Taxi Driver Online

Drivers feel `betrayed' by vote on taxis

TAXI drivers feel "betrayed" by a council vote urging an unlimited number of cabs in Wyre Forest but pubs have welcomed the move as a step towards getting revellers home without delays.

The number of Hackney carriages operating in the district should no longer be restricted to 84, members of a Wyre Forest District Council committee recommended last week - going against a vote by another council committee to keep the cap on numbers.

A final decision has yet to be made by the authority but Bob South, secretary of the Wyre Forest Taxi Drivers' Association, claimed his members felt "betrayed".

He said the move by the environment and economic regeneration policy and scrutiny panel was a "complete reversal" from September's decision by the council's licensing and environmental committee.

Mr South said: "We are obviously gutted. We feel very betrayed.

"We still think that having a number control in the area gives a better service than areas that are de-regulated."

Pubs, however, said there may be benefits with de-regulation, which would free up the number of taxis that did not have to be pre-booked.

Keith Spalding, landlord of The Angel Inn in Load Street, Bewdley, said he frequently witnessed the rush for taxis at the weekend outside his pub, beside Bewdley bridge.

He explained: "I would say at the weekend especially, since the buses have stopped, we definitely need more taxis. It is quite staggering how long people have to wait at weekends."

Sue Etteridge, bar manager at the Swan Hotel in High Street, Stourport, said: "Sometimes we have people waiting up to an hour of taxis and that stops them from going on to Kidderminster to go to a nightclub."

Scrutiny panel chairman, Fran Oborski, said: "The aim is to bring us in line with the Government's demand for de-regulation, which is harder and harder to resist but, at the same time, to prevent an influx of cowboys by insisting on high specification purpose-built vehicles."

The Government is asking the council to de-regulate taxis. The district council would have to prove that regulation was justified with a £10,000 "needs survey", paid for by the taxi trade. The council must make a decision by March 31 next year.

_________________
ʎɐqǝ uo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq ı ǝɯıʇ ʇsɐן ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ

Simply the best taxi forum in the whole wide world. www.taxi-driver.co.uk

lol so wyre forest have come up against the Governemt guidance, my oh my. well lets see what the wyre do in this instance? if they have all saloon cars then they will deregulate, thats a 95 percent certainty.

I look forward to Mr Bob South taking the council to court, i cant wait.


Best wishes

JD

It would appear Mr South has missed the bit about customers views now being quite important.

Perhaps it's them that should feel 'betrayed', by the likes of Mr South in the past.

_________________
IDFIMH

How could there be an influx of cowboys if the application process and standard was maintained?

What exactly is mean't by a "high specification purpose built vehicles"?
If vehicle standards are not set properly, ie. if they insist on new TX11, would we see little change to frequency of service, I say this because if someone was unable to pay a plate premium, or justify the expense, then surely they wouldn't pay for a new TX11.

I would suggest that the majority of new plates will be on vehicles bought by current operators, if these operators are PH operators then surely they will insist that the vehicle is available to those phoning the PH office and not those standing outside a pub.

It appears that pub landlords would only be happy if there were a taxi outside for each of their customers, I wonder how they would feel if someone suggested opening a pub next door to theirs just because they had to wait to be served when the pub was busy, whats good for the goose should be good for the gander.