Taxi Driver Online

Road ban set to be lifted for private hire taxis

CARDIFF council is about to allow private hire taxis back onto St Mary Street in a major U-turn. Minicab drivers were told at a meeting with council officers last week that they could be given same rights as black-and-white hackney cabs to use bus lanes.

Councillors on the public protection committee have already discussed the issue and its chairman, Coun Bob Smith, said he believed the change would happen.

Coun Smith, the Conservative councillor for Llanishen, said: “It is true that it’s going to happen. It will hopefully be ratified in November. “If they want the St Mary Street closure to work, they are going to have to do something to allow private hire cars into the area.”

The council confirmed the issue was being considered but said there were regulatory issues to be resolved. Currently only black-and-white hackney cabs are allowed to use Cardiff bus lanes and the St Mary Street traffic trial has forced private hire drivers to take longer routes and charge passengers more.

The plans outlined last week would involve all private hire vehicles in the city being asked to put metallic strips on their roof so they can be recognised by enforcement cameras. It is believed limited tests have already been carried out with cabs using different strips to test their efficiency.

Although the plans were welcomed by private hire firms in the city, there is expected to be opposition from hackney carriage drivers who have been very protective of the differences between the two types of cabs.

Mohammed Javaid, of the Cardiff Hackney Association, said: “Our main objection wouldn’t be allowing private hires to use bus lanes, it would be the metallic strips.

“Having metallic strips would definitely confuse the passenger as private hires are not allowed to pick up on the street. “But it all depends. If the strip on the roof is not visible to the general public then perhaps it would be acceptable. But I have not been informed of this and I haven’t discussed it with the other hackney carriage drivers.”

A Cardiff council spokeswoman said: “A relaxation of the traffic order to permit private hire vehicles to use the bus lanes is being considered, however a number of regulatory and policy issues need to be resolved before an outcome can be found.

“This would include the practical issue of easy identification of private hire vehicles for camera enforcement and public understanding.”

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IDFIMH

What a f***ing pillock.

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IDFIMH

Sussex have you any of that yellow paint left

Best laugh I've had for ages.

Next he'll be complaining that since both HC and PH have wheels and windows then that confuses the public.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

As far as i am concerned we all provide a service to the public and HC/PH should all have the same entitlement to use bus lanes.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U

I am saying nowt but i agree with sussex what the f£ck is the world coming to . .

P.S if that is what taxi associations are about then no wonder the members are dwindling

Seriously though,

Some hackney drivers start to think they have the god given right to keep everything for themselves(by the way i drive a hack myself)but i believe that we are all in this trade to provide a service,regardless of what side of the so called fence we operate on.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=z07K29Fc15U