Taxi Driver Online

TAXI drivers face losing their licences because they are refusing to obey disability rules.

Scores of drivers have been given ample opportunity to attend compulsory disability awareness training.

But many have opted not to attend the vital course.

And East Ayrshire Council is coming down hard on its taxi drivers who flout the rules.

They include eight drivers in the Cumnock and Doon Valley area.

The licencing panel will hear each of their cases at a special meeting this week.

Councillors will then decide whether or not to suspend the licences.

Muhammed Afzal and Thomas Connor, both of Ochiltree; James Devlin and Alison Fleming, of Auchinleck; John Little, Samuel Torrance and Craig McLean, of Cumnock; and Paul Thomson, of Ayr, could all be facing unemployment by Thursday.

Each of the drivers were sent a recorded delivery letter from the council’s legal department after they failed to attend the course twice.

They were left in no doubt about the consequences of ignoring the training for a third time.

The letter said: “May I remind you that it is a condition of your licence that you undertake a disability awareness training course.

“I note from my records that you have been invited to but have failed to attend training on two occasions.

“Such non-attendance constitutes a breach of your licence conditions and failure to attend on the undernoted date will result in the matter being reported to the local government licencing panel for consideration of suspension of your licence.”

But the drivers all decided not to bother attending the training for a third time.

In a report to councillors, Alex McPhee, head of finance and corporate support at East Ayrshire Council, explained: “It was agreed in 1999 that all licensed taxi and private hire car drivers must undertake an approved course of training in disability awareness and meet the required standard of competency, and that a condition to this effect can be added to the standard conditions for taxi and private hire car drivers.”

All of the taxi drivers have been told about this Thursday’s meeting and will be given the opportunity to explain themselves.

source: http://www.ayrshirepost.net/ayrshire-ne ... -ayrshire/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Clearly quick off the mark in implementing and enforcing it then

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Caledonian Cabbie

It's all bollocks.

All you have to do is carry out a Health & Safety risk assessment.

Go to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) website at, http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/riskassess.htm

Once you have carried out your risk assessment, send it to your council, and I promise you, you won't hear another word about it.

H&S legislation supersedes all other legislation.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

I agree with you, and thats a rare occurance

Its high time drivers woke up and did risk assessments about their entire job......not just the bits they find annoying.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin