Several issues covered in this piece, and obviously my thread title has (cynically) focussed on the operator's recruitment problems rather than the unlicensed drivers focussed on by Plymouth Live.
Thought at first that it was maybe intended to be one of those effective recruitment adverts masquerading as 'news', but on second thoughts I doubt somehow that there's much in here that would appeal to new drivers
Warning over cowboy taxi drivers operating in Plymouthhttps://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/p ... rs-3759638Need-A-Cab? chief Dave McIntosh has urged authorities to tackle what he deems to be 'a growing problem'
Image: Ed Oldfield/Plymouth LiveThe boss of Plymouth’s biggest taxi company is calling for a crackdown on unlicensed drivers.
Dave McIntosh, head of operations for Need-A-Cab? taxis, is warning the public to beware of rogue drivers advertising on social media.
Mr McIntosh said the unlicensed drivers were uninsured and unregulated, which would leave passengers unprotected in an accident.
He also warned that people were putting themselves in serious danger by using ‘cowboy’ taxis as they had no idea who the driver was and no record of the journey.
Under the rules governing taxis in Plymouth, all licensed private hire and cab drivers have to have a full background check to ensure they are a “fit and proper person” to do the job.
Mr McIntosh urged the city council as the licensing authority to take action with the police to tackle what appeared to be a growing problem which was putting the public at risk.
He said drivers wanted to see a campaign to stop unlicensed drivers and protect the legal trade.
Mr McIntosh said: "The problem of unlicensed drivers is something we have become aware of in recent months and seems to have got worse.
"They are unlicensed and uninsured, and are offering to pick people up for cash, via most social media platforms.
"There should be enforcement action to protect the livelihoods of the licensed trade and to safeguard the public."
Mr McIntosh spoke out after councillors complained about an apparent shortage of taxis at nights, weekends and bank holidays.
At the same meeting the city council’s taxi licensing committee voted to start consultation on a second year of increases to some of the fees paid by drivers and operators.
One apparently unlicensed driver was advertising for customers in a comment on a post about the meeting on Plymouth Live’s Facebook page.
Two drivers commented that they had given up working at night because of damage to their vehicle and people failing to pay.
Mr McIntosh detailed his concerns about the situation for the taxi trade in Plymouth in a letter to the Plymouth Herald newspaper.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the main problems facing driver recruitment were the difficulties new drivers faced in terms of the cost and time commitment to get into the industry, and the increasing abuse and violence they faced.
He said drivers were questioning what the increasing fees were being spent on, and they wanted to see more support.
Mr McIntosh said: "There is a threat of verbal and physical abuse on the nights, mainly Friday and Saturday nights. Drivers tend to work the day shift and make their money, so they don’t have to come out at night."
He said there was also more of a risk of people refusing to pay, or vehicles being soiled or damaged by drunk people from takeaway food, vomit, urine or faeces.
Mr McIntosh said drivers were vulnerable at nights because of the perception that they carried cash, but Need-A-Cab? Taxis had tackled this and made it easier to pay by supplying drivers with card-readers.
He said drivers were facing increasing costs, and time commitment, to join the industry. He said it cost the company around £2,000 to train a new driver, which could take between two and six months, and the shortage could increase as a significant number of current drivers were nearing retirement age.
The proposed council fee increases would see the cost of a ‘new driver’ application rise from £85 to £137.
Mr McIntosh said some drivers in the city were considering a strike in protest at the proposed rise in fees from April 1, which on top of last year’s increase amounted to a 100 per cent rise.
He urged the drivers not to go ahead with a strike, warning that it would be counter-productive by harming customers who would be forced to use their cars or the bus, and drivers would lose income.
Need-A-Cab? Taxis based in Ham Drive was set up in 2011 by Mr McIntosh, 58, a former Royal Marine, and partners Huw Issac, 58, a former police officer, and Dave Evans, 59, who had many years of experience in the trade.
The company has almost 300 drivers and more than 40 office staff.
The proposed changes to fees charged by the city council include the annual hackney carriage vehicle fee going up by 8% (£342-£369) and the driver licence fee by 15% for one-year and three-year licences (£165-£190; £435-£500).
Hackney Carriages are the cabs which pick up from taxi ranks and can be flagged down in the street.
For private hire taxis, which have to be ordered in advance, the one-year vehicle fee would go up by 8% (£170-£184) and the driver fee by 12% for one-year and three-year licences (£120-£134; £300-£336).
The ‘new driver’ application fee is proposed to go up from £85 to £137.
Both categories of taxis are licensed and regulated by the city council through the licensing framework set out in the Plymouth City Council Act 1975. The council also sets the fares for the hackney cabs.
Any objections during a consultation period will have to be considered by the committee before making a final decision on the fees due to come into force from April 1.
Last year's increases of up to 80 per cent for some taxi fees were met with protests from drivers and the threat of legal action.
Councillors heard there were 1,200 licensed drivers in the city and there had not been a significant fall in numbers.
The proposed increases for 2020/21 are the second phase of a five-year programme to balance the books and avoid deficits in the taxi accounts.
Under the law governing taxi licensing, the city council’s service has to be self-financing and cannot be subsidised from the authority’s general income.
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