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 Post subject: new medicals
PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 9:02 pm 
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http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/ne ... -1-4615203

Proposed new medical tests for taxi drivers in the Borders look set to prove unpopular within the trade. Scottish Borders Council’s civic government licensing committee will be recommended today, November 17, to give the go-ahead for drivers to undergo a medical every five years to ensure that they are fit to drive taxis and private-hire cars. Among the conditions to be checked for will be drug and alcohol dependency, cardiac-related illnesses and sleep disorders. The council set up a working group to put together a formal policy regulating drivers after guidance was issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and Scottish Government last year. The aim is that medical rules regulating cabbies are brought into line with those for bus and lorry drivers. The policy recommends that all drivers aged 45 and over are reassessed every five years and that those aged 65 and over are tested annually. Brian Hunter, owner of Hunter’s Cabs in Selkirk for the last 15 years, has no problem with the principle behind the proposal – to ensure the safety of passengers – but he believes that it will be unpopular with most drivers as they will have to pay out the estimated £100 cost of the test themselves. Mr Hunter said: “It won’t affect me personally because I have an HGV licence anyway, and I already need to pay for the test, but I don’t think this will be very popular with the trade. “Drivers already have to pay to license their car every year and pay for their badge and operating licence, and this is just an added cost on top of that in addition to ongoing maintenance costs “There is also the issue of the cost of fuel. When you take on a school contract, for example, you have to state a set price up front for the length of that contract, and that doesn’t take into account the fact that fuel prices fluctuate. A lot of drivers will see this as just another extra financial burden.” A report to tomorrow’s committee meeting at the council’s Newtown headquarters says: “There is a risk that the introduction of this policy will not be well received by the taxi trade and is likely to attract criticism.” “However, the introduction of a policy on medical assessment is desirable in the interests of ensuring public safety.”
http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/ne ... -1-4615203


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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 9:25 pm 
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The last time I had a Medical for me and the wife for SBC School Contract PH work it cost me £50 and the the wife £90, it was a D4 medical as HGV and PSV, the price difference was my Doctor and her Doctors are in Difference practices 10 miles apart....


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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 9:56 pm 
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In that same article was this:

Quote:
“There is also the issue of the cost of fuel. When you take on a school contract, for example, you have to state a set price up front for the length of that contract, and that doesn’t take into account the fact that fuel prices fluctuate. A lot of drivers will see this as just another extra financial burden.”


Read more at: http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/ne ... -1-4615203

Thers a bit of a flaw with this new Framework questionare for School runs and the likes, the Price per mile categories start with a price for a vehicle of up to 8 passenger seats where as in the past it was up to 4 Passenger seats and then 5 to 8 passenger seats, that would mean anyone running a 4 seater car would gain an advantage because they usually charge less and work on a lower tariff than an 5 to 8 seat MPV, their Pence per mile will stand out favourably as it would like be some 50% cheaper than those of us who run a 5 to 8 seater MPv or who run both, there is is no option to put in prices that reflect both seperate vehicle sizes.

It also does not make it clear whether the Price per mile you quote on their qualifying questionnaires based on their example run of 20 miles A to B is inclusive of dead miles or purely passenger miles, that happened a few years ago and one of the biggest Taxi co's in the borders cocked up and entered purely a price based on the time the passenger was aboard and when they won the contracts because the prices they quoted were half the price of everyone else and when they won the lions share of the runs they were screwed because they could not afford to run them at a loss...they folded and left the SBC in a pickle and left many of us missing out on contracts our correctly priced runs would have otherwise won.

The new framework should either clarify the pricing method or better still remove it all together at this point and allow the prices to be submitted with each contract we contest and bid for, it is supposed to create a Database of suppliers that after they win a place on the framework can then be approached by the SBC school transport, Special needs transport, social services transport and the NHS transport services...the framework is no more than a collection of supplied qualified suppliers which the above purchasers can send out offers of a tender too in order for us contractors to Bid individually on each contract as they appear.

That framework is very poorly drafted, it's one size fits all will not work, only folk with 4 seaters will be on it or idiots that price cheaply and wrongly half the run price....those who submit say 75p per passenger mile equal to £15.00 for a twenty mile passenger journey that takes the actual Contractor 40 miles to complete will be working for only 37.5 PPM...as for owners of 5 to 8 seaers , well they aint even going get a look in in because their price per mile under the 0 to 8 seat pricing option is going to make them look greedy and them and their valuable 8 seat MPVs will price themselves out of of the framework qualifying threshold.

The whole things a joke.


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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 8:01 am 
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my doctor charges £130


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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:30 am 
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Location: Stamford Britains prettiest town till SKDC ruined it
185 here

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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 10:04 am 
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Recently moved doctors so don't know what mine will cost now but my last one nearly five years ago was £80.00.
Incidentally I wonder how many authorities insist that the medical is carried out by a doctor from the practice your registered with ?


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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 4:01 pm 
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Midlife martyr wrote:
Recently moved doctors so don't know what mine will cost now but my last one nearly five years ago was £80.00.
Incidentally I wonder how many authorities insist that the medical is carried out by a doctor from the practice your registered with ?


Our council, like many others, state that the doctor undertaking the medical must have full access to our medical records.


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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:10 pm 
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skippy41 wrote:
The policy recommends that all drivers aged 45 and over are reassessed every five years and that those aged 65 and over are tested annually.

That's the case in the vast majority of the UK.

I suspect it has saved 100s and 100s of drivers lives.

Down here the fees vary from under a £100 to over £100. Money well spent in my view.

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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:11 pm 
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Midlife martyr wrote:
Incidentally I wonder how many authorities insist that the medical is carried out by a doctor from the practice your registered with ?

Ours does, but if there are questions that goes to an independent doctor.

But the cost for the latter are paid out of the general licensing pot.

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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:37 pm 
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Location: Stamford Britains prettiest town till SKDC ruined it
Aberdeenshire now

Currently, Aberdeenshire Council’s licensing authority is required to ensure all drivers achieve DVLA Group 2 Standards to prove that they are in a fit condition to operate their vehicle.

Councillor Fergus Hood, chairman of Aberdeenshire Council’s licensing sub-committee, said: “There are more than 2,000 taxi and private hire car operators and drivers in Aberdeenshire and it’s important that we hear as many views as possible before deciding on the best way to introduce the medical assessment scheme.

Through the scheme, we will be able to ensure that all applicants have met the appropriate standards, which will provide peace of mind both to the local licensing boards and to applicants themselves.”

Three drop-in sessions have been scheduled where drivers and firm operators will be consulted on their views surrounding various options for the scheme – they will take place from 11am-2pm at Viewmount, Stonehaven on Wednesday, November 29, County Hall, Banff on Thursday, December 7 and Gordon House, Inverurie on Friday, December 8.

An online consultation will follow before a final decision is made.

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 Post subject: Re: new medicals
PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:46 pm 
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Looks like someone in Scotland has just read the Group 2 requirements.

#-o

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