Taxi Driver Online

Article in today's Sunday Times:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/articl ... 40,00.html

so if one of these ops wanted to offer a legal service what would they need to do to their limo to make it comply with the standards needed for a PCV?

Hi

What I do not understand is how, if lets say they all did only carry up to a maximum of eight passengers, what makes them legal all of a sudden?

Certainly in London, Private Hire vehicle licensing quite clearly states that the vehicle must be not below or above certain dimensions and they will NOT ALLOW LEFT HAND DRIVE VEHICLES TO BE LICENSED under Private Hire.

Are not most of these American imports left hand drive? I can not ever recall seeing any that were right hand drive.

This I believe is the main factor when considering them for PCV also, I can not see how it would be allowed under the legislation.

Interesting subject though.

regards

Eric

A small number of councils do license them as PH.

But the two ways they get around not being licensed as PH, is via the 24 hour exemption, in that if you book it for more than 24 hours it's exempt form the act, and the secondly they just ignore the laws and carry on regardless.

From memory when a council tried to prosecute a limo firm, the tiny wording in the contract with the limo said that the booking was for 24 hours. Of course this wasn't made clear to the customers who only wanted to book it for a few hours.

But if the VOSA are, at last, getting their finger out, then that's good news.

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IDFIMH

Sussex

I think you mean a seven day exemption.

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

You are quite right Tom, I must have been drinking.

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IDFIMH

Perhaps that's why they seem to be netting so many in London?

The problem with the rest of the country is that the legislation is sufficiently vague that LAs can make up their own rules, and clearly some allow LHDs - and if they'll license fire engines as PH, then the size of a limo shouldn't be a problem!

And some clearly just turn a blind eye - the subject is just too difficult, and best ignored.

As for the contract hire exemption, I think Sussex seems to have been reading some of the Scottish stories lately, where the exemption is 24 hours and not 7 days.

The 24 hour rule would be easy enough to get round - and it seems unlikely that anyone would check that the operator doesn't do more than one hire in 24 hours. But I can't really see how the 7 day rule could provide grounds for exemption, especially if the operator is offering the service to the public (via a website, say), since it should be obvious that they won't just be doing one hire a week max!

But again the whole thing is symptomatic of the mish mash of approaches and enforcement that charachterises UK regulation.

I think it's a fair bet that if the legislation ever comes to the top of the list for a 'rewrite' then a taxi regulator will be a fair bet - after all, there's a regulator for everything else these days. Well, almost!

Hi

I was in Southampton today, lucky me and I saw a monster of a thing, I have seen some long streaches in my time but never as long as this one, it was a lincoln a black one it was like a streached streach, If I had to guess how many pax it took I would have said 30.

No not a plate in sight.

How do they get away with it??

Regards

Eric

Government Apathy,
Council Apathy,
VOSA Apathy,:sad:
and most sad of all taxi/PH trade Apathy.

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IDFIMH

one question, why is the issue of stretch limos being discussed in great detail on a taxi forum i could under stand if they where pinching customers off you or picking up off the street, but clearly they are not, so what is it to with the taxi industry??

Same question, same answer.

http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/vie ... ght=#16153

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IDFIMH

Hi

I have a copy of an article that claims to be an unedited document which is being circulated to to police officers around the country which highlights what they should be looking for when they deal with an incident that involves a streach limo.

Any one want me to scan it and post it?

Regards

eric

Yeah why not?

But maybe you can find it on-line somewhere to save time.

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IDFIMH

http://www.thechauffeur.com/

That is part of it not all it also goes onto more than eight pax, certificate of initial fitness, operators license, driving licenses.

I should really scan it and post it at some stage.

Regards
eric

I like this story from a few months ago. I feel so sorry for them having to deal with all this licensing stuff. I mean fancy the PCO wanting to have proper drivers, driving proper cars.

LONDON CHAUFFEUR FIRM ATTACKS PCO!

MASSIVE OPERATING costs, illegal minicabs and a lack of support from the Public Carriage Office could destroy the future of the chauffeuring industry in London, according to an established business in the Capital...
Bosses from a popular chauffeuring company have contact The Chauffeur Magazine claiming the industry could be under threat from a lack of support and understanding from the Public Carriage Office in London.
The business now says it does not plan to continue trading in the next five years, as ever-increasing costs and red tape is causing the company to invest too much money to keep its vehicles in-line with new laws and regulations. “We are spending many thousands each year to keep our chauffeured vehicles and drivers up-to-date with ludicrous rules which the PCO keep introducing’.
That’s according to the chauffeur company boss who wishes to remain anomonous. ‘Mr. C’ says, “The PCO are spending too much time hassling legitimate companies like ours, and not enough time out on the streets cracking down on illegal minicab drivers who are threatening our industry.” “We are getting a very raw deal - when new laws are introduced we get no say whatsoever, we are not consulted to see what we think, and if we do not agree with it - it is tough luck!’ “Everytime we phone the Public Carriage Office, we get a different voice each time and it seems as if no-one really knows the answer to our questions, a different answer is given on a daily basis. It is about time we had an officer who can look after the interests of the chauffeuring community and at least knows the answers to our questions.”

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IDFIMH