Taxi Driver Online

Angry taxi drivers to block town’s roads

TAXI drivers plan to bring Redditch to a standstill as they step up their protest against rising costs. As many as 200 cars are expected to take part in the ‘go slow’ - a rolling road block around the town centre - on Saturday, May 21.

Redditch Taxi Association is taking action to protest about the council’s decision to increase the cost of vehicle testing which it is claimed could see fares rise by 300 per cent. In future a standard trip from the railway station in and around the town could cost up to £15.

Drivers had been able to use one of two approved centres but Town Hall chiefs have now declared the test has to be done ‘in house’, a move that will see the price more than double from £25 to £64.

The planned protest is the latest move in a row which has been brewing between taxi drivers and the borough council for months. In February the Standard reported how drivers stopped working on a Saturday evening after claiming they were being unfairly ticketed by over-zealous parking wardens.

Safder Hussain, chairman of Redditch Taxi Association, said: “This is the straw that will break the camel’s back. “The council has not thought through the policy and the losers will again be the drivers and, ultimately, the general public. The drivers in Redditch are united as a group against this council’s stealth polices and we intend to fight them.

“When the council previously tested vehicles, waiting times ran up to three weeks. Drivers will not be able to work while waiting for an available slot and this will have to be costed into the fare structure.”

But Coun Juliet Brunner, responsible for community safety, said the old system was failing to ensure the town’s taxi fleet was maintained to the standard residents would expect. She added two in five taxis failed spot checks and the decision was taken to move the inspection regime back in house to provide an impartial and robust service.

“The bottom line is this huge improvement in road safety for passengers and drivers works out at an extra seventeen pence a day. “Taxis can do huge mileage and are often on the road 24 hours a day with several drivers and the old inspection checks, though cheaper, were failing. There can be no compromise on safety and that is why we decided to act.”

The drivers plan to gather in Silver Street at 11.30am before slowly driving their rolling road block on to the Redditch Ring Road.
They will then head to Adelaide Street, Church Road, Easemore Road, Archer Road, Other Road and Ipsley Street before finishing up on Unicorn Hill.

_________________
IDFIMH

_________________
IDFIMH

Going to be bought to a standstill !!

http://www.redditchadvertiser.co.uk/new ... s_weekend/

Will anyone care?

_________________
IDFIMH