Taxi Driver Online

Clydebank Street cars lose another rank.


West Dunbartonshire Council Licensing office yesterday confirmed that they have been informed that from 1st May, only Clydebank Taxis 90 radio cars will be allowed into the Clyde Shopping Centre.
Centre owners have agreed a deal with Clydebank Taxi owners for the maintenance of the car parks.

The 'asda' as it is known has been the main rank and source of income for all drivers for over 30yrs with an estimated 50 street cars using its combined 30 spaces.
West Dunbartonshire Licensing also informed drivers that the ranks are on private ground and have never been appointed by the Council.

Having recently been turfed out of their other main rank, 12 spaces, for 15 weeks issue to railway bridge works, these will be demanding times for an already struggling trade.

I do understand you are speaking about a rank on private land, your council will find it all too easy to say it is not their problem, brushing their hands of any negotiation.
A few years ago we lost four city centre ranks, no other rank space has been made since.
After they were closed we seen the city fleet grow before it was eventualy capped, the two main city ranks are now hanging off the back most days with city wardens moving drivers on as a matter of their duty, they love it when they have nowt else to do.
We were promised another five car rank a couple of years ago and have never seen it yet, not that it would solve the space shortage but it would help.
Drivers are forced to drive round and round until a space is available, great for our fuel consumption and the green policy the council say they like to achieve, we got letters to tell us not to sit in ranks with engines running (when a space was found that is), if we did we could be penalised. So, they make us run around city streets looking for a space, which must be greener and safer!

Is this an adopted council rank, if so there is no law stopping others ranking there.

Best bet is for the council to revoke rank and situate a new one on public highway.

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IDFIMH

The first response from Licensing officers was "no it has never been an appointed rank"

However the when Councillors the were contacted, Licensing Chairman and Provost they were less than pleased that they knew nothing about it.
This is backed up by an email to all the the relevant persons and copied to the trade.
The Council retain 20% ownership of the entire Centre, so there may be issues to be addressed.

There is no real alternative the main shopping area and pickup points wrap round the car parks and the public road runs through the middle.
The public road is one lane each way, no possible widening points, roundabouts top middle and bottom and bottlenecked each end by railway bridges. The middle roundabout is also the access to to a 500+ house cul de sac older than the centre. The Roads Dept even protested at its inadequacy when it was built 40 years ago.

There will be a lot of interest around this road on Saturday.

In your by-laws, if you have them up there, do you have a 'go back to the nearest rank etc' clause?

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IDFIMH

Don't know about bye laws, its unlikely. But certainly not in our drivers conditions.

Over 40 cabs lined up in street opposite the centre, left the rank empty (nearly there is always one) for 1hr this afternoon.
During which they made a single run through the Centre in convoy. Received public support and cooperation of Police Scotland.

Well done guys and gals, great show.

Good turn out at meeting tonight attended by Cllr O'Neill, Chair of Licensing Committee and Sgt Montague, Police Scotland.

We were informed that
Council were made aware only last week that Centre management had a agreed a deal which will give exclusive plying for hire access to one company.
Council appointed a rank in this car park area in 2000.
Council agreed 99yr lease of car park area in 2001
Council lawyers at a very senior level working throughout the weekend, have been investigating all aspects of, and all documents involving car park and ranks therein.
Everything legally or politically that can be done will be done to either void the agreement or render it ineffective and assist the remainder of Trade.
Police will not enforce any parking restrictions within the centre.
Parking tickets issued for by the Centre management, their partners or their agents would be difficult to enforce.

The coming days will bring to light the answers to many questions.

Thank you for your email. The Council has received many emails about this matter in the last week so please forgive me if I do not respond to each of your points individually. We have considered all views expressed to us.

On 16 April 2013, West Dunbartonshire Council's licensing team was informed by a representative of Clydebank TOARS Ltd (trading as Clydebank Taxis) that the firm has reached an exclusive agreement with Clyde Shopping Centre. The licensing team was informed that the agreement states that from 1 May 2013, only vehicles operating for Clydebank Taxis will be able to use the taxi stance near the Asda supermarket in Clydebank. We have since been told that the agreement will last for 364 days.

We understand that a taxi marshall from Clydebank Taxis, plus shopping centre security staff, will ensure that other taxis are not able to use this rank.

Prior to 16 April, Council officers had no knowledge whatsoever of any possible changes to the existing arrangements at this taxi stance.

In 2000 the Council, under section 19 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, appointed taxi stances near the Asda supermarket. In 2001 the Council leased the car park to the Shopping Centre. Since 2001 the Shopping Centre has exercised control over the car park. Therefore since 2001, unlike the ranks on Kilbowie Road and Alexander Street / Hume Street for example, the taxi rank near the Asda supermarket has not been a rank over which the Council has had control.

The Council’s Housing, Environmental and Economic Development department (HEED) is responsible for the Council’s contractual relationship with the owners of the Shopping Centre, HP Properties Limited. Since learning of this agreement, officers from HEED have discussed it with senior representatives of HP Properties Limited. However the company is clearly unwilling to change the agreement but is only willing to postpone its commencement by one week to 8 May 2013.

