTA’s worsening financial situation.

Mr Justice Williams cited a contract made between BASTA and the airport in 2004 which stated that the agreement could be terminated if there was a “substantial deterioration in the financial circumstances of the licensee”.

BASTA’s accounts showed that the group made a net loss of £289,952 in 2007 and was expected to continue making a loss into 2008.

Mr Justice Williams stated the companies’ loss of money, “could have very damaging effects on the provision of taxi services.” He agreed BASTA had the opportunity to make appropriate representations about the state of its financial affairs and about whether the license should be terminated.

One of BASTA’s directors, Mr Bashir Ahmed, attended the hearing and, after reading the review, said he feared BASTA would go bankrupt.

“BASTA is a non-profit making organisation that only formed to support drivers at the airport. Since they have not been working, it has not received funding by subscription,” he said.

“Many of the drivers haven’t worked since PTS took over in June and may have to start claiming benefits.”

Mr Ahmed, a taxi driver for 13 years, said his colleagues had been unable to find work in other areas in the city. “There are 150-200 drivers out of work with nowhere to go. Birmingham city centre is saturated – it can take up to three hours to get one fare,” he said.

An airport spokesman said: “We welcome the Court’s judgement concerning the judicial review which was filed by BASTA following our decision to change the management contract for our Hackney Carriage operation at Birmingham Airport.

“We have had a successful transition and the black cab operation continues to be coordinated by the new management company, PTS, which offers our black cab drivers and passengers the facilities and service they require.”

Source; BirminghamPost.net

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Brummie Cabbie.

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Can't these drivers work for PTS

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

No They can't. PTS have already got all the drivers that they need under the contract. If I remember correctly they will be increasing the number of drivers in the comming years. I think PTS took on some of the BASTA drivers but most were not previously members of BASTA. One of the drivers that I spoke to said that the people that were running BASTA were paying themselves around £30K a year. I don't know how many there were taking this amount but it doesn't take many to start getting into financial difficulties.

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Grandad,

Every driver in Birmingham & Solihull had the chance to join PTS, either before 1st June 2009 when their franchise to provide taxi services at Birmingham Airport started or after that date. But PTS were only going to accept the first 300 drivers that joined & paid the fees.

Many BASTA drivers were 'brainwashed' into believing that BASTA would 'win the day' through the courts. How wrong they were!!!

Now that PTS have the full complement of 300 drivers for 2009/2010 there is a waiting list. It's dead-man's shoes from now on, except for the small proportional annual increase in numbers of drivers to correspond with the airport's passenger numbers annual growth.

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Brummie Cabbie.

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So is it the driver or the vehicle that is registered with PTS. Could the vehicle be double shifted with different drivers?

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

The vehicle is registered, but a maximum of 300 drivers are registered. So there are some vehicles that are double shifted, but not many.

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Brummie Cabbie.

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I was curious as to whether the limit was on the drivers or the vehicles. If it was the vehicles that could have potentially increased the rental value of the vehicle.

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

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IDFIMH

Typical, IMO, of driver owned/run firms.

The bosses get voted in, pay themselves fortunes, and then end up losing £200,000 a year.

And that's not just in Birmingham.

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IDFIMH

Since you don’t know how many, were taking how much, & for what, & since I just happen to get a copy of BASTA’s accounts given to me every year, even though I am not a member, I have extracted the following information from those accounts, so that you may know how many, were taking how much, & for what.

The accounts for 2006 showed;

Eighteen members of BASTA drew a total of £155,864 in Consultancy Fees & Salary. The main committee should have been made up of ten members & the remaining eight would probably be complaints committee members; aka The Kangaroo Court.

The top five earners drew individual amounts of £30,749, £33,272, £27,403, £26,516 & £12,764. The bottom five earners drew individual amounts of £96, £96, £60, £134, £132. The remaining seven BASTA committee or complaints committee members drew amount varying between £260 & £3,951. The eighteenth committee member, the treasurer & the only one on PAYE drew a salary of £10,514.

In addition to the above a further £11,391 was paid out to, again, seventeen BASTA members for duties as airport marshals. The individual amounts drawn varied between £50 & £1,350, with six members receiving over £1,000. Of these seventeen airport marshals, five had already claimed sums in Consultancy Fees as above.

A further £10,431 was paid out in wages & social security costs in the early days when BASTA formed ATL Radio Taxis. In those early days it is known that committee members were heavily involved in running ATL (aka Ayatollah’s Taliban Limousines) & the majority of these moneys would have been paid to committee members.

So, to summarise for 2006, BASTA committee members, complaints committee members, the treasurer, airport marshals & ATL management drew a total of £177,686.

The accounts for 2007 showed;

Twenty-four members of BASTA drew a total of £131,459 in Consultancy Fees & Salary. The main committee should have been made up of ten members & the remaining fourteen would probably be complaints committee members; aka The Kangaroo Court.

The top five earners drew individual amounts of £13,294, £36,108, £18,720, £26,346 & £12,799. The bottom five earners drew individual amounts of £26, £65, £60, £60, £65. The remaining thirteen BASTA committee or complaints committee members drew amount varying between £90 & £4,781. The eighteenth committee member, the treasurer & the only one on PAYE drew a salary of £11,258.

In addition to the above a further £14,794 was paid out to, twenty-two BASTA members for duties as airport marshals. The individual amounts drawn varied between £80 & £2,656, with three members receiving over £1,000 & two of those receiving over £2000. Of these twenty-two airport marshals, some had already claimed sums in Consultancy Fees as above. An amount of £220 was paid to ‘Unknown Marshal’.

Furthermore an amount of £94,246 was paid out in wages & social security costs for ATL Radio Taxis. Whilst not all this amount was paid to BASTA committee members as staff was employed to run ATL, it is known that a majority of these monies were in fact paid to BASTA committee members.

A still further amount of £9,355 was paid out in Consultancy to seven BASTA members, also for ATL. Of these seven, two had also claimed monies from both Consultancy Fees & airport marshals & another four had also claimed monies for either Consultancy Fees or airport marshals.

So, to summarise for 2007, BASTA committee members, complaints committee members, the treasurer, airport marshals & ATL management drew a total of at least £155,608, but probably nearer a figure of £202,731 plus, but because of the non-transparency of the wages & social security costs associated with ATL Radio Taxis it is not possible to accurately analyse these figures.

It is believed that the smell of “Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh Bisto” is no longer at the BASTA offices & accordingly the gravy train has run out of fuel & stopped.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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Disagree with other members' views;
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