Taxi Driver Online

'Rogue Drivers' tip-off Backfires On Cabbies

1 September 2009

A campaign by Hackney carriage taxi drivers in Lancashire to root out rogue private hire drivers backfired – and landed a dozen Hackney drivers in hot water.

Council bosses carried out a two-night clampdown in Preston on private hire cars – which cannot be flagged down at the roadside – after a tip-off from within the Hackney cab trade that drivers of the pre-booked cars were plying for trade or "flying".

But when licensing chiefs took to the streets and checked the two areas highlighted – outside Yum Yums in Lancaster Road and outside Waterstones in Fishergate – they found no private hire drivers breaking the rules.

Instead, they caught a dozen Hackney drivers illegally parked at the same locations, which are not designated ranks, and they were all given five penalty points.

Mick Rooney, who runs private hire firm Ribbleton Taxis, said: "There seems to have been half a dozen new unofficial ranks which have appeared.

"This sort of thing's been going on for years. It's only now all the work's disappeared, everybody's scraping to make a living.

"I don't think flying goes on any more because the council has got that strict on it – if you get caught it's an instant (licence) revocation."
Mark Selley, secretary of the Preston Hackney Carriage Association, said "flying" had been going on "since time immemorial".

He said: "Of course, when times are hard like they are, it's annoying for Hackney drivers to see private hire drivers taking their work. I can sympathise with the (Hackney) drivers but the by-laws are quite clear: if a rank is full, you must proceed to an available rank.

"We can't expect the council to apply the rules to the private hire trade and turn a blind eye to us.

"Sometimes the council may be a bit over-zealous but it really puts the emphasis back on the council for the need to push ahead with some of those new ranks we've identified."

Three of the drivers have appealed and their cases will be heard at a taxi sub-committee meeting at the Town Hall on Thursday, September 10.

"Mike Thorpe, head of licensing at Preston Council, said: "All the private hire drivers approached by council enforcement staff provided evidence of legitimate fares that had been pre-booked in the proper manner but, what was observed, was Hackney carriages forming illegal ranks and appropriate action was taken."

An 11-space rank was lost earlier this month when the Corporation Street sliproad rank closed to allow building work to start on a new hotel complex.

Mr Thorpe said: "If ranks are full, they have the choice of proceeding to another rank or plying for hire in the streets of Preston."

Any driver who accumulates 20 points under the council's penalty scheme in any 12-month rolling period will have their licence reviewed.

Source; lep.co.uk

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Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
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This absolutely reeks of insider dealing!!

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

I have to say that I think it is only fair that if they are going to enforce the law it should be seen to be done on both sides of the trade. I wish they would here it's murder trying to get to some pick ups for the line of taxis ranked (illegally) outside venues

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

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IDFIMH

A similar thing happened here, the hacks were complaining about quite a few certain PH drivers who were picking up illegally, a good few have been caught and prosecuted even though quite a few hacks do the same none of them have been prosecuted.

In a way it has backfired on the hacks as one of the PH firms here who had a few hacks on their fleet has bought around 15-20 hack plates and stuck on his fleet resulting in too many hacks now, still hacks park up illegally and get away with it.

Shame the bylaws don't insist on there being at least one space per licensed cab then isn't it, and absolutely there's been a tip off.

So what constitutes a rank!






We have a similar situation whereby hacks "Congregate" outside a night club but are parked all over the place in this particular road. When I say all over the road I mean in between every day/night motorist cars also facing up and down the road. Going on what is being said if all ranks are full and that is not hard down here then you are expected to drive around all shift without stopping

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

Make a request to the LO to check it out see what happens, if anything

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

Definitely looks like a tip off, although due to the way word spreads like wildfire over the radio, a quiet period of observation, over a few days may have allowed the council a more accurate view of the problem before acting. That said, as indeed the story title indicates, the old expressions "People in glass houses...." ...or.... "shooting yourself in the foot", definitely come to mind regarding the Hacks!

I love that guy Rooney's quote: "I don't think flying goes on any more"

Don't know about "at least one space per licenced cab" ever being viable Doom, but your overall point, that allowing unlimited amounts of vehicles (or should that 'de-limited' amounts?!), without providing adequate rank space for them, is spot on.

I'll take a bow then


They are running roughshod all over the trade right now, licensing inexperienced drivers and sadly letting 3 men drive one badge, I know you're not supposed to say anything in case the offenders get upset but I've been dealing with our Asian friends for over 20 years, where they are so money obsessed they will pull any stroke for a bit more, as we're all hearing about from disatisfied customers, and the best part of it is they will quite happily see each other off as well, the lefties just do not have a clue, the majority of ppl just plain haven't interacted with them enough to understand them, personally I find them quite entertaining with their ways, some are ultra friendly and helpful, others glare at you, as there are about 4-5 variant's of them it's interesting watching the cliques set up as well where they won't speak to each other, you can learn an hell of a lot from them if you observe as well, I didn't know them one bit until a bengali lad became my day driver 22 yrs ago, I had to bollock him a few times over not getting me the car on time and not filling it up and not keeping it clean, but we got through it and became good mates once he knew my complaint would've been the same for white ears if they'd needed telling, owns a newsagents now and I had the race card played on me back then as well, not by him, by the fat controller who was keeping him on late to wind me up, but then again middle aged scoff units will always act up when the 22 yr old fresh cock says no won't they

Indeed. I'm afraid you tend to get a case of "Ivory Tower Syndrome" from the do-gooders in society. The people who make rules, or judgements etc, have often, never actually experienced what they shout about...and certainly not close enough to have enough data on which to make an accurate assessment.

Furthermore, I would extend this viewpoint to cover councils, many unmet demand survey companies...and the people who push through "driver training" qualifications that are poorly compiled, or even have inaccurate questions!

As you say, people have been riding roughshod over the trade for years, but then again, the trade does itself absolutely no favours, with a majority appearing, sadly, to be selfish, short-sighted individuals, who want others to keep everything 'safe', without putting anything back themselves. Hardly surprising then, that the trade is now in the state that it is in.