Bedford Taxi Strike not ruled out for Christmas week and beyond
TAXI and private hire car drivers warned they could strike on Christmas week, ahead of crunch talks with Borough Hall bosses yesterday.
The drivers, supported by operators, cancelled a planned strike last weekend after voting to have further talks with Bedford Borough Council.
Bedford Borough’s 672 licensed private hire and Hackney Carriage drivers are unhappy with a number of new or proposed rules from the council which they claim will inflict unnecessary costs on drivers.
Balal Shah, spokesman for the drivers, said: “Last weekend we felt that the strike action was necessary because the council is putting too much pressure on us in this industry.
“We have been honest and open with the council and have not caused trouble in any way.
“Yet after a meeting on the Thursday night the police were called to remove us from Borough Hall even though we had made the decision to leave for another venue. This made us feel like we weren’t being taken seriously.”
He added: “We later spoke with the council again and voted in favour of holding off strike action to open up more dialogue with the council.
“We were invited to go back to have crisis talks with the council on Wednesday but we have still not ruled out strike action for this weekend for 24 hours and in the week.
“This is a bad time of year for this to be happening because it is the festive season and everyone is working hard to avoid it. We feel the committee isn’t listening.”
Issues discussed at the meeting included rules to make compulsory the installation CCTV in vehicles at a cost of around £800 per driver, removing manufacturer’s tinted windows from vehicles at a cost of around £600 to £1,000, and having to pay to re-sit driving, knowledge, DSA and English language tests as part of a proposed single badge scheme which will cost each driver in excess of £200.
New rules which require taxis to have a tire depth of 2.5ml, which is above the standard legal 1.6ml for domestic drivers, have also caused concerns.
Mr Shah said: “At the moment we have to carry three ids and we support the move for a single badge, but it is not fair that we would have to re-sit tests that we have already passed.
“Someone who has passed their driving test years ago would not pass first time because of the habits they have picked up, as well as the cost of the test we would have to pay extra money for driving lessons.
“The council chooses to use taxis for some school transport because it is cheaper than having their own fleet of vehicles. We have been doing school transport with no problems for 15 years now.”
A spokesman for Bedford Borough Council said: “We can confirm that we have advised the taxi and private hire drivers that we are happy to discuss any of the issues that they have raised in an effort to find a way forward that ensures the safety of our residents, which is our priority and a legal duty.”
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