Council officers have not been provided with the written agreement so cannot comment in any detail as to what it says.

Having considered this matter in great detail, it is clear that the Council has no legal powers to stop this agreement taking effect. The Council fully understands the strength of feeling about this development but is unable to prevent it happening.

The Council is willing to assist any affected taxi operators who feel that there would be benefit in forming a cooperative to operate a licensed booking office as a way of generating new business. Advice on forming a cooperative is available from the Council’s economic development team on 01389 737777.

Cllr Lawrence O'Neill Chair Licensing, Chair Planning, vice chair Roads and Transport statement issued today.

"It is important to stress that this contractual arrangement was in no way instigated by or on behalf of West Dunbartonshire Council or that WDC officers were in any way involved in discussions regarding the contract between Clyde Shopping Centre and Clydebank Taxis.

The first time that WDC was made aware of this was on the afternoon of Tuesday, 16th April 2013.

Since being advised of the proposed contract between the Clyde Shopping Centre and Clydebank Taxis on Thursday, 18th April 2013 I, as the Convenor of this Licensing Committee have instigated the following:

• I immediately contacted WDC’s Chief Executive and her other senior colleagues to find out what arrangements where in place and who was aware of this contractual arrangement and the potential impacts that such a contract would imply?

• I met with a large number of taxi drivers last Tuesday to hear at first hand from them on the impact of such an arrangement.

• All other Elected Members have been advised of the ongoing issue faced by the licensed taxi trade regarding the potential restriction being placed upon them by this contract hence the reason for this update.

• I have sought and been given an agreement via Helical Bar (operators of the Clyde Shopping Centre) to delay in the implementation of the contract by a week to Wednesday, 8th May 2013 to allow further discussions between Elected Members, WDC officers and the licensed taxi trade as well as contact directly with HB

• WDC officers at a senior level have been discussing the details of the contractual arrangements with a Director of Helical Bar.

• The Chief Executive has today instructed an Executive Director to make contact with the Director of HB in London to discuss this contractual arrangement and further work will continue around this.

It is my clear desire that we as the Licensing Authority look at all aspects of the licensed taxi trade arrangements particularly within the Clydebank Taxi zone at present and potential for such arrangements across West Dunbartonshire.

It is also my desire to ensure that current and future arrangements do not restrict the ability for all drivers to ply their trade without restriction.

At present, whilst discussions are being arranged with HB, it would be inappropriate to call any special or emergency Licensing Committee to discuss however that option does remain open to me as the chair of the Licensing Committee

Every effort is being made and will continue to be made at the most senior level within West Dunbartonshire Council and beyond to address this particular issue and to negate any negative impact on the taxi trade, the Clyde Shopping Centre and the businesses contained within and the wider social impact that may arise from this.

I will continue to offer any assistance to any or all parties concerned that I can."

Supported and agreed by opposition Cllr, Johnathan McColl.

Cabbies fear being driven out of business after firm owned by James Easdale wins contract

TAXI drivers stage strike after rank takeover forces them to pay Easdale's company if they want to pick up passengers from shopping centre.

CABBIES fear being driven out of business after a firm owned by Rangers investor James Easdale won a shopping-centre contract.

Clydebank Taxis were taken over by Easdale, 42, four years ago and operate around half the town’s 160 black hacks.

But Easdale’s firm have struck a deal with Clyde shopping centre bosses HP Properties for exclusive use of their rank. Independent hack owners who want to use it from May 8 will have to pay £80 a week – £4160 a year – to ­Easdale’s firm.

Last week, 60 drivers staged a one-hour strike in protest. A Clydebank Public Hire Association spokesman warned: “This decision could put us out of business.”

Councillor Lawrence O’Neill, chair of the taxi licensing committee, said: “The rank should be open to all drivers, not just those from one company.”

The Greenock-based Easdale family also own McGill’s Buses, of which James is chairman.

Clydebank Taxis said: “We were invited by the centre to take over.”

Read more: http://mrblackcab.proboards.com/index.c ... z2S7BVdpYY

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

Maybe the council should de-rank the rank, and place one on the public road.

Then add a return to the nearest rank clause in the by-laws, if one isn't already present.

However sadly in this world you get nothing for nothing.

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IDFIMH

Is there any other market sector where one company can own half the market? Doesn't it seem like this is a powerful basis to dominate the market and skew it to your own advantage while unfairly harming competitors?

Isn't that what's happening here?

And isn't that then a matter for the OFT?

And if this company controls half a fleet of restricted taxis (I don't know) isn't that precisely what the OFT warned against in its report?

And doesn't this bring us back to how contracts are awarded where companies can get together to create a voting block which effectively creates a cartel which can skew both the contract and public sectors of the market?

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Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

Clydebank troops grateful for all publicity they can get and any suggestions and pointers from any quarters.

But it would have been easier if it was kept on the one thread.

Can mods merge them?

Unless of course private land / private property laws are different in Scotland to England - I'd say your legal avenues are limited. The landowner usually decides who can be on their property.

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