Taxi Driver Online

IRATE taxi drivers massed outside Coventry rail station to voice fears over safety.

Scores of city cabbies staged the gathering yesterday in opposition to a council order to remove their metal security grilles.

The barriers separate the driver’s seat from the back of the cab and are designed to protect cabbies from attacks.

Last month, Coventry City Council sent letters to hackney carriage drivers warning that, “because of the potential danger to passengers, all grilles must be removed”.

It came after the grilles were tested by motor experts, who found them to be a danger if a passenger was not wearing a seat belt in an accident.

Black cab drivers have been advised that the grilles must be removed by November 30.

They can be replaced with a plastic screen, at a cost to cabbies of £54, but taxi drivers claim the new screen will compromise safety.

Kamran Khalid says he has the metal grille to thank after he escaped uninjured when a gang attempted to assault him in August.

The 32-year-old from Foleshill had picked up three men who tried to set upon him as he drove them to Radford in the early hours.

He said: “They were drinking inside my cab and, when I told them to stop, they started swearing at me and began to punch and kick at the grille. It was a really scary experience.”
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/c ... -25020026/

in which case they fly forward and crush the driver?..

seems fair

why is a plastic shield safer than the metal one?

The perspex shield should withstand a hammer blow according to LTI when the TX2 was first fitted with the one piece screen.

I've never had reason to have it tested though.

I did have to slam on the brakes once when a car reversed out onto the Chiswick High Road Bus lane causing the passenger to shoot forward and head butt the screen.

It seemed fine after that impact.

The passenger seemed fine as well.

What utter rubbish.

How many accidents have been caused by the grills? I suspect none.

Typical 'f*** the driver' attitude from a two bob council.

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IDFIMH

they know best

They should do a "Risk Assessment" on both! which ever is the most likely to happen should then that should be given preference.................I think we all know which is most likely to happen.

Take it back to them and insist that as it is a safety issue then safety for the drivers should be taken into consideration. The other point is that passengers are breaking the law by not wearing seat belts............If they decide not to break the law then they should be alright...........How can Councillors defend law breakers

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

i agree another case of shaft the taxi drivers i am starting to feel like a Blackpool Donkey(eeh ou)

Taxi drivers speak out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac2yP_DbHxc

Manchester is to remove grills this year as well. They do not pretend it is for safety reasons. They say the grills give passengers a bad view of the city (reputation wise). However grills are on houses and shops all over the city because Manchester is a sh*t hole. One local chippy in cheetham hill has to serve chips through a security grill.

We had a driver get the plastic screen kicked in some years ago, I think it was a Metrodelboy he was driving though, and I've seen side and rear windows kicked out as well by attempting runners, mind you on the flipside I knew a driver who when he got in trouble CS'd em, and another who shot a runner with an air pistol, them was the days eh?

why is it always the drivers that take this kind of *hite, 1.THE PASSENGERS HAVE THE USE OF SEAT BELTS,should they choose to not do so then they accept full responsability for injury caused..2 fit the perspex cover in front of the grille,best of both worlds for the drivers.....3 JOIN THE UNION FOR BETTER REPRESENTATION.

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GMB PDB London Branch President
Vice-chair National Organising Committee
07956-884076
www.gmbpdb.org.uk
AFFORDABLE CCTV FOR EVERY LICENSED DRIVER
www.gmbpdb.org.uk/gmb-cctv.htm

Now that seems like a good idea. Braces and belt.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Have any of these motoring experts ever been on a bus or train? Now that can be a life threatning experiance. We have chocka buses with about 30 people jammed standing in the aisle who must feel sea sick by the time they get off after worrying during the journey whether they will go flying through the front window and then the Virgin trains where you have to start to make your way to the door to depart about three stops early due to having to climb over boddies all lying on the floor by the exits. But then these are big privatized and subsidised buisness so they turn a blind eye and pick on the self employed sucker cos they no if they don't comply then they cannot work. Take the cage and the plastic out of the cabs and then customers will just fly through the windowscreen on impact but at least they won't of got hurt on their way through the cab. Can we be pulled by LO's if an adult passenger isn't wearing a seatbelt? Soon when there's a few broken noses after hitting the plastic then Hack drivers will hav to get out putting the seatbelts onto the five 6 foot narks who have just walked out of weatherspoons.

Good to see driver safety playing second fiddle to personal responsibility.

If you slam on the brakes and the passenger hits anything I'd suggest that if the passenger is an adult then the fault is entirely theirs. Driver safety shouldn't be compromised because some people are irresponsible tits.

The LO in Coventry is a right 'Sergeant-Major' type.

I'm not surprised by this, but it will be worth watching what happens on this one, because the drivers in Cov are already extremely disgruntled on other issues.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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