Taxi Driver Online

Cabbies gear up for fight over Newcastle's taxi limit



CABBIES are urging a council to maintain its limit on the number of taxis allowed in a town centre after claims any increase will further damage trade.

Newcastle Borough Council is carrying out a consultation ahead of proposals to scrap its current cap on the Hackney carriages.

The authority is considering the changes after a survey revealed 'significant unmet demand' for taxis between 2am and 3am.

But drivers say daytime trade has slumped and no more licenses should be handed out.

Chairman of Newcastle Hackney Carriage Association Carl Phillips said: "There may be a shortfall of cars between 2am and 3am but every other town and city has the same problem. We are in a recession and Newcastle town centre is no exception.

"With a lot of empty shops we have taxis sitting around most of the day and most of the drivers are relying on repeat business from regulars."

The borough council currently caps the number of Hackney carriages allowed to operate in the area at 51.

It also has a waiting list of 41 people who have asked to be issued with a Hackney license.

Nearby authorities including Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council do not have any limit.

The nearest area to maintain a cap on Hackney carriage drivers is Congleton.

Mr Phillips, aged 57, of Lightwood, who has been a taxi driver in the borough for the past nine years, added: "This is a small market town.

"We don't have an airport or a railway station and to consider putting more cars on is wrong.

"Every three years we have to fight off these plans.

"There is no need to take away the limit, you only have to walk around the town to see taxis sitting waiting."

Any authority which has a limit must justify the cap to the Government.

In December 2009, the borough council carried out a survey costing £20,779 to investigate whether a limit was needed.

The conclusions of the report revealed there was no significant unmet demand within the area.

The recent community safety team survey, which was carried out over a month, claims during peak times more than 40 people were spotted waiting for a taxi.

Andrew Davies, aged 54, of Wolstanton, who has been a taxi driver in the borough for the past 12 years, said: "I don't see why a town like Newcastle needs anymore taxis.

"There has been a decline in business over the last few years as people are cutting back on what they spend their money on.

"At times you can be waiting around for 30 minutes for a job. If you have a busy hour you can make about £18 and if it's quiet, very little.

"On a Friday and Saturday it might go really busy for about an hour but the rest of the time you just have cars waiting around."

To relieve congestion around the town, the bus station is used as a taxi rank during weekend nights as private hire cabs are allowed to pick up punters while a team of marshalls radio through the bookings.

Mr Phillips added: "The system at the bus station works great and there are 300 cars helping clear the town."

Kelly Royals, aged 26, a learning support assistant from Newcastle, said: "I don't think there is any need for anymore taxis.

"The system at the bus station works just fine at night."

source: http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Ca ... story.html

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

They haven't had a fare increase since September 2008 and their night rate is sh*t.

No wonder there's no cabs at night.

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Brummie Cabbie.

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Out of all the hours available for one hour there is a significant demand, is that every day or some days?

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

I thought this was up north, but it's Newcastle-under-Lyme, 358th in the League Table of Fares, running at £1.26 a mile on days, £1.65 a mile on nights and no fare increase since August 2008.

Is it any wonder that cabbies don't want to work when the p1$$ heads come out of the clubs at those rates?

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Brummie Cabbie.

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Wheres the logic in that ? Not enough cabs for one hour on a night,forget the rest of the week !!

That is not a definition of 'Significant Unmet Demand', purely because it ain't significant.

The problem is that the council can derestrict, deregulate or whatever you want to call it, at anytime they wish to do so, whether there is unmet demand or not, significant or not, even if every square inch of road in the area is covered and occupied by taxis.

[For the benefit of Sir Dusty, the last phrase is a 'tongue in cheek' phrase]

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/tongue-in-cheek.html

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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Looks like the association has been effing useless for years given those fares, can you believe it ??

Prediction they will get rolled over market forces will prevail serves them right for grovelling for years !

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

But aren't they moaning about sitting around all day doing nothing, so what sympathy should we have that they are not out when the punters want them?

Maybe the LC's proposals for part-time plates is a goer.

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IDFIMH

Do you work at 2am?

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

Firstly that comment has come from a trade rep, so I treat that with a sackful of salt, and secondly folks waiting at those times are more vulnerable, so IMO delays at that time are more than significant.

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IDFIMH

No I don't, but I don't want any restrictions stopping others from having the tools to allow them to work those hours.

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IDFIMH

I think your prediction in respect of the market forces argument is about right......however, grovelling?

I would say they work in an area with too many PH operators that have been keeping their prices down......with scant regard to the serfs hiring their radio systems......this in tow with taxi operators too scared to increase costs through competition with PH - again in tow with the previous LABOUR administration nationally who killed off the provincial pub trade through deregulating licensing hours and bringing in a politically correct - anti smoking regime - with little regard of the monetary effects on local economies - thus killing the night time economy in many areas.

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

You wouldn't like that at all Mr Sussex, not in a million years!!!

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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Disagree with other members' views;
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Never been in a shop when its busy and you have to queue ? Or the garage at teatime when everyone is filling up.Utter sh1te, how long were these punters really waiting ? Who goes out without a mobile these days,so if there was a wait they couldnt call a taxi ?

Do you believe when and if they issue more licenses those new drivers will work at 2am or will there really be any new drivers at all. Given that you believe most licenses are taken up by people already in the trade but renting

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