Taxi Driver Online

We have a situation in our area, where the licensing enforcement officers are all over the private hire trade with a fine tooth comb, but leave the hacks to their own devices. We've recently had 2 P.H. cars lifted and taken to the pound, and both drivers incurred costs and fines of approx. £1000, and 6 driving license penalty points, both of them guilty of taking an 'unbooked' fare worth less than £10.
Meanwhile, the hacks are constantly over-ranking, driving past empty ranks to tout, off-rank, outside nightclubs. Circling past our office queues at 1 mph until they get a flag.
Our council has now outlawed lap belts in the rear of our vehicles, on safety grounds, but allow them in the exact same model vehicles, if they have a hackney plate on the rear.
Our association has reported all this to our local authority 'solutions' team, and they can't see a bias. We are now awaiting a report from the 'ombudsman'. Where would we stand withholding our license fees until our officers give us what we pay for, a level playing field?

A hack can do everything you mentioned within reason
Your enforcement are doing there job well, stopping all the illegal pick ups by the PH
Other enforcement officers should take note

Without a license.

If PH vehicles are taking work unbooked, then it doesn't really matter how much the fare was. In the same way a burglar is still a burglar even if he only steals a tenner worth of goods.

If I was in your position I would send plenty of FoI requests asking how many prosecutions there has been for the hackney offences you allege, and if the answer is none then write to the council leader asking why.

But in the end it's the same old story, the PH blame the hacks, and the hacks blame the PH.

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IDFIMH

You must be having a laugh....All over private hire - watch this video then say that with a straight face.

http://youtu.be/IlBxqV6EAsY




Which vehicles are you talking about as Hackney Plated vehicles are all WAV whereas Private Hire are saloons........



If you want a level playing field then spend £30,000 and buy a Hackney Carriage.

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http://chestertaxicall.co.uk

I pity poor gazntan, no doubt he has been in the job 5 mins and he spends his evenings sat in his £125 a week rent a crate with all the other "legal experts" outside that rather dubious kebab shop featured in that fantastic you tube presentation. Those experts are leading you astray son, lets see.. "our association", is that the same Association that the 2 biggest taxi firms in Chester(whom you all work for) refuse to speak to? "our office" whos office? A lot of the new Hackneys still work for the big PH firms so its not YOUR office is it?? Lap belts? what are you driving? a model T ford? I have saved the upsetting bit until the end, those poor drivers who were caught breaking the law, if I am not mistaken, is one of them now driving a black cab??? errr yes he is. Thats him out of your association then, one less voice to ignore. Your right about one thing though, we do need that ombudsman bloke, you must have been cheating on your NVQ test and we need to tell him. Right then, as you like kebab shops, get yourself a large donner with lots of chilli sauce, jump in your vintage car(dont forget your lap belt) and drive off, take your mates with you. Watch out for the hackneys outside cruise nightclub and dont be picking up at MY office.

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Jeffs spy

It sounds like that Chester place has a right load of 'bitchin' women'!!

The Jasbar and Skull of the south!!

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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.

The South?

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IDFIMH

You be careful what you're calling south, Brummie!

We be sort o' civilisededed down 'ere, don't we Sussex?

It sounds like that Chester place has a right load of 'bitchin' women'!!
Your quite right, it is, you make no money but the soap opera keeps you going
Anyway its monday night and thats when all the fun is, cant wait!!!

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Jeffs spy

You walk from Edinburgh to Chester then, and then say it ain't south of Edinburgh!!

_________________
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.

It seems that during these operations the Licensing Team caught a number of your members Illegally Plying for hire, some of which are now starting to receive summons through the post.

If they were not doing anything wrong then they would not be caught would they ???

Maybe you should make a video about it

'sort o' civilisededed' being the operative word



NVQ test, what test It would appear that you weren't paying attention either.

Anyway as I said in a previous post both sides of the trade have a bad element and out of curisioty is Chester a restricted area? How does the application criteria for a ph licence vary from that of a hc licence?

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

Chester is not a restricted area and we have a dual badge so the application criteria is the same for both.
Since de restriction in July 2008 the number of hackneys has doubled and the fight for the work that is out there has intensified.
There is a constant battle to stop certain Private hire drivers from acting like Hackney drivers and picking up off the streets.
There are lots of Private Hire drivers who do the job correctly who are also getting fed up with the les scrupulous ones who are giving them all a bad name and then there is gasntan who thinks they are being persecuted for nothing.

Really! Which bit was not paying attention to?

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Jeffs spy

The NVQ doesn't have a 'test' it's an assessment. You must be getting confused with the Btec/VRQ test

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