Taxi Driver Online

One for the vehicle spec experts, this. Don't know if this is normal for WAVs, or if council going a bit OTT

But council's quote right at the end makes it sound like a storm in a teacup. So don't know if maybe drivers got wrong end of stick, or council cocked up and now trying to make it sound like it's not their fault.

However, if it's anything like our council then one ongoing problem is that the people in council HQ don't know what the people in the council garages are doing, and vice versa. And trade often out of the loop altogether, or at least only selected people in the trade get to know what's going on

This is why 70 taxi drivers were protesting in Burton today

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton ... ng-2431331

Council boss steps in and meets with cabbies face to face


Image: Burton Mail

Seventy taxi drivers have today staged a protest in Burton in a row over new safety measures, claiming they have not been given enough time to implement changes.

Mohammed Ikhlaq, a spokesman for the Burton Taxi Association, said the drivers protested outside the East Staffordshire Borough Council licensing offices in Millers Lane to make their voices heard about the introduction of the new Individual Vehicle Appraisal (IVA) for hackney carriages which carry disabled passengers.

After the protest when cabbies stood in unity outside the council offices, the authority's chief executive Andy O'Brien met with them outside the building and spoke to drivers.

The authority has now agreed to extend the January 21 deadline on an individual basis.

Cabbies across Burton had been warned in letters from the borough council sent out in November that they would need to get the new appraisal, which is carried out by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and costs £260.

It can then cost them between £2,000 and £5,000 to make any modifications that are needed to make sure they can continue to work. Modifications include installing specialist seats for disabled passengers.

Drivers had been given a deadline of January 21 to have made the changes, but Mr Ikhlaq said cabbies staged the protest as they felt this was too shorter time.

He said: "Today we have discussed with the council the need for an extension for this IVA as the date of January 21 is not possible when they only started sending letters out in November.

"With the holidays and weekend it has only left us about 10 days to get it sorted.

"This has left a bitter taste in our mouths."

Mr Ikhlaq said that for the last 10 to 15 years drivers had worked with a garage in Burton which has made any modifications that are needed to vehicles.

These have all been carried out to the council's specifications, he said. The council will then check the vehicles were up to the correct standard before they are allowed out on the roads.

All of the vehicles also have three MOT tests a year - two carried out by VOSA and the other required to secure a Certificate of Compliance so they can use the vehicle as a taxi.

So far 78 cabbies in Burton have been told they need to get the checks and any make improvements required, he said.


Image: Burton Mail

Mr Ikhlaq said: "Up until now we did not have IVA approval from the garage as far as the council and traders were aware.

"When we buy a vehicle the council inspects it and tells us if that vehicle is okay.

"It then goes for an MoT for a Certificate of Compliance where there is a stringent check on everything, including the wheelchair ramps.

"We then return the vehicle to the council where they give it final approval.

"Now we have sat down and discussed it with the council and they have said they are willing to give us an extension on an individual basis.

"We need this as after the vehicles have been through the IVA they will need more time to get any work that needs to be carried out - which is no fault of ours."

A council spokesman said: "Members of the Taxi Licensing Trade wished to speak with officers of the council regarding a misunderstanding of a technical matter.

"A meeting took place between the licensees and officers of the council where the matter was resolved."

Not really sure what the issue is.

But it's great the drivers and the Chief Exec are talking.

Clearly some kind of change is taking place, and maybe the solution is to allow those changes to happen over a longer period rather than all at once.

_________________
IDFIMH

Burton taxi drivers list their grievances as protest is staged in the town

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton ... st-2436815

Cabbies say they are only asking to be treated the same as drivers in other areas

Taxi drivers who staged a large protest in Burton have compiled a list of grievances they want council bosses to address, including having to pay £250 for a yearly medical which they say it is much cheaper in neighbouring areas.

Cabbies also want a rule removed which means taxi cars can only be used for seven years while hackney carriages can be on the roads in East Staffordshire for 10.

Drivers say is not the case in neighbouring areas such as Lichfield, Ashby and Swadlincote.

The list of grievances comes after 70 cabbies from the town staged a protest at East Staffordshire Borough Council's licensing offices in Millers Lane.

The council is the authority responsible licensing taxis.

Mohammed Arfan, who was speaking on behalf of hackney carriage drivers said: "We have been told we can pick people up from Burton and take them to other towns and cities in a taxi no older than 10 years but then they come back in a 20-year-old car, where is the public safety in that for customers?

"We want to resolve these issues in a nice way.

"We have been fighting with the council for the age limit to be changed for the last 10 years as after this time the vehicle will be acceptable in other places but our council says it is not safe."

The protest in Burton was primarily over the new individual vehicle appraisal (IVA) test for hackney carriages, which is a new appraisal drivers need to get carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and costs £260.

It can then cost drivers between £2,000 and £5,000 to make any modifications that are needed so they can legally continue to work.

The deadline given for this was January 21, after letters were sent out in November, but cabbies argued this was not enough time to get the work done.

Borough council chief executive Andy O'Brien met with the drivers during Monday's protest and after a meeting it was agreed to extend the deadline on an individual basis.

However, Mr Arfan said this was not the only issue the cabbies were facing, as they feel they face tougher rules than taxi drivers working in other towns and cities.

One issue is that taxi cars can only be used for seven years and hackney carriages for 10 when they claim this is not the same in neighbouring areas such as Lichfield, Ashby and Swadlincote, said Mr Arfan.

Vehicles in East Staffordshire are also subject to three MOT tests a year to make sure they are safe to be on the road, which they say further begs the question over when they need to be changed as they are regularly getting safety checks.

A spokesman for East Staffordshire Borough Council said: "East Staffordshire Borough Council's priority is that of public safety and our approach is approved by our licensing committee and set out in our Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Policy irrespective of what other authorities may or may not do.

"The number of MOT's requested is due to the high mileage these vehicles will cover during the course of the year(s). The age limits are set in the Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Policy. This has been considered and approved by Full Council."

Another problem the cabbies raised was about the council licensing offices and the opening times, with Mr Arfan saying that drivers can sometimes be left outside in bad weather with no shelter while waiting for appointments.

He said: "We pay our council fees but when we go and see them we have to make an appointment.

"We don't have a proper 9am to 5pm office where we can walk in and are often left waiting outside in the rain, wind or snow.

"That is not acceptable when we pay our fees."

The drivers were also unhappy with the medical test which they have yearly and costs them £250 when other areas it is £20 to £40, they say.

The council spokesman said: "The licensing team use an appointment system to meet with customers face-to-face.

"This enables the team to provide a quality service through allocating specific time to the individual and in addition enables the team to regulate the time required for the processing of licences and answering telephone enquiries.

"Customers are seen promptly upon arrival for their appointment and taken to a designated interview room to be seen."

On the medical testing, the spokesman said: "The council adopted the Group 1 medical standards for fitness to drive hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in accordance with the DVLA and Department for Transport best practice guidance.

"This is essential as they will be driving members of the public and therefore must be medically fit to drive. Licensed drivers must also continue to satisfy this requirement during their licence duration.

"All medicals for applicants for a hackney carriage or private hire driver's licence must be carried out by the applicant's own GP or another doctor in the same practice.

"Further medicals will be required every three years unless specified by the GP.

"Any applicants considering obtaining a hackney carriage driver licence should consider their medical fitness to do so, as drivers of such vehicles are required to take as passengers members of the public who may be wheelchair users or other disabled sections of the community.

"The council does not perform medicals for potential or existing licence holders and is not in the position to advise on the costs charged by medical practices."

Group 2, presumably.

All sounds very onerous in East Staffs though, but I suppose it keeps the riffraff out