Taxi Driver Online

Leicester mayor Peter Soulsby could reduce city's taxi age limit from 11 to eight years


Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby is considering cutting the age at which city taxis need to be taken off the road from 11 years to eight years.

The move comes with Sir Peter embroiled in a bitter and long-running dispute with the city's cabbies over a new penalty points misconduct scheme for drivers.

Leicester City Council agreed, in April 2013, to raise the maximum age of both Hackney cabs and private hire vehicles from eight years to eleven years, but keep the decision under review.

The RMT union, which represents 325 city hackney drivers, has been pressing for the vehicle age limit to rise to 15 years.

Sir Peter said today: "We have looked at the evidence on how taxis perform as they get older and we know that beyond the age of eight years nearly half of vehicles failed their regular safety checks.

"I am not minded to increase the age limit to 15 years, and in fact there is come compelling evidence suggesting it could be returned to its previous eight-year-old age limit.

"A significant number of taxis fail their regular safety checks after eight years, suggesting that it is a suitable cut-off point for vehicle age.

"Having large numbers of older taxis on our roads also delays them being replaced with newer, lower-emission vehicles, which has a very significant impact on air quality in the city.

"With this in mind I will be launching a public consultation on the possibility of returning the age limit for both Hackney cabs and private hire vehicles to eight years."

Sir Peter insisted the move was based on hard evidence and was not a punitive measure resulting from his on-running battle with the cabbies.

He did admit the RMT had been urging him to come to a decision on taxi ages and recent events and go-slow city centre processions had now prompted him to look at the matter.

The Mercury was unable to contact anyone from the RMT but a letter, sent to the council in June. from Leicestershire branch secretary Umar Khan pressed for a 15 year limit in line with London.

He said: "Due to the current situation with the recession, the four year extension would be beneficial to members from a financial perspective as the purchase of new taxis is proving to be very costly during this current financial time.

"It is not fair that those vehicles have spent thousands of pounds maintaining their vehicle on a regular basis have their vehicles replaced after 11 years."


Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leice ... z3v4tcRdJZ

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

This is Maggie versus the Scargill all over again but does Soulsby have that much power ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

I don't think there's any rules for getting rid of a mayor - unless of course the cab trade follow him everywhere he goes, like on the hit tv show scandal, and find an illicit lover, or dig up secrets via wire taps - or is that just me?

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

Ballot box would be a start, but then again he might actually be popular with the voters.

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IDFIMH

he's as popular as king herod amongst cab drivers

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

Problem is we, as a trade, are even less popular.

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IDFIMH

I don't think them Cab drivers will know who King Herod was. Ask them a question about how they got into the UK.

Allegedly, London will have a 12 year limit, shortly, with only new electric vehicles from 2018 or what ever date they have set

why are we always classed as scum though ? never worked it out tbh

driving a taxi is seen by many as a job of last resort for people with no skills and does attract some pretty unemployable characters but a lot more descent ones too. We are also highly visible so motorists perceive us as bad drivers even though they are far more likely to get cut up by an ordinary car the sign on top means we have to be extra courteous to other motorists. As most of our money comes in as cash we are also believed to be tax dodgers benefit cheats etc etc. which is not generally the case but we are perceived to be at the bottom of the pile in terms of the trendiness, status and wealth plus we have a higher percentage of immigrant workers than almost any other trade except agriculture

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Because we are all tarred with the lowest of the low within our trade.

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IDFIMH

Most members of the public think we are paid a weekly wage by the company and that in their minds makes it ok to keep us waiting, dodge the fare, pay less thans on the meter, generally mess us around and treat us like sh*t.
Plus they don't realise we have to buy a vehicle and pay all the upkeep and so it doesn't matter if they make a mess inside or do any damage.

They get in the car and go home for a £5, as an example.

That takes about 5-10 mins.

The thickos therefore calculate we are on £30-£50 an hour.

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IDFIMH