Taxi Driver Online

Cllr Colin Keir
Regulatory Committee Convener
City of Edinburgh Council

Dear Cllr Keir

As predicted by me in November in a communication with you there has been another assault where a vulnerable member of the public entered an inappropriate vehicle resulting in a sexual assault.

Such actions are encouraged because of the unreasonable difficulty in hailing a taxi in Edinburgh.

City of Edinburgh Council operates a policy of restricting the number of taxis operating in Edinburgh, which protects the Council's own transport interests and the vested interests of the taxi trade, where council owned licence plates are traded for substantial sums of money and high rentals are charged because of the artificial shortage of available drive opportunities that the restriction brings.

All while encouraging an exponential expansion of Private Hire cars which are less regulated, less clearly identifiable to the public and with a varied vehicle type, which encourages customer confusion and opportunity for criminal abuse. This results in a much greater risk to a susceptible public, particularly vulnerable young females just trying to get home.

No Council can claim to be doing everything it can to protect public safety unless and until it has done everything reasonable within its power that it can. Artificially restricting the number of operating taxis, artificially reducing the availability for the public, falls well below this benchmark and places the public at risk.

As stated previously I hold you, the Regulatory Committee and City of Edinburgh Council responsible and culpable for what has happened in these incidents. It concerns me that if no action is taken now, then the next incident may involve loss of life.

In order to ensure that you are ultimately held accountable I propose to release the communications I have made to you in respect of these matters to the victims of the assaults.

Yours

Jim Taylor

Councillor Colin Keir is an SNP councillor, Convener of the Regulatory Committee which guides Council Policy and a driver with Lothian Buses - the council's own bus Company.

Cllr Steve Cardownie is the Deputy leader of the Council. He has declared interests in Private Hire as well as various roles concerning the Waterfront Development which the Council is spending up to £600 million providing a new Tram system to service it.

(Note:- Notwithstanding the influence on formulating policy that his position must bring him, Cllr Cardownie abstained from the vote held by the full council to maintain the restriction of Taxi Licences operating in Edinburgh.)






All facts are understood at the time of posting to be true. Please advise of any inaccuracies which will be amended forthwith.

There is a open policy in Dundee yet there is still more private hire going on in Dundee.people have to be educate in the dangers of flagging down phv with out pre booking.If phv did not pick up illegally people would soon stop trying to flag down anything that looks like a phv.

Aberdeen lifted the restriction on plate a few years back. We have more Taxis than PH. The only problem we have in Aberdeen is Shire Taxis & Unlicensed Taxis stealing our work at weekends.

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So busy night tonight??

you have lost it again jim back out of internet retirement i see

who the hell do you think you are GOD !!!! do you think by sending a letter like that you are going to get any where all the council will do is bin it and all you have done is use this sick attack as a way to have a go at the council because the wont let you have your own way.

Possibly you're right. On both counts

Now tell me. What happens when the next victim is assaulted. Or raped? or murdered?

The council ignores that too?

Then the time it happens after that?

Do you really think it reasonable for a council to refuse to take all the available steps it can to protect the council? That what they're elected to do?

Unless and until the council does all it can to help protect the public they are culpable and responsible. While they restrict the number of taxis and there are more victims, they are culpable and responsible.

Now how many assaults will it take for you to discover your conscience?

I wonder if the victims could have a case against CEC?

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Will issuing more plates stop the rapists from raping?

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Grandad,

At the appropriate time I propose to establish some contact with the victims to ensure that they are fully informed as to the council's role here.

I understand that I may be able to do this through the Police. Clearly one has to tread carefully to avoid further trauma to the victim. But there is a real question here of culpability. The council knew this after the last instance, their response was to trot out more figures to justify the restriction that is the problem here.

So they ignore it once. The may now ignore it again. But this is a runaway train heading for the buffers.

I just wonder when and where the liability shifts from the council to those who are responsible for directing the council?

Remember, the council is charged with protecting public safety. Unless and until its done everything it reasonably can to do this, it is responsible and culpable.

It absolutely beggars belief that you would even think about contacting any victim of crime, let alone a victim of a sexual assault, with such a far-fetched and deranged idea.

You are alone in assuming that there are not enough taxis in Edinburgh. I and most other cabbies in Edinburgh know the reality as we cruise the streets or sit on ranks, sometimes waiting hours for our next fare.

It is incredible that a supposedly sane individual cannot understand that such illegal pickups occur because there is no enforcement of legislation. Put simply if licensed private hire cars were not allowed to "rank" in public places outside clubs and pubs, people would not approach saloon cars with drivers assuming them to be "for hire." Even with treble the amount of taxis on the road, there is not one city in the country, if not the world, where a taxi could be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time for every single person.

Police watch on as this activity takes place and on one occasion when I spoke to an officer, his reply was that "it gets the streets clear."

The focus of any campaign should be on stopping private hire cars from sitting about in public places and then educating the public on the differences between public and private hire.

I am appalled that you are not universally condemned, on even this site, for such a blatant attempt at using a serious and tragic crime just to further your ill-fated campaign for de-restriction.

Like many others, I now wonder if you have any sense of decency or morality at all.

Not necessarily, but I'll think you'll find that kind of idea wont suit his case, so it wont be used.



CC

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

Right boys and girls lets get something straight. I remember a time when you would hardly see a Ph, let alone witness them cgulling of the streets or ranking outside clubs.

The Ph fleet in Edinburgh, has at least tripled over the last 8 years. The hacks choose to turn a blind eye, preferring to let the Ph take up the slack at peak times, (oh and btw, that's a simple fact) anything but put on more taxis.

I've witnessed young women approaching Ph and even trying to flag them down. The more this kind of behaviour becomes the norm the more at risk young females are - the greater the opportunity for some perv to exploit their vulnerability.

Oh and spare me the, your just saying this in your quest for de-restriction. That I don't deny- but the truth is the truth.

Yes, this incident might have happened anyway but there is a much greater chance when your less regulated competitor is soaking up the market.

Now put yourself in her fathers shoes. Would you want more hacks that are easily recognisable with a qualified driver at the helm? Or more Ph? Fly by nights in a whole host of different vehicles?

The taxi trade in Edinburgh doesn't give a shi* and that's why I wouldn't pis* on them if they were on fire.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

There's no proof the vehicle was even a PH is there?

Is jasbar suggesting people don't get raped in deregulated areas, if so has he got the proof?

Now if he could come back with something like that, then I suggest he'd have more credibility.

CC

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

What? She didn't know if she was in a Ph or a Hack? It's not about "deregulated areas" it's about opportunity. Are we, as a trade, creating the opportunity for this kind of thing to happen?

Definitely!

Vested interests in Edinburgh don't give a shi* and that's the truth of it.

Now CC, answer the questions in my previous post but put yourself in the shoes of this girls father.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

The police dont know that it was a PHV.

And I wouldnt like to be in the fathers shoes.

But you and jasbar are suggesting rapes occur more often in regulated areas than deregulated ones, and you dont have any proof at all.

All jasbar sees is an opportunity to have another go at ECC, which will make a pleasant change from that radio circuit, the gagging order in that respect seems to have beaten him.

As for his inane email to councillors, what did he expect? In actual fact he's probably lucky to get away with his email address being banned.

CC

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

More shi*e CC, now answer the questions?

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"