Taxi Driver Online

I assumed from the headline this was about expired badges, but it's not...

And they're not actually applying to renew, because it's now a fresh grant scenario, as explained in the piece.

Not clear how late they were in reapplying, but since both expired in July and the applications have now been lodged and are in the committee agenda papers and the like, then it can't have been more than a couple of weeks max, or maybe just a day or two

Makes you wonder how people can forget about stuff like this...


Two Westmorland taxi drivers apply to renew expired licences

https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/25380932 ... -licenses/

Westmorland and Furness Council has received two applications to renew taxi licences despite both cars violating its vehicle age policy.

If either pass, it would mean the council will partially 'dispense' with the hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy for that vehicle.

The applications were applied for by Sedbergh-based Lady Cab Taxis for a Vauxhall Insignia and Windermere-based Ace Taxi for a Toyota Prius Plus.

Both licences expired in July. The first car was initially registered July 1 2017 and has been licensed as a hackney carriage since January 2022.

The second car was first registered December 31 2019 and has operated since July 2023.

Both cars are more than five years old. The current policy states: “All vehicles, other than wheelchair accessible vehicles, must be less than five years old when first licensed as a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire vehicle.”

Despite both vehicles being granted previous licences, they are both being treated 'as a grant, not a renewal', as both applicants failed to renew their licences before the expiration date.

The council documents read: “This is the applicant’s first request to depart from the hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy.”

This is the case for both applicants.

If granted, the cars would be able to operate as a hackney carriage for the next year although the council may give operational conditions if they deem it necessary.

The council's regulatory sub-committee will meet on August 14 in Kendal Town Hall to decide both applications.

Another case of me changing my tune as I've gotten older.

Provided they pass a compliance test, just license the bloody things.

The vehicles are not unduly old, and if the owners remembered, they would have been relicensed anyway.

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IDFIMH

Seems one of them missed the renewal deadline by just a few hours

Another daft headline, though, but this is the press rather than the council.

But it uses the inaccurate word renew/renewed in the headline and first line of the article.

But later states that it's not a renewal scenario because they, er, forgot to renew

Then towards the end it says 'renewals for both licences were granted'


Two taxi licences renewed despite council policy violation

https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk ... violation/

Westmorland and Furness Council has chosen to renew two taxi licences despite both cars violating the vehicle age policy.

The applications to grant the licences were applied for by Sedbergh-based Lady Cab Taxis, for a Vauxhall Insignia, and Windermere-based Ace Taxi for a Toyota Prius Plus.

The council met in Kendal Town Hall on 14 August to make the decision as part of the regulatory sub-committee. Both taxi firms had representatives at the meeting.

The current policy states: “All vehicles, other than wheelchair accessible vehicles, must be less than five years old when first licensed as a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire vehicle.”

Although both cars had previously been in use as taxis, both firms missed the deadlines to renew their licences, meaning they had to apply as if it was their first time.

Lady Cab Taxis missed the deadline by a few hours, while Ace Taxi missed it by five days.

During her opening statement, Sonia Greenbank, a representative of Lady Cab Taxis and driver of the car the licence is for, said she was “quite upset” at the situation.

“It’s hard for me, I’m letting my customers – that rely on me – down,” she said.

Ms Greenbank expressed the frustration of her clients by saying that the area she serviced was “rural” and there’s “no transport” for customers, summing up the situation for them as “no buses, no nothing”.

Dariusz Kuzma, co-owner of Ace Taxi, said he was “sorry” for being so late with his renewal application.

He said his business partner was away and as a result he was working “80 hours a week to keep the company running”.

Additionally, he said he was raising two toddlers. As a result of these conditions, when it came time to renew his application, he had “no time for it, lack of time”.

Mr Kuzma also said “we are struggling” due to the rise in the use of ride share apps in Windermere.

Renewals for both licences were granted by the council, although they added that a new Westmorland and Furness taxi policy may be implemented at some point to replace the current policy, a holdover from the South Lakeland and Eden District Council – the current council’s predecessor.

There is case law on that, and that case law says the license should be granted.

https://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/vi ... 13&t=16814

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IDFIMH

A very sensible decision.

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IDFIMH