Sussex wrote:
Cabbie's despair as council threaten to seize his taxi - for driving in a bus lane
A Hull taxi driver who was told his car would be seized by the council if he did not pay a series of bus lane fines has said they were wrongly imposed on him. Philip Haukvik, 33, who lives in Cottingham, has been bombarded with Hull City Council fines since changing his vehicle in July.
His wife, Rachel, said the couple had “reached the end of their tether” when the letters escalated to threats to take his livelihood away from him if he did not pay the fines. Registered taxi drivers are able to drive in bus lanes during their operational hours. Rachel, 31, said: “Since July, Phil has been arguing with the council about these fines.
“We got the new car in July, and you can expect to get a couple – we had a few with the old car – but they have taken things to the extreme now. “Phil went to see someone at the council, who said they would make sure he was added to the list, but it never materialised. “He has been passed between the council and the licensing team at least six times now…it has become a joke.”
Phil has been a registered private hire driver for Hull Cars for the past four years. He has received as many as 15 bus lane fines since July. On Saturday, he was then told if he did not pay one of the fines he would have to pay £235 to have his vehicle seized. He has received notices for alleged breaches on roads across Hull, including Beverley Road and Holderness Road.
Hull City Council confirmed that Phil had lodged an official appeal against the notices, and that they had subsequently been put on hold. A council spokesperson said: “We first received notice from Mr Haukvik that he wishes to appeal these notices today (October 3) through our call centre. “As a result, all cases have been put on hold, pending him supplying proof of identification as evidence.
“We would urge anyone with reason to believe they have grounds to appeal against a PCN to do so at the earliest opportunity to prevent cases progressing. “Where notices have been issued in error, the appeals process will rectify this.”
Rachel said the ongoing ordeal had also affected her husband’s business. “This is his livelihood, and without this we would not be able to eat. “We have three young children under the age of five. I don’t want the bailiffs at my door, it does not look good for the neighbours when we are stood there arguing with bailiffs, but hopefully it will not get that far.
“Phil has to pay £170 a year to the council for his taxi licence, and then with all the other costs it probably comes to around £250 a year. “I think when you are paying that much just to be a driver, you should get a level of respect between them and the council.”
Hull’s bus lanes are active between 7am and 9.30am for routes heading towards the city centre, and 4pm and 6.30pm for routes heading out of the city. Motorists caught in the lane who are not registered face a fine of up to £60.
I got away with one a few weeks ago in Nottingham when they accused me of going down a bus and tram lane. I asked them to show me where the tram lines were? A few weeks later they sent me a letter saying they were dropping the fine.
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