Taxi Driver Online

Now taxi drivers to strike at random

Strike action by taxi drivers at Coventry train station looks set to bring further misery for commuters next week.

This week has seen daily strikes at the station from 9am to noon and 6pm to 9pm.

Today and tomorrow, the strikes will start an hour earlier in the morning - to be followed by random disruption next week.

The random strikes are the Taxi Association's response to rail chiefs asking British Transport Police to eject the striking drivers from the taxi ranks.

Virgin Rail, which operates the franchise for the station, said that while the taxi drivers were on strike, they were unlawfully occupying the site.

Sgt Alan Radford said: "Being the operator, under railway bylaws, Virgin can decide who they want at the station.

"While the taxi drivers are making their protest, the operators do not want them on their station."

Gurdeep Hyare, chairman of the Coventry Taxi Association, said: "We were bullied off the site. This is by no means over."

Taxi drivers called the strike on Monday, following Virgin Trains' decision to allocate permits to drivers to collect passengers from the station to anyone with a taxi licence in Coventry on a first-come, first-served basis.

Previously, the permits went to the association for distribution amongst its drivers.

Talks between Virgin and the Coventry Taxi Association have failed to settle the issue.

Meanwhile, more and more passengers are being forced to make other travel arrangements - although in the case of exams, job interviews and hospital appointments, drivers will accept the fare.

Mike Bones, Virgin regional manager for the West Midlands, said: "We have been speaking with various people from the Taxi Association and we are trying to come up with a reasonable solution for both of us, but we don't want to operate a closed shop system of permits."

Ah you have to wait till you get to the bottom to see what its all about.
The existing taxis boys want to keep all the goodies to themselves. Even if you have a cab yourself if you anint a member of there assocaition. Tough.
Just like how the unions control Brighton station and keep me one of there colleagues out.
The workers united I fear not.

Reply.
I do not think any taxi driver should support any closed shop arrangements.
I would fully back a boycott of paid permits, why should we pay to provide a service that public wants, unless they provide some services or facilities to the taxis that justify a fee being charged. If train passengers cannot get to or complete their journeys they will not use the trains, taxis compliment the train service. The rail operators are exploiting the greed and rivalry between taxi companies. All these permit costs have to be paid for and that increases pressure for higher fares so the public pays in the end. Hotels, resturants, nightclubs etc pay good "tips" to drivers for dropping customers at their eastablishments, so why pay to provide a service that rail operators need.

Near my area we have a lot of hotels where the drivers pay big tips to the doorman for work. That is until the next driver comes along and pays the doorman a bit more.

No wonder these doormen have a permanant smile on their faces.

Alex

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Yes another example of someone exploiting the greed and divisions amongst taxi drivers.
This will continue until we consider each other colleagues and not sworn enemies. Lets try strength in numbers and not divide and rule. You can have business rivalry without it being a fight to the death. If we make a bigger cake everyone's slice gets bigger, too often the attitude in the taxi trade is "if I can't have all the cake I will poison it for everyone".

Would be brilliant if we could all work together,to stop the greasing of these palms,but the greed element of the taxi fraternity makes this idea
a no no.
We need to start thinking of ourselves,our trade and of course our customers.
Under cutting and under hand issues have been the down fall over the years,and it about time this stops.
We all run our own business(operators and drivers)and should be more professional within our trade.
We have been the laughing stock of others for years and one idea,may be to make all in the trade employers and employees.
Once this is done,then a more professional attirude from the operators and drivers,to,and from customers will be made.

Thoughtful Thinker.

Thank you for your reply it gives me hope that this forum is not populated by small minded bigots.
Not only do we have to start thinking of ourselves we have to start thinking for ouselves.
We are laughed at for our bickering and infighting and certainly do not get the respect an industry of this size deserves.
Lets hope as me modernise our tools of the trade, cars, computers, data, sat nav etc, we modernise the thinking.