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Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm tonight
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Author:  captain cab [ Thu Nov 13, 2014 5:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm tonight
Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm tonight


Taxi customers in Hitchin are being warned of a second mini-cab strike from 5pm to 10pm today following Saturday evening’s walkout which involved more than 50 owner drivers in town.

The dispute centres on North Herts District Council’s decision to reduce the drivers’ flag rate from £3.40 over the first 0.7 miles of a fare to £3, which will come into force on December 1.

Taxi driver Shamriz Khan, who helped lead Saturday’s strike and is supporting today’s action, told the Comet: “No more than eight drivers out of 50 or 60 turned up for work in Hitchin on Saturday night – which is testament to the fact the council has simply not listened to a word taxi drivers have said to them.

“We also know around eight to 10 drivers in Letchworth also didn’t go to work, and we have plans to spread it throughout other towns in the area if the council continue not to listen to us.

“I’ve been driving taxis for 14 years and have never had a customer complain the tariff was too high. Owner drivers are losing 25p to 30p per fare. It’s unacceptable – anyone who has had two wage cuts in two years would feel this way. We’re all family people but we are far worse off now than we were five years ago in terms of drivers pay.

“The message we are trying to send the council is we don’t want an increase in fares, but we don’t want a reduction either – we just want them to leave it as it is.

“We don’t want to inconvenience the public but the council isn’t listening to us. We are printing 1,000 leaflets to give to as many commuters as possible on Thursday to tell them of our plans. Many of our customers have already asked us how they can support us. None of us want to take strike action as we lose a day’s pay – but the council are acting like a dictatorship in pushing through these plans without consulting us.”

Councillor Bernard Lovewell, responsible for Housing and Environmental Health said: ‘We remain committed to working with the local taxi trade, however we also have to take into account the needs of their customers. The decision to reduce the current taxi fares from 1 December 2014 to bring them more in line with national and regional averages, was based on balancing the need for a viable local taxi service against ensuring taxis remain affordable for all sections of the community, particularly the elderly and vulnerable.”

Muktar Thind, manager of Boxhall Taxis who helped hand out leaflets to commuters at Hitchin Railway Station said: “We need to make the public aware of what we are doing, We don’t want to inconvenience anyone but we need to let the public know about the cut in wages taxi drivers face.

Roger Lafferty of Castles Taxi in Hitchin said: “The council never listen to us, they are destroying the taxi industry in Hitchin. I feel sorry for the independent drivers here because the council is asking them to take a pay cut – didn’t some people at NHDC receive an 18 per cent pay rise last year? “So how can they then tell taxi drivers to take a pay cut? I broadly supported the strike and I made sure none of my drivers picked up from cab ranks.

“I don’t think the council fully appreciate the service we provide in the community, as we help a lot of people on unsocial shifts get to work including nurses and carers. The council are crucifying the taxi trade in Hitchin.”

Hitchin commuter Stewart Scott from The Ridgeway told the Comet: “As someone who commutes to London every day, and as someone who occasionally has after-work drinks and gets later trains back to Hitchin I do use taxis to get home from the station. I say good luck to the strikers as no-one wants their wages cut do they?”

source: http://www.thecomet.net/news/taxi_drive ... _1_3846835
Author:  captain cab [ Thu Nov 13, 2014 5:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm tonight
Spot all the illegal fees;

http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/index/bus ... e_fees.htm
Author:  captain cab [ Thu Nov 13, 2014 6:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm toni
from the NHDC council license fees report last year;

Hackney Carriages and Private Hire

7.3.7 Hackney carriage and private hire licensing is governed by two pieces of legislation, the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

In respect of driver’s licence fees, s. 53(2) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 states:

“Notwithstanding the provisions of the Act of 1847, a district council may demand and recover for the grant to any person of a licence to drive a hackney carriage, or a private hire vehicle, as the case may be, such a fee as they consider reasonable with a view to recovering the costs of issue and administration any may remit the whole or part of the fee in respect of a private hire vehicle in any case in which they think it appropriate to do so”.

7.3.8 Therefore the cost of issuing driver’s licences can be included in the fee; however, the cost of any enforcement against unlicensed drivers cannot. It is a reasonable assumption that the cost of enforcement against licensed drivers can be included as the ongoing compliance checks undertaken against a licensed driver form part of the ‘fit and proper’ person test that is an integral part of the decision to grant a licence.

