Delta Minicabs announces a 50% increase in Liverpool city centre bookings in the last five months The revelation came on the same day Liverpool council dramatically revoked its licence
Delta Minicabs announced it has seen Liverpool city centre bookings increase by nearly 50% in the last five months.
The revelation came on the same day Liverpool council revoked its licence in an ongoing row over the firm’s operation.
Last night, the company vowed to fight Liverpool council’s decision in court.
On its website it also boasted to its drivers that it had seen a huge rise in city centre pickups from 23,000-a-week to 34,000-a-week - a 47.8% increase.
Its website said: “Over 10,000 extra paid jobs a week is an astonishing increase for an area that is essentially no larger than a quarter of a square mile. The lovely student population is of course partly responsible for this growth but the biggest factor is the increasing number of Delta drivers making themselves available to earn money in the city centre.
“We still however have far too many drivers that for whatever reason “Don’t work town”. Given the earning potential and the fact that one in every five paying Delta customers wants picking up from the city centre, isn’t it about time you rethought your strategy?”
The announcement is likely to inflame tensions with Liverpool’s hackney cab drivers who have been at war with the Bootle-based private hire firm drivers over ‘taking fares’ in the city.
Mayor Joe Anderson has already given his backing to claims that minicab giant Delta was unfairly “saturating” Liverpool and taking a living away from city-registered drivers.
The company was issued with a new private hire operator’s licence on November 18 to enable them to take fares in the city.
But a condition of this was there had to be a dedicated telephone booking line for Liverpool, separate from the firm’s Sefton operation.
Yesterday the authority said it became aware that the Liverpool booking number was not operational and the only way bookings can be made is through a phone app.
Furthermore, it said the firm’s Liverpool registered vehicles have door signs which only refer to the app and do not advertise the Liverpool number.
Delta had intended to take advantage of a relaxation in regulations and open up an office in the city centre.
A Liverpool council spokesman said: “In view of the breach of the condition the decision has been made to revoke the licence.
“Delta have 21 days to appeal to the magistrates’ court against this decision.
“They will be able to continue to operate in the city during this time.”
The firm said they would fight back.
In a statement, the minicab company said: “Having just received a notice of revocation of private hire operator’s licence from Liverpool city council our legal team have now been instructed to appeal this decision through the appropriate judicial channels.
“Both our Sefton and Liverpool operations remain entirely lawful – something we are extremely confident of being able to establish firmly through the courts over the coming months.
“In the meantime, whilst the appeal remains ongoing, nothing changes for any of us – it’s business as usual for all of our drivers and customers.”
Jimmy Bradley, spokesman for Liverpool’s Minicab Alliance told the ECHO: “The fight’s still not over for the minicab alliance.
“Joe Anderson has supplied a victory for common sense and the Minicab Alliance and the combined private and hackney hire trade in Liverpool appreciate the direct intervention of the mayor and the mayoral team.”
source:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liv ... se-8314235
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