Southport cab firms in trade battle
WAR has broken out on the streets of Southport as taxi companies battle for trade.
A Hackney cabs representative has accused private hire firms of using dirty tactics to steal passengers from them.
And it was claimed Hackney cabs have suffered £1.4m in loss of earnings as a result of foul play.
The issue is set to come to a head at a Licensing and Regulatory Committee meeting in Bootle on Tuesday, January 25.
Representatives from both sides will meet face to face in front of councillors.
Tony Crabtree, secretary of the North Sefton Hackney Cabs Association – which relies on passing trade and official taxi ranks – is infuriated by the situation.
He said: “They are licensed for private hire.
“That means they have to take pre-booked calls through an operator.
“But some operators are quite happy when they are waiting 10/15 turns for them to go and sit where the public can see them.
“The drivers will pick on people before they walk down to the rank, or they wait outside places they know they can get trade if there is a big queue.”
Mr Crabtree wants to see a more effective policing of the private hire taxis in Southport.
He said: “They do test purchases and a lot have been caught, but the problem now is they know when the inspectors are going to be out.
“This has gone on for years and taken millions of pounds from us.”
Mr Crabtree has calculated that this practice has cost Hackney cabs £1.4m in loss of earnings over the last 20 years.
He believes one issue at the heart of this is the public don’t know the difference between Hackney and private hire cabs.
He said: “The main reason we are being ripped off is private hire picking people up in the main street – people will get in anything.
“They also ringfence the taxi ranks, so take trade before it gets to us.”
Locations identified as hotspots for private hire cars acting illegally include the corner of Lord Street and Market Street, the forecourt of the Scarisbrick Hotel and Coronation Street.
Mr Crabtree has been frustrated with previous trade meetings and believes this one will be different as councillors will be present.
He said: “I’ve brought it up and brought up and brought it up but get all the usual excuses.
“This will be different because it will be in front of councillors.”
“The unscrupulous ones need catching and dumping out of the trade.
“We want a level playing field.”
The manager of one Southport-based private hire firm said: “Sefton Council have measures in place to deal with this.
“Trading tandards officers have been doing test purchases over the last 18 months.
“As far as I am concerned they are dealing with it.
“I think what they’ve been doing has eradicated the problem.”
source:
http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/southport-news/
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