Taxi Driver Online

Done my renewal forms for my badge

Looked down the list of acceptable proof of ID and address, two required, ive only got one

NOT on the list are:-

Photo id driving licence
Passport

ill kick off, cos this stupid

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Thats LA common sense for ya...or rather the lack of it!!

best of all, if i was really bovvered, id scan anything, photo-edit it and print it off, what i have done is print off my mobile phone bill = utility bill

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

I renewed my badge yesterday. No bills required, just licence and old badge, thankfully we all did CRB last year so no need for it this year.

All I had to do was show my licence, give them my old badge back and have my photo took, oh and pay them the extortionate yearly fee of £79, thats for a duel badge (Hack and PH)

its £120 here with a CRB this time, or £140 next week....

with no CRB its £80 (dual badge)

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

new badge arrived today so they must have issued it before the CRB came back

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Here in Basildon, over the last 2 years we've had the dual badge, originally we paid £45 for Hackney or Private Hire, or £60 for both, 2 years ago they made everyone have a dual badge at £65 a year, always running from 1st march to 28th Feb.
Someone on the comittee has had the bright idea now to charge £190 for a 3 year badge, this time including a new CRB, (doubt it will next time), the badge will still run from 1st March to 28th Feb, however, because of the admin involved in obtaining CRB's and DVLA mandates, we need to make our renewal application INCLUDING PAYMENT OF £190 no later than the 28th October 2011.

I understand the admin involved, but why should I have to pay £190 in advance for a badge, where my current one is still valid for another 5 months.

Get the admin sorted out, and take my payment in February.

The way the trade is in Basildon (and the rest of the country) drivers takings have halved and their hours increased, due to de-limiting, most drivers are on a tight budget, and therefore budget for £65-£70 for badge renewal in February, always hard to find after Christmas but we do it, we do not expect to be hit at the end of October for £190.

Does anyone know if this practice is actually legal?

Are the licencing committee supposed to not make a profit on the cost of the badge manufactor? If they are now only getting one badge made every 3 years, this should surely reduce costs to us?

Any thoughts on this will be greatly received.

best of it is (here) is that should i stop working as a PH driver i have to hand my badge in!

what if i decide to take 6 months off for any reason or am too ill to work?...


then again theyve just plated me for 5 months at a years cost...till i cough up another £75 to have a car exempted

(ok to drive 1 day but too old the next, but thats only looking at the date of first registration, not when it rolled off the production line....)

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most