Taxi Driver Online

I wasn't referring to painting the vehicle yellow Skip, just YOU

If I'm not mistaken you don't drive a purpose built taxi yourself you have one of those pizza delivery signs on your roof, which must confuse the customers even more

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

Sussex up here all taxis and PH have there annual tests then are visually checked every 3 months by the taxi inspector and mot tester
he sends out a letter telling you when to appear and if you don't turn up he calls you to find out why, then if you don't have a very good excuse he tells you if he has not inspected the vehicle within 3 days your licence is suspended.
We also have a maximum 7 year age policy and that apples to HC and PH except for WAVs they must be tested twice a year after they reach 7 years

Be very careful Toots don't forget I have some page 3 photos of you

Exactly how many vehicles are we talking about here Skip



I'm moving closer to your neck of the woods next week Skip you want to be careful that I don't come looking for you. You could end up looking like a panda and becoming just as endangered Besides which it's not page 3 photos it's 3 pages of photos theres a difference

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

THESE ARE THE RESULTS FROM LEEDS CITY COUNCIL. THEY HAVE BEEN GATHERING THE INFORMATION FOR AT LEAST 2 YEARS.




THIS SHOWS MORE THAN A 30% FAILURE RATE IN THE 6 TO 7 YEARS AGE GROUP

I agree that these stats are shocking, but why isn't the council doing more random checks?

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IDFIMH

THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE FLEET, FROM OLD TO NEW, THEY ARE NOW TAKING IN CARS THAT ARE 1 YEAR OLD.

IT IS DOWN TO THESE RESULTS THAT THEY HAVE BROUGHT THE 6 YEAR CONDITIONS IN SO WE OR AT LEAST SOME OF US ONLY HAVE OUR SELVES TO BLAME.

THEY WILL BE SAYING THEY DON'T WANT PROSECUTING FOR ILEGALLY PLYING FOR HIRE NEXT.

THE 6 YEAR RULE WILL ONLY AFFECT THE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT LOOK AFTER THEIR CARS, ANYBODY ELSE WILL GET THE NORMAL 8 YEARS EXCEPT FOR A FEW EXTRA EXAMINATIONS.

GMB Press Release 3 Jun 2009

Bill Chard a Regional Officer of GMB union has written to Mr Stuart Turnock, Chief Officer Licensing, Leeds City Council (see letter in Notes) requesting an urgent meeting in a bid to avoid the city centre being gridlocked as angry professional drivers from both the private hire and hackney sectors demonstrate to vent their increasing anger at what they see as unwillingness by Leeds licensing authority to resolve a number of issues.

The Leeds licencing authority is proposing to shorten the life span of cars in use by drivers from a maximum of eight to six years by introducing a policy of only allowing cars in exceptional condition over six years old to be used. Drivers believe that this is bringing in “age restrictions” by the back door.

GMB driver members have organised a number of peaceful protests in recent months in opposition to the proposals. However on Monday 1st June six hundred drivers reacted angrily when they were refused admission to a meeting that the licensing authority had invited them to.

Six thousand invites were sent out to drivers in Leeds asking them to attend a consultation meeting at Pudsey Town Hall. Six hundred drivers turned up to find that the meeting room only accommodated forty. As they waited outside for hours the mood changed and those assembled called for the resignation of Des Broster a senior officer from Leeds licensing who refused to meet with them.

Eventually he agreed to meet with Javaid Akhtar, Chairperson of the GMB Leeds Private Hire Association and a few others. A meeting was set up with this committee for today Wednesday 3rd June. This meeting was cancelled by Mr Broster at the very last minute because he said that he had heard that the city was to be brought to a standstill due to a demonstration. This demonstation had nothing to do with GMB.

Javaid Akhtar said” This meeting was called to avert any action and in an attempt to find an answer to the situation. On Monday angry and frustrated drivers wanted to drive in to the city then and there. It was only the fact that we had arranged this meeting that stopped the action and now he has cancelled it. This has made the situation far worse and it will be hard to keep a lid on things as the word goes out. GMB member drivers have no faith in the people in control to resolve the situation and we have written to more senior management asking them to get involved before things escalate”

Bill Chard Organiser for the GMB union who wrote the letter said “Leeds licensing authority have demonstrated a complete lack of respect for the drivers. Add this to the fact that they have also displayed a high degree of incompetence in dealing with this matter. The result is that professional drivers are losing all faith in their ability to come to a sensible resolution on this matter”

For further details contact Javaid Akhtar Chairperson Leeds Private Hire Association - A Branch of the GMB 07944 155119 or Bill Chard Organiser GMB 07958156838.

Notes to Editors:

This is a copy of a letter from GMB to Leed City Council Licencing Department

“Dear Mr Turnock

I write on behalf of the Leeds Private Hire Association which is a branch of the GMB union to register our dismay at the mishandling of recent events by your Licensing department which is fuelling the anger of our members and that of drivers in the hackney trade.

On Monday the first of June Des Broster organised a consultation meeting for drivers and sent out letters to 6,000 of them inviting them to Pudsey Civic Hall but unbelievably he booked a room for only 40 people and kept 600 drivers waiting outside for hours refusing to meet with them. He seemed surprised that they were angry and called their presence a demonstration. He also called the police who took a positive stance and encouraged him to meet with the leaders of the drivers including Javaid Akhtar Chairperson of our association.

In order to bring some peace to the situation Javaid suggested a meeting be arranged as soon as possible to discuss the proposed age restrictions and other matters including the over legislation imposed in Leeds and the perception by drivers that they are not treated with any respect by the licensing department, there were repeated cries for the resignation of Des Broster the Licensing chief. I understand that Mr Broster at first refused to meet with the delegates but again the police stepped in and advised him to meet with the leaders in order to take the heat out of the situation that was escalating as time went on. Eventually Mr Broster phoned his office and agreed to meet at Torre road today the third of June; this was later changed to a venue in central Leeds.

Javaid and the other leaders then spoke to the assembled drivers and encouraged them to disperse peacefully in the knowledge that a meeting would be held on Wednesday.

This morning shortly before the meeting was to be held Des Broster rang Javaid and informed him that the meeting was cancelled as he understood that a protest of some kind was going to take place in Leeds today, despite Javaids assurance that the GMB were not party to any planned protest and were in fact committed to seeking compromise through negotiation the meeting was still cancelled.

The professional drivers in Leeds deserve far better than this sort of treatment, certainly the GMB has attempted to resolve this situation by negotiation but the attitude directed towards the drivers, both private hire and hackney combined with the lack of respect demonstrated by your senior management plus the level of incompetence displayed leaves all of us with a total lack of faith in their ability to resolve the situation.

There is now a complete lack of trust between drivers and licensing and we ask you to involve yourself in this situation before the situation escalates.

Yours sincerely.

Bill Chard

GMB Regional Organiser

tel 01924 882255/fax 01924881231”

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IDFIMH

It should be page 3 photos, then you would have more beer tokens available and more time to drink them.
Pandas are loved by all

Then I'd have a beer belly and that's not attractive

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