Taxi Driver Online

Council is killing trade, say cab drivers

TAXI drivers in Abingdon claim councillors are killing their trade after they raised the fee for cab licences. Three years ago taxi drivers working in the Vale of White Horse had to pay £78 for a year’s driver’s licence – now they have to pay £259.

But Oxford City Council charges £115 for the same licence and Cherwell District Council charges £185 for a three-year badge. Last year the cost of a licence from Vale of White Horse District Council jumped from £90 to £235. And on Friday the licence, which is needed by both private hire and Hackney Carriage drivers, rose by another £24.

Jason Atherton, of Auto Taxis, said although the hike wasn’t so much this year, he could not believe it was still going up. He said: “It almost bankrupted me last year. They’re dictating everything we do and destroying our industry.”

He said a council-imposed cap on taxi fares was also giving drivers problems. He said: “We have fuel at record prices and we still cannot put our prices up. We have got the Government screaming at us to work more and a council that is making it impossible.”

The family business has been in the town since 1974, but Mr Atherton said: “It has never been so bad. Abingdon as a town is dead.” Owner of ACT Taxis, Stuart Thomas, added: “A lot of people are leaving the trade.”

Drivers in West Oxfordshire District Council have to pay £255.12 for the annual licence with the price set to go up 3.5 per cent next year. South Oxfordshire District Council charges £316 for three years and drivers in the Vale can get a three-year licence for £302.

Nigel Haversham, licensing manager at Vale of White Horse District Council, said that fees had risen to cover costs. He said: “We are still not covering the full cost of issuing some licences, but we have done our best to achieve a reasonable balance.

“With tighter budgets and the need to protect vital frontline services, unfortunately we cannot afford to subsidise these fees.” He said the cap on fare charges was supported by most taxi drivers.

“We consulted the taxi trade industry in the Vale and the reason the tariff has not increased is that the feedback we received was the trade did not want an increase. “In fact, one of the larger taxi companies is currently charging less than the set tariff.”

In the year after the cost of a licence rose from £90 to £235 there were 35 new applications. There were 44 new bids the year before and 44 the year before that. Mr Haversham added: “Evidence suggests that the market for new drivers is buoyant.”

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IDFIMH

Instead of running off to the press I suggest the local trade contact the local District Auditor.

Those fees are illegal. There must be a hundred threads on TDO explaining why.

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IDFIMH

Same with this mob.

http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=898042

FFS read the Guildford District Auditor's decision.

Start using the law and the press, instead of just the press.

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IDFIMH

Ask for a full breakdown of what and how much the licencing process cost,
Remembering they cannot charge for enforcement officers

For driver's licenses they can't charge more than the cost of the plastic and paper of the license, and the hourly rate of processing the license.

TBH I can't work out how that can be more than £20.

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IDFIMH

That is why you drive a taxi and you don't work for the council.

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Grandad,