7.3.9 In respect of fees for hackney carriage and private hire vehicle licences and private hire operators’ licences, s. 70 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 states:

“Subject to the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, a district council may charge such fees for the grant of vehicle and operators’ licences as may be resolved by them from time to time and as may be sufficient in the aggregate to cover in whole or in part-

(a) the reasonable cost of the carrying out by or on behalf of the district council of
inspections of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles for the purpose of determining whether any such licence should be granted or renewed;

(b) the reasonable cost of providing hackney carriage stands; and

(c) any reasonable administrative or other costs in connection with the foregoing and with the control and supervision of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles”

7.3.10 Sub-section (c) above makes reference to the ‘control and supervision’ which suggests that enforcement against unlicensed vehicles and operators can be included.
Author:  Nidge2 [ Thu Nov 13, 2014 6:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm tonight
captain cab wrote:
Spot all the illegal fees;

http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/index/bus ... e_fees.htm



Annual vehicle licence (12 months) £306.00
Six-month vehicle licence £183.00
Transfer of vehicle ownership £183.00
Monthly reduction for shorter-term licence eg. 10 month licence: £297.00 (2x£20.00)=£257.00 £21.00
Temporary Licence (following accident damage) £60.00


??????????????????????????????????????
Author:  captain cab [ Thu Nov 13, 2014 6:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm toni
The council appear to have delegated all authority to the LO's - I notice their licensing committee sits once per year
Author:  captain cab [ Thu Nov 13, 2014 6:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm toni
http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/index/bus ... _forum.htm

http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/index/bus ... mation.htm

http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/taxi_minutes27aug2014.pdf

In fairness they do appear to be a bunch of f*ckwits ](*,)
Author:  Sussex [ Fri Nov 14, 2014 8:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm toni
captain cab wrote:
Councillor Bernard Lovewell, responsible for Housing and Environmental Health said: ‘We remain committed to working with the local taxi trade, however we also have to take into account the needs of their customers. The decision to reduce the current taxi fares from 1 December 2014 to bring them more in line with national and regional averages, was based on balancing the need for a viable local taxi service against ensuring taxis remain affordable for all sections of the community, particularly the elderly and vulnerable.”

That really is quite shocking. Image
Author:  captain cab [ Fri Nov 14, 2014 8:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm toni
Sussex wrote:
That really is quite shocking. Image


no more shocking than the whoop of cab owners that sit on their forum
Author:  trotskys twin [ Fri Nov 14, 2014 11:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm toni
[edited by admin]^S TREATED AS [edited by admin]"S NO SYMPATHY FROM TT :-" NOW MAYBE IF THEY WENT ON AN INDEFINITE STRIKE =D> =D>
Author:  captain cab [ Fri Nov 14, 2014 11:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm toni
trotskys twin wrote:
[edited by admin]^S TREATED AS [edited by admin]"S NO SYMPATHY FROM TT :-" NOW MAYBE IF THEY WENT ON AN INDEFINITE STRIKE =D> =D>


they were led into it like lambs
Author:  trotskys twin [ Fri Nov 14, 2014 11:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm toni
captain cab wrote:
trotskys twin wrote:
[edited by admin]^S TREATED AS [edited by admin]"S NO SYMPATHY FROM TT :-" NOW MAYBE IF THEY WENT ON AN INDEFINITE STRIKE =D> =D>


they were led into it like lambs



HA HA TORY VERMIN COUNCIL ATTACKING WORKERS ........................WELL I NEVER #-o #-o BET MOST OF EM VOTED TORY #-o
Author:  Nidge2 [ Sat Nov 15, 2014 3:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Outrage! Taxi drivers to strike in Hitchin from 5pm toni
Sussex wrote:
captain cab wrote:
Councillor Bernard Lovewell, responsible for Housing and Environmental Health said: ‘We remain committed to working with the local taxi trade, however we also have to take into account the needs of their customers. The decision to reduce the current taxi fares from 1 December 2014 to bring them more in line with national and regional averages, was based on balancing the need for a viable local taxi service against ensuring taxis remain affordable for all sections of the community, particularly the elderly and vulnerable.”

That really is quite shocking. Image


Are they going to subsidise the drivers loss of earnings? Nah thought not
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