Taxi Driver Online

Out-of-town cabbies 'are not playing fare'

Manchester cabbies want a tightening up of laws that allow out-of-town drivers to pick up city-centre fares

Scores of out-of-town cab drivers with little or no knowledge of the city’s streets are exploiting a legal loophole to pick up jobs here.

Manchester cabbies are calling for the law to be changed - with some calling for a passenger boycott of out-of-town cabs coming in from areas such as Rossendale.

Under the Town and Police Clauses Act 1847, drivers of black cabs – called Hackney carriages – with a licence from one area can collect passengers in another, as long as they are pre-booked through a licensed operator in that area.

Drivers say that cabbies coming from outside is unfair because private hire licences in Manchester are more expensive – and require a knowledge test of local roads. Cabbies in Manchester must also use newer cars.

Becoming a cab driver in Rossendale – where there is no knowledge test – costs a total of £364, while it can cost up to £657 to become a hackney carriage driver in Manchester, or up to £482 for a private hire driver.

Some Manchester private hire drivers, whose cars all have to be white or silver, are asking passengers to ask to see drivers’ licence when they get in their car, and to refuse to travel if they are from out of town.

Mohammed Yousef, 39, who drives a private hire cab in Manchester city centre, said: “Running a taxi cab in Manchester is expensive enough as it is in the recession without this unfair competition.

“Many of the people coming from outside don’t know where they’re going and frankly, some of them are of Asian origin and don’t have very good English.

We’re asking passengers to take a stand so keep standards of service high.”

The council recently wrote to private cab firms in the city asking them not to accept drivers from outside the borough. Some – but not all – have agreed to abide by the rule. Manchester and other councils have also asked the government to close the loophole.

But Paul Meek, who used to head Manchester Private Hire Association and now runs the CitiCar firm, said he doubted whether a boycott call would work.

A spokeswoman for the Law Commission, the government quango responsible for keeping the law updated, said it was working on a report which will suggest having the same rules and fees in all council areas in the country.

But the Department for Transport is under no obligation to put through the changes, she added.

Coun Nigel Murphy said: “We have spoken to all Manchester operators expressing our concerns about this and asking them not to use drivers licensed in other areas.

“The vast majority share our view, as they do not want to risk their companies’ reputations being tarnished by drivers who may have no local knowledge, poor language skills and may be driving sub-standard vehicles.”

source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... up-1314856

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

It's a start I suppose......but the reporter should have contacted Rossendale council to ask why they aren't following the same course as Shropshire......and why Rossendale's standards are so sh*te.

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