Taxi Driver Online

60 complaints made against Carlisle taxi drivers in 3 years

Last updated at 10:25, Saturday, 01 October 2011

More than 30 complaints against Carlisle cabbies have led to the driver receiving a warning or being given official advice in the last three years.

Complaints that led to guidance being issued have included accusations of dangerous driving, giving abuse to the public and being racist.

Advice or a warning was also given over allegations that a cabbie swore at a railway station worker, a driver was using a mobile phone and a taxi was being used without an MOT.

More than 60 complaints have been made against taxi drivers licensed by Carlisle City Council in the last three years.

Many of these were ruled to be unfounded and led to no further action being taken.

Others – such as claims of overcharging – led to a quick check which found there was no problem.

There were 31 cases where advice or a warning was issued to the driver in question.

Taxi driver representatives say the figure is a small one compared to the number of journeys drivers make and claim it is “not a serious problem”.

Brian McCullough, a committee member with Carlisle Taxi Association, said: “We are a service industry and we have to treat the public with the respect they are due.

“If any complaint is upheld we have no sympathy with the driver. But the number of genuine complaints are few and far between.”

Mr McCullough pointed out many passengers picked up on night shifts will have “had a drink”.

“As an association we obviously don’t agree with anybody abusing passengers,” he added. “But from our point of view it is more likely to be the taxi driver getting the abuse.”

The figures, from the local authority’s files, have been released under the Freedom of Information Act.

A random selection of all the complaints show that:

•On June 17 this year a cabbie was caught driving a taxi without an MOT. Their licence was suspended until they got one;
•On June 11 this year a driver was accused of dangerous overtaking. The cabbie admitted misjudging the speed and distance while overtaking a car towing a caravan. The driver apologised and a warning letter was issued;
•In February there was a complaint from a taxi driver about another cabbie’s racist behaviour. The accused cabbie “admitted some of the content but not all”. An advisory letter was sent;
•In January there was a complaint a taxi driver did not give the correct change and swore at passengers. Police were called, listened to both sides and decided there was no need for further action;
•In October 2010 a cabbie complained that another driver had threatened him. The other driver made a counter complaint. Both were told to stay away from each other;
•In June 2010 a traffic warden claimed a driver threatened him. The driver said he did have an argument but did not issue threats;
•In January 2010 a passenger complained about a cabbie using a mobile phone. The driver admitted this and was given a warning letter.

Councillor David Morton, chairman of the city council’s regulatory panel, said: “There are more than 300 licensed taxi and private hire drivers in Carlisle and the vast majority have received no complaints.

“Of those that have, this is mainly the result of miscommunication between the driver and the complainant and not any serious misconduct.

“There are clear rules in place for the expected conduct of licensed taxi drivers and we take any complaints against them very seriously.

“Our officers always investigate the complaint and take any necessary action, ranging from advice, warning letters or when an offence has been committed or there is a proven breach of licence conditions, the matter is referred to the council’s regulatory panel.”

Source; http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/60-co ... h=opinion/

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Calling Ms Toots!!!

I think Carlisle could do with your NVQ skills training!!!

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

As already stated in the article considering the amount of journeys over a 12 month period the complaints are quite small.

We had the same levelled at us in Cardiff. But! when we used the council figures of (I think) 7 million journeys had taken place in that 12 months then the complaints came down to something like 0.7531% of the total journeys. The point being is that the complaints level was better than a 5* Hotel and probably better than the council itself.

Having said that it is the "Headline" of 60 complaints in three years that grabs the eyes,instead of the reality that not all were substantiated, and even if they were then 0.394% complaints per week is better by a country mile than many other businesses.

Well done Carlisle drivers but room for improvement.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

What a load of nonsense.

For example, I suspect many drivers locally get throught 20 fags a day in their cabs.

Today so far I've seen on driver refuse a short run, another using a mobile and another said FFS in front of a potential puner - or at least he thought he was a potential punter, that's why he got annoyed and blurted out FFS!

And of course even in my small town that will just be the tip of the iceberg.

But clearly drivers in Carlisle and Bristol are paragrons of taxi driving virtue

Its hard to say whether thats Good or Bad...If it were 60 Complaints against 1 Taxi driver then overall thats pretty good.

If it were 60 Complaints against 60 Individual Taxi drivers then thats not so good.

Numbers do not make much sense unless they are used in some context.

I think CC might shoot me if I tried that kinda thing in his manor

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

What no complaints regarding a certain Skoda Superb

Half of them were about a whining g/box...........

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

And the other half were about a driver whining about his whining gearbox.

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Grandad,

C'mon lets face it drivers are out there working unsocial hours and taking the brunt end of abuse from punters under those circumstances its very difficult to be a saint all the time I doubt those figures are particularly significant but as the politician once said there are liars damned liars and statisticians

Out of context any statistic can be made to look bad by a hack trying to sell newspapers or a politician trying to get elected

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Clearly Carlisle's cab drivers are the paragons......

300 plus licensed drivers.....20 complaints per year......million plus journeys?

ffs

I always said I was a saint.......now I have proof

ffs

CC

(go for it gus!)

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

My complaint last year was numbered 11547.

Carlisles doing well.

With E-mail, people can complain whilst they are sat in the back of the cab on their phones. And if they're having a bad day, naturaly it's all your fault.

In the 80's / 90's when people had to write letters to the PCO over driver complaints, complaints numbered a few hundred a year, now it's like they encourage people to complain to keep the LTPH pencil necks in jobs.

I think you're right, although it would be a leg shot....considering you're a girl.

CC

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

Thanks

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