Taxi Driver Online

this is quote from talkinglimos.co.uk

O.K. I'll give you the current situation so far from both vosa and the DFT,
On subject of 9 to 16 passenger vehicles the law as written, had an intention to make it possible for non-profit use of the vehicles in the community ( like fishing trip groups, hiking groups, Day school trips, etc etc etc) without having to conform to some of the regulations as it was deemed that most would be one off trips with time gaps that would make it oppressively difficult to hire the vehicles with the correct driver, paperwork, etc, hence the allowance made in the law for NON_PROFIT use of passenger vehicles. The application was intended to exclude the regular use of these vehicles for business purposes on the basis that no-one was being remunerated for either driving or hiring the passenger vehicles. ( Vans and trucks still have to conform to HGV or whatever the self drive regulations are for the particular size of vehicle, commercial not passenger use )

The self drive hire system that has been put forward as being a legal way of carrying 16 passengers ( that gives the end result of people paying to hire either the vehicle or driver, or both ) means that this becomes a business that has an element of profit on either one side of the operation or the other,or both, for the transportation of passengers, hence vehicles will fall into the regulations covering them for either hire and reward or PSV, the opinion of the DFT ( as per my last conversation with them ) is that vehicles operated in this manner are illegal unless operated under PSV or hire and reward 8 max, ( note: this is not my opinion but that of the DFT and vosa).

There is a move afoot to clarify this by the 1st JULY this year by the Minister for Transport, if your vehicle is of the 4x4 type then it will require compliance with the regulations which include a Tacho and a speed limiter, unless of course you use the vehicle for Weddings ONLY in which case it will only need a speed limiter.

Just one plain fact is this, if you expect the powers that be, to believe that someone is driving a 16 passenger vehicle for the transportation of passengers and is not receiving ANY form of payment for doing so on a regular basis, and that a company would allow any tom dick and harry to drive what is an unusual and expensive vehicle under self drive hire, ( which they cannot, unlike say a ferrari hire company where the hirer CAN drive the vehicle) you are asking them to believe the impossible, hence the opinion of the DFT is that they are operating illegally.

All the above words/opinions stated may not necessarily be mine, or in other words don't shoot the messenger.

This is going to be my 1 and only reply to this thread, Sussex how shallow of you to even state what you have posted.

kermit

Don't shoot the messenger?

I must have seen several hundred limos in my time, yet have never seen a plated one. I know they are out there, but I would love to see one in person.

Most councils round here allow a very small window plate or some even allow the plates to carried in the boot (so why issue the plate???).

We have a local Limo operator and he is a big fat crook. He abuses the PSV and the PH legislation because not enough LOs know what's what, and it's so easy for scum-bags to abuse the current laws.

Same in the PSV game mate, we see EVERY day ops who are sailing beyond the edge but for some reason the VOSA guys can only find the licsensed ones with an odd bulb out.

I also can't work out why Limos nearly always have mobile numbers on their vehicles, why not have their base numbers? Could it be that they don't want the 'powers that be' to know where they are from. If it is then that puts them on a par with the tarmacing pikeys.