Taxi Driver Online

Cab Drivers In Fight To Put Brakes On Numbers

Monday, July 20, 2009

Taxi drivers are fighting plans to increase the number of cab licences on offer in Newcastle.

They say they are struggling to make ends meet as it is and fear more Hackney carriages could drive them out of business.

However, Newcastle Borough Council says more taxis are needed because of a lack of transport in the town at certain times of the day, especially in the early hours.

There are currently 50 Hackney carriage licences in Newcastle at present. But councillors will meet today to consider a controlled expansion, which could increase the current fleet by 20 per cent each year, approximately 10 cars.

Teresa Jones, secretary of the Newcastle Hackney Carriage Association, said that decision would be a "disaster" for Hackney drivers.

She said: "There is no business for Hackney carriage drivers in Newcastle as it is because of the credit crunch so I can't see too many drivers being happy with this.

"Newcastle isn't big enough for more taxis. We keep getting told to move on as it is in the daytime because there isn't any space at the ranks.

"We get told to drive round until spaces become available but then we're just wasting petrol money and polluting the air.

"I would say extra taxis are needed between 1am and 2.30am on a Saturday morning but other than that, we don't need anymore.

"You only have to look at Stoke-on-Trent when they extended the number of Hackney licences there and all the problems they've had because there isn't any room for all the taxis to go.

"We don't want that to happen in Newcastle as well."

Since Stoke-on-Trent City Council deregulated Hackney carriages in February last year, the number of licensed drivers has risen from 89 to 130.

Options to be considered by the borough council today will include maintaining the current number of taxis or the delimitation option, which critics say would open the floodgates for potentially hundreds more Hackney licence applications in the area.

Drivers waiting for customers in Newcastle's Hassell Street taxi rank said they hoped the council would stick with the current number of Hackney licences in the borough.

Carl Phillips, aged 54, who lives in Newcastle, has been a Hackney driver in the borough for the last six years.

He said: "We are constantly waiting for more work on the already limited ranks, with queues of Hackneys waiting to occupy the allocated spaces.

"I think the present number of Hackney carriages should remain unchanged.

"If the council decide to expand the numbers they would have to provide an estimated 10 further rank spaces in the town centre, along with CCTV coverage to protect the public and drivers."

Taxi driver Andrew Davies, aged 52, who lives in Newcastle, said: "Business is drying up as it is without putting more taxis on the roads.

"We're only a small market down, we're not a big city.

"Having more taxis will bring the existing ranks to even more of a standstill."

Source; thisisstaffordshire.co.uk

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

I'm not too sure if the taxi trade in Newcastle are aware yet.....but the chances are the LA dont give a sh*t.


CC

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

Correct, but they will if the whole trade was to demonstrate in London though, this whole thing is a Labour campaign, I was warned of it before they came to power, keep jamming it up by the river for a week with 20000 cabs a day on a drive slow mission and they'll have to take notice, I'll have some of it myself just to be another thorne in Gordies foot.

As much as I agree that taxis should be regulated and particularly at times like these I sometimes think that it doesn't really matter. Whilst the taxi trade doesn't expand the ph will and this will always have an effect on the taxi trade. Taxis need numbers to fight back against the ph and this can't be done if it's regulated. Higher driver standards should always be implemented when a council delimits

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Never gonna happen, all the council thinks of is extra plate fees money, like someone else said they really don't care anymore, things would run better if PH stayed out of HC concerns and vice versa, and both stuck to what they were designed for, personally I'd like to see the council insist on a level fare scale for both in the areas they control, this would sort out standards, I got a compliment the other night, I always keep my car nice cos I'm a wheel tart, but the reason for it was as the lady said, you're the most polite one I've had in ages and thanked me, the reason for it was she was only going up the road and I knew she'd been given the old I can't be bothered routine by others who cherry pick, still I only got £6 for a £4 fare and was back for another job within minutes, so who says service doesn't work, if I was the boss of the hypothetical cab company, I'd sack 40% of the drivers on the spot and another 10% for being double visioned when reading the fare chart/meter.

Their concerns are the same only the methods are different



They can't interfere with the fares of a private company and I don't see how it'll make a difference really. If they could and did the chances are they'd lower the taxi rates to that of the ph rates.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

No I know, when I was PH I longed for the day the council would insist on level fares and a meter in a PH car, our rates couldn't go that low tbh, the PH firm beats a bus when 3+ ppl ride, most of their fares run about £2.60 - £2.80, one reason I stay indy, whats the point in having to pay for a radio and use 50p - £1.00 in juice doing the job each time, when I 1st started the difference was about 10p between the two, now it's £1.50 on 3 mile journeys and £6-£8 on an out of city one, cos they don't charge for boundry.

The difference it would make is ppl would focus on who was pleasent and had clean equipment rather than price.

And you shouldn't be shocked, I'm a proper cabby, my customer is a customer wherever he/she is going, and as so they don't deserve the old disent routine just because it's not going far, and I don't think it's right to let Fridays ride sit in Mondays mess either.

I was being rude sorry You're quite right my car is always clean too and smells good. I think it's important for the customers but having said that they just don't complain when they have a bad trip, at least not to the council, which is a shame as the standards would improve if people complained about poor service.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

One of the killing factors for me is although there is a number for ppl to ring when they have a problem they don't tend to in a Hack, where PH is different, all the details are logged and the number is the same as the one they booked through, right now were having real issues with the foreign legion making it's own fares up, and it's bad for business.

Sorry my colleague I disagree and I'm inclined to suggest your talking b*llocks

Look at the 1985 transport act then decide.....I think the tories were in back then....but I was a school at the time

CC

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