Taxi Driver Online

This is slightly confusing in that you-know-what isn't mentioned at all, which seems a bit odd.

Or, at least, they aren't mentioned until the final paragraph, when it all becomes clear. Would have aided clarity if the opening paragraph had said they were already allowed access


Reading bus lane could be opened up to private taxis

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news ... ate-taxis/


PHVs want access to Eastbound lane (Image:Reading Chronicle)

Taxi drivers in Reading are petitioning to be able to use a traffic lane currently reserved for buses and cyclists.

Along King’s Road, there are two bus lanes, one going east and one going west towards the town centre.

Currently, private taxis are allowed to use the westbound bus lane as well, but have to join regular traffic when going eastbound towards the A329, the M4, Heathrow Airport and other destinations.

A private hire taxi driver has complained that they often made ‘very late’ by the worsening traffic conditions in Reading.

Recently, a petition signed by 187 people has been submitted calling for Reading Borough Council to allow private hire taxis to use the eastbound bus lane.

It also calls for the council to allow private taxis to use the Duke Street ‘bus gate’ to access London Street.

The petition was delivered by Kamran Saddiq, who introduced it at a recent council meeting.

Mr Saddiq said: “I myself and likewise most of the private hire drivers in Reading have been driving Private Hire for many years.

“Over the years the traffic situation in Reading has got from bad to worse.

“Day by day it is making our job very difficult and very challenging.

“Especially in the peak times the roads are so busy that we often get very, very late in dropping our passengers to their designated destinations.

“On several occasions we have clients who need to get to the airport in the mornings, we are always stuck in traffic.

“If we were granted access to use this bus lane it would help us in a logistical way, as you have been very kind to grant us the inbound usage of the King’s Road bus lane a few years back, in which there have been barely any complaints of abusive use.

“It was given to us on a trial period, we all stuck to the rules.”

He added that easing the flow of traffic would contribute to the council’s strategic aim of reducing pollution, and that the intention is not to slow buses down.

Mr Saddiq said: “The main reason of use is for the buses, we do not want to be stopping them escorting their passengers as well.”

The petition was officially received at the traffic management sub committee meeting on Wednesday, September 14.

Committee vice-chair councillor Matt Yeo (Labour, Caversham) explained that the petition has been received and considered by council officers for a report to the committee at a later date.

Currently, buses, cyclists, motorbikers and black cab drivers are allowed to use the eastbound bus lane according to road signs.


PHVs can currently use Westbound lane (Image:Reading Chronicle)

These photos should really be the other way round, because the driver in the top photo didn't actually attend the meeting. But the photo at the bottom is better there for presentational reasons, as should be obvious


Reading private taxi driver bid to use bus lanes rejected

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news ... -rejected/


Salman Kayani (Image: Reading Chronicle)

A Reading taxi driver has expressed anger at being ‘fobbed off’ over his attempt to allow private hire drivers to use certain bus lanes.

Currently, black cab Hackney Carriages are allowed to use a number of the bus lanes in Reading, whereas pre-booked private hire taxis are only allowed to use the regular road network and the westbound King’s Road bus lane.

Private taxi drivers have been allowed to use that bus lane since 2013, but a petition has called for access to the eastbound bus lane along King’s Road as well in an effort to speed up journeys.

The petition, organised by a group of taxi drivers, gained 187 signatures and was submitted to Reading Borough Council to call for private taxis to use the bus lane for a six month trial period.

However, councillors chose not to grant the drivers their request at the time.

The petition was presented by Kamran Saddiq, who argued customers are complaining about delays.

Mr Saddiq said: “We believe opening the bus lanes will make it easier to provide transport to both passengers and school children, and reduce pollution and improve the quality of air.

“Finally, as more housing developments are going up in and around Reading, without provision of schools, surgeries and local services, we’re seeing an increase in the car use creating traffic gridlocks.

“Private hire should be given access to bus lanes so we can reduce time travelled and encourage passengers to use public transport more.”

He added that private hire taxis are allowed to use all bus lanes in Portsmouth, Southampton and South Oxfordshire, arguing the same should be granted in Reading.

A fellow petitioner said that private taxi drivers are willing to financially facilitate required changes to signage.

The meeting then fell into procedural chaos, as the petitioners were led to believe they would each get five minutes to speak.

However, petitioners are only allowed five minutes to speak in total, which was pointed out by deputy chairman councillor Matt Yeo (Labour, Caversham).

Cllr Rob White, Green leader of the opposition (Park) pointed out allowing people to speak for longer is at the chair’s discretion.

Tony Page, lead councillor for transport, argued it was unfair to compare Reading to Portsmouth and Southampton, given that Reading has one of the most extensive and heavily used bus lane networks outside of London.

Cllr Page said: “The cities you’ve quoted have a minimal operation of public transport by comparison.

“Their bus lanes are not used anything like as extensively.”

He went on to argue the purpose of bus lanes are to speed up public transport rather than private vehicles.

Asif Rashid, the chairman of the Reading Taxi Association, also opposed the petition, called for a complete review of bus lane usage, and agreed that there is a difference between private hire and hackney carriages, which can be hailed.

The council’s highways department recommended not allowing private taxis to use the eastbound King’s Road bus lane yet, and instead wait for strategic review of bus lane usage in Reading to be undertaken.

Labour and Conservative councillors voted for the recommendation, with cllr White opposing it.

The exchanges took place at the traffic management sub-committee meeting on Thursday, November 10.

Following the decision, Mr Saddiq said private taxi drivers had been “fobbed off” by the council.

The petition was jointly proposed by Mr Saddiq and Salman Kayani, who was unable to attend the meeting.


Kamran Saddiq (Image: Reading Chronicle)

Never really heard that kind of argument before. Presumably they've got stats to back it up?


Thanks for that insight

The Reading trade would have been better using B&H as an example, as the lanes are open to all, and B&H has double the bus usage of Reading, and three times as many miles of bus lanes.

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IDFIMH

Some of the language here seems a tad over-emotional, and I doubt does them any favours.

On the other hand, to quote the lead transport councillor as simply saying 'private taxis are not public and therefore do not form part of the strategic network' tells us nothing about the substantive issue.

And it's no wonder readers will be confused by a lot of this. The new Private Hire Association is apparently a 'new union for taxi drivers', and is presumably set up in opposition to the Reading Taxi Association


Reading taxi drivers set up new union to barter with council

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news ... r-council/


Malik Mahfooz Ahmed, Saeed Iqbal, Kamran Saddiq, Aqeel Kayani, Salman Kayani and Sikandar Hayat.
Image: Reading Private Hire Association/Reading Chronicle

A new union for taxi drivers in Reading has been set up after drivers have accused the council of ‘fobbing them off’.

The Reading Private Hire Association was formed amid driver frustration that their concerns are not being listened to.

In November, private hire drivers asked to be allowed to use the eastbound bus lane in King’s Road, in the same way that they are allowed to westbound bus lane.

But their request was put on hold during a meeting of the council’s traffic management sub-committee.

During the meeting Tony Page (Labour, Abbey), lead councillor for transport argued that private taxis are not public and therefore do not form part of the strategic network.

Kamran Saddiq, the chairman of the Reading Private Hire Association branded cllr Page’s argument “insulting.”

Mr Saddiq said: “We feel insulted, embarrassed, disgraced, the list goes on.

“They’re happy to take our badges and licence fees, they’re happy to take all that money, we’re good enough for that, but we’re not good enough to be considered part of the strategic travel network.”

Ultimately, the committee decided to wait for a strategic review of the potential alterations to the bus lane network in Reading be undertaken before any changes are made.

Emotions are still running raw over the decision, as Mr Saddiq complained about a long delay in King’s Road while driving a radiotherapy patient from the Royal Berkshire Hospital to their home in Slough.

He said: “I was stuck in traffic 22 minutes, three buses went past. How is Tony Page backing his comments at the end of the day?”

Mr Saddiq has also argued that private hire drivers have been taken for granted, and did vital work during the pandemic, with the company Premier Cars serving hospital patients and staff undertaken in a contract with the Royal Berkshire Hospital and South Central Ambulance Service.

He said: “If you’re going out and it’s pouring rain, are you going to walk to the bus stop?

“No, you’re going to get a taxi.

“When the pandemic hit private hire drivers spent £300 putting plastic shields in our cars so we could serve hospital patients safely.

“If private hire is not part of the strategic transport system, what is?”

According to Mr Saddiq, the Reading Private Hire Association already has “215 plus” members, with more drivers to join soon.

The union is led by Mr Saddiq, vice chairman Saeed Iqbal, general secretary Salman Kayani and Shakeel Ahmed.

The appointed executive members are Sikandar Hayat, Aqeel Kayani, Manzoor Hussain, Malik Mahfooz Ahmed and Pervaz Akhtar.

Finally, Mr Saddiq said: “We want to work with Reading Borough Council because we’re part of Reading, but the council don’t want to work with us.

“We’ve tried our level best to be reasonable with Reading Borough Council, but they’re so slow with our licenses, their reviews, it’s a nightmare.”

A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council chose not to comment as it has not received official notification of the formation of the group yet.

since when do councils ever listen to driver other than to pay lip service ?

Doomed to failure unless they have a Stuart like member who delves into everything to the nth degree.

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

If you want it to be guaranteed that the council will totally ignore you, make sure you delve into everything to the nth degree

They do if you educate them over time.

Going to the press often backfires, but dealing with them in person often works.

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IDFIMH