Taxi Driver Online

Cabbies join ranks to fight Council plans

http://www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/news/Cabbies-join-ranks-to-fight.4492674.jp

WISBECH's self-employed cabbies have banded together to fight moves by Fenland District Council to bring them under a single licence for all hire drivers.

The council says it wants to ensure public and passenger safety by bringing Hackney carriage cabbies and private hire drivers under one unified licence.

But cabbie David Patrick and his colleagues in the newly-formed Wisbech and District Hackney Carriage Drivers Association fear if the council’s proposals go ahead, the authority will gain too much power over their working practices.

He said: “We’ve formed the association because we Hackney carriage drivers do not at the moment have our terms and conditions dictated by the council in the same way that private hire drivers do.

“That would all change under the council’s proposals and we would all be subjected to a points system whereby once a driver got 12 points they could be suspended from driving or even have their licence revoked.

“This could happen to you for ‘misdemeanours’ including sounding the horn to announce your arrival, leaving your taxi unattended on the rank, not wearing ‘suitable and respectable’ work clothes or abusive behaviour.

“It all seems much too subjective and open to interpretation. We want to retain our separate licences.”

The Association, which has 20 members out of a potential 70-plus cabbies around Wisbech, wants to join with cabbies’ groups elsewhere in Fenland to fight the changes.

A Fenland District Council spokesman said: “We’re consulting with Hackney carriage and private hire drivers and users including social services and home/school transport service and so far the response we’ve had from all three groups has been in favour of our proposals.

“The aim is to improve the service and public safety and because there is a shortage of private hire drivers for home/school and social services transport.

“With a unified licence, Hackney carriage drivers would be able to take part in these services too. It would be a win-win for them.”

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin