Taxi Driver Online

Obviously no shortage of drivers in Carlisle, although I suspect it depends who you ask...


Carlisle taxi driver calls for cap on licences with situation 'no longer tenable'

https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1966 ... es-issued/


Image: News & Star

A Carlisle taxi driver has called for a cap on the number of licences being issued, as he says too many are struggling to make ends meet.

Trade in the past 10 years has halved and many drivers are earning less than the minimum wage, said Chris Bray.

He has asked Carlisle City Council to limit the number of Hackney Carriage Vehicle licences being issued and warned the situation is 'no longer tenable'.

In a letter to the council, Mr Bray said: "Trade in the last 10 years has halved as people use taxis less because people's habits have changed and nightlife is nowhere near what it used to be.

"Many taxi drivers and private hire drivers are now earning less than minimum wage as a result of Carlisle City Council issuing licences to anyone that fits the criterium which makes the situation no longer tenable.

"Too many drivers are doing too many hours to make ends meet which in turn creates dangerous driving habits, fatigue and tiredness."

He added: "Cherry picking on the taxi ranks is commonplace now as some drivers will not move off the rank if the job is short."

The letter concluded: "The only people that can right this problem and put people back on an even keel minimum wage plus are the regulatory panel."

A report into the issue is set to be considered by the council's regulatory panel at a meeting next Wednesday.

Members will have to decide whether to commission a survey to assess unmet demand for hackney carriages within the district.

The panel report includes a survey undertaken with hackney carriage proprietors to gauge their support for the request and the willingness to fund the demand survey, which would cost them approximately £20 each a year.

The council approached all 132 hackney carriage proprietors and 28 responded.

Nineteen supported a survey being carried out and the same number were willing to pay the necessary fee.

They were also asked: if the panel indicated they would be unlikely to limit licences whatever the result of a demand survey, would they still like it to be carried out?

Twelve said yes, 16 said no.

Some drivers surveyed by the council agreed with Mr Bray, that there were too many taxis in the city.

Others said there were not enough some evenings and also on busy weekends.

In the report, officers point out: "The Department for Transport’s 'Best Practice Guidance' does not recommend quantity restrictions."

They recommend members consider the options: to instruct the licensing manager to commission an unmet demand survey and report the findings back to the panel; or to note the request, take no further action and continue to have no limit on the numbers of hackney carriage vehicles.

I always have to think about the difference between 'criteria' and 'criterion', but according to the online dictionaries 'criterium' is just a bicycle race:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dicti ... /criterium

are you with us CC is this the true Carlisle situation or more publicity seeking ?

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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

How can some areas have operators crying their eyes out, at lack of drivers for their mass of punters, yet other areas have a mass of drivers bemoaning a lack of punters.

Maybe it's down to the proportion of younger people and/or tourists.

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IDFIMH

I would say that around here it is down to customers wanting to book in advance so they generally ring us or a couple of the Hackney's. The taxis on the rank here do not advertise their numbers enough so they just sit there waiting for walk up work, which is not really there.

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Grandad,
To support my charity text MAYORWALK to 70085 to donate £5

walk up work is better here now BUT that is largely due to a reduction in taxi numbers

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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

Your mate and his foot, and the covid kid have helped no end.

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IDFIMH

Carlisle City Council vote not to limit number of Hackney Carriage Licenses despite sector's calls

A call for Carlisle City Council to cap the number of taxi licences in the city has been dismissed.

Driver Chris Bray had written to the council asking them to consider adopting a limitation policy, restricting the number of hackney carriage vehicle licenses handed out, as he said many were struggling to make ends meet.

But Mr Bray's request was not taken up by members of the council's regulatory panel, who heard that the authority would be legally required to carry out an unmet demand survey if there was an intention to cap the number of license fees.

Carlisle Labour leader Councillor Les Tickner said: “We’re here today to discuss whether to commission the survey and I think looking at the figures – 132 letters, 28 responses – if my understanding is correct, they’re going to have to pay for this £20 each over three years; we’ve no chance of getting that money.”

Coun Tickner was concerned that it would fall on the council to pay for the survey. He proposed to note the report but take no further action.

Labour councillor Jo Ellis-Williams said: “Anecdotally, I know social media isn’t the be all and end all, but having read the News & Star report of this coming to regulatory, a lot of the comments following the stories were very much supportive of what people have said here; that actually there aren’t enough hackney carriage taxis and that on a weekend they’ve had to wait and there has been violence at taxi ranks.”

In a letter to the council, Mr Bray said that many taxi drivers and private hire drivers 'are now earning less than minimum wage as a result of Carlisle City Council issuing licenses to anyone that fits the criterium which makes the situation no longer tenable'.

A questionnaire was carried out before the meeting asking proprietors if they would support the move, in the knowledge that the cost of the survey would be cascaded down through their licence fee.

Coun Ellis-Williams pointed out that only 13 per cent of hackney carriage drivers responded and a third said no.

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IDFIMH

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IDFIMH

Eh ? no that's just meant longer hours for me and is keeping us OFF the rank but the plate barons no longer have work for 2 cars and 6 sitting on the rank all day they only have 2 cars

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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

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Former taxi driver

So isn't the normal practice just to add it to the licensing fees?

And presumably the council can take action if the fees aren't paid? He makes it sound like the council has no control over revenue collection with regard to licences it issues, which is presumably incorrect

It is as it is Jimbo I'm not asking for sympathy it is simply the way it goes in this game sometimes

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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

Yes, but clearly no one told that councilor.

Or if they did he didn't listen.

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IDFIMH

They don't need to take any action, they just don't issue the license.

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IDFIMH