Road wars: Cardiff taxi firms go head to head over banning of meters
The latest rift between private hire and black and white taxis in Cardiff sees an application for fare meters to be banned
5th October 2010
Cardiff council has today rejected an application to ban meters in private hire taxis – causing a rift between hackney carriages and private companies.
The application was submitted by Mathab Khan, the chair of hackney carriage association in Cardiff – the latest in a string of applications which private hire drivers feel are designed to limit their trade.
Owner of private hire company Premier Cars, Tim Mahoney, said, "For the last few months I have been coming here because all I have seen is applications against the private hire trade."
"We try to be as professional as possible. Mr Khan should leave the private hire trade alone. It's wasting all our time."
Application to ban meters
Khan submitted an application to see fare meters in private hire taxis removed based on his belief they were charging more than the council regulated fares of black and white taxis and hackney carriages.
Khan, who is in charge of 387 members of the Hackney Carriage Association, said Cardiff council should look to other cities such as London for how to run private hire vehicles. He said:
"The reason why I have applied is that I have found the private hire are using tariff two which is 50% more than a normal tariff."
"The situation created by non-regulation of private hire taxi fares makes it open to abuse because people need to be protected. It's confusing for people who are not sure what the meter should be on."
But chair of the public protection committee, Ed Bridges, pointed out private hire vehicles are allowed to charge whatever fare they choose, and Cardiff council cannot legally regulate the fares (by making them the same as for hackney carriages for example) as this would be a restriction of trade.
Khan added, "It's like going to Tesco and filling up your trolley without knowing how much each item is costing and getting to the checkout and finding it's a lot."
Taking Cardiff back to 'the dark ages'
Objecting to the application, Gareth Owen, director of Dragon Taxis, said, "The argument for keeping them is obvious – public protection. At the present time to remove meters from private hire vehicles would be taking Cardiff back into the dark ages, the public demand transparency and meters achieve that."
"If meters were not present in private hire vehicles this would lead to distrust of drivers, arguments over fares and possibly violence towards the driver. I can see no positive reason for the driver or the public to remove meters from private hire vehicles."
Owen added that removing meters could pose a risk of violence to the drivers and would also open the flood gates for more abuse of over-charging customers.
"It would be a step backwards to expect private hire drivers to get to the end of a journey and just ask for an amount of money with no proof of distance or waiting time."
"The only fair way to charge the residents and visitors of Cardiff is by a pre-programmed meter which drivers cannot tamper with."
Councillors back private hire plea
Councillors agreed private hire vehicles should be able to self-regulate their own fare prices as they are offering an independent and different service to the hackney carriages which are licensed by the council.
Councillor Bob Smith said, "I use taxis all the time – both black and white and private hire. I have found a difference with the hackney carriage fares usually being slightly dearer."
"There are different tariffs within the private hire association. It's up to them what they charge and up to the customer whether they use them or not."
Councillor Sue Goddard also said she preferred private hire vehicles, "I have paid more for the regular taxi then for private hire for the same journey. I can see this banning of meters in private hire causing more abuse not less."
Private hire to have 'advance booking' door signs
Private hire taxis will from now on also be required to have signs on their doors alerting customers to the fact they can only be used by 'advanced booking only'.
The public protection committee today approved the small door signs proposed by private hire companies after the council decided signs were needed to show the cars must be pre-booked. See our earlier report here.
"The reasons behind the signs is to educate the public," said councillor Goddard. "I think the small sign is perfectly adequate on the window for those that try to cause trouble for drivers that wont' pick them up."
Source; http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/ ... ff-council
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