Taxi Driver Online

This article almost makes it sound like the council is paying for and installing the screens, not just authorising them


Carlisle City Council helping to keep taxis safe during pandemic

https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1848 ... -pandemic/

Carlisle City Council is working to protect at-risk taxi drivers and their passengers with the installation of screens in their vehicles.

The work the authority is undertaking to help drivers in hackney carriage and private hire vehicles to stay safe was outlined at a virtual regulatory panel meeting on Wednesday after the industry was identified by the Office of National Statistics as one with a raised risk of death during the coronavirus pandemic.

That includes helping drivers who wish to install protective screens in their vehicles to get authorisation and ensuring they do so safely.

Nicola Edwards, the council's licensing manager, said: "The National Private Hire and Taxi Organisation are mounting a campaign in favour of the installation of screens as protection both for the driver and members of the public.

"We, the car licensing authority, support the installation of protective screens in licensed vehicles, provided they are fit for purpose and of a safe standard.

"There is no requirement for members to make amendments to the licence conditions but licence holders are required to obtain permission for installation.

"A guidance note has been produced, alongside a procedure for authorisation, to ensure that licence holders are able to fit screens in their vehicles without an unnecessary delay."

The council, which licenses more than 300 taxi drivers in the city, is still processing renewal of licences but new applications are not currently being accepted due to the necessary face-to-face inspections, training and tests not being carried out.

Some discussion on here about licence renewals, but can't recall much mention of new applications.

However, as I recall it, Fife Council here said early on that they aren't processing new applications unless they're 'business critical', whatever that means.

Another claim made in the newspaper's comments section is that most drivers don't actually want the screens. Of course, that may or may not be true, but I'm quite sure there will be *some* drivers who don't want them, whether or not it's *most*.

But that in turn raises the question about councils and firms making them mandatory.

Has any council made screens mandatory yet?

And individual firms?

100% certain no new applications are happening down here.

But it does beg the question who in their right minds comes into our trade under the current circumstances of virtually no work and a much higher risk of getting the virus.

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IDFIMH

someone recently unemployed and not done their research

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

A plated vehicle has just sold a couple of weeks ago, for not very much, admittedly.
Not mine, I should add.

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Former taxi driver

But that could have been sold to someone already in the trade looking for a bargain.

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IDFIMH