Taxi drivers hit out at plans to scrap town’s pick up zones
TEESDALE taxi drivers say council-led changes will affect their business and could lead to a price war.
From September, taxi drivers from across the whole of County Durham will be able to pick up and drop off areas anywhere within the region.
At present, hackney carriage drivers work within one of seven allotted zones, meaning they can only do business on home turf but from September, they will be able to work anywhere within the county.
Many taxi firms see the changes as unnecessary and are concerned they could lead to fierce rivalry between drivers and firms closing down.
Keith Hodgson, who owns Hodgson’s Taxis in Barnard Castle, said: “It will open the floodgates for drivers to come into Barnard Castle, or anywhere within the county, and tout for business.
“It will cause animosity on the ranks if you go to a different town and start looking for fares.”
Durham County Council see the zone changes as a positive step, saying taxis taking fares to what was previously a different zone, will now be able to pick up fares from their drop-off point, meaning the return journey will not be a waste of fuel.
However, Mr Hodgson, who has been in the taxi trade for 25 years, said the changes could cause price wars.
He said: “Places are going to get an influx of drivers are prepared to work for less fuel money, just to get the fare.”
As well as opening up all the zones, the new taxi policy will mean all hackney carriages will have to be white.
Any new vehicle being bought from September will have to fit in with the new one-colour policy – which could cause more problems.
Alan Atkinson, who owns Alan’s Taxis in Barnard Castle, said: “I agree that there needed to be some changes to the policy but the fact that all new taxis have to be white is going to cause some problems.
“It will put the price of regular white cars through the roof.
“At the moment all the big fancy cars like Audis and Mercedes are diamond white, but you very rarely see a white Skoda or a Cavalier.”
But Joanne Waller, head of environment, health and consumer protection at Durham County Council, said: “Currently if a licensed hackney carriage driver picks up a passenger in for example Barnard Castle or Peterlee and takes that person to a place in another zone within the county, the driver is prevented from picking up a new fare from a taxi rank or by being hailed in the street, when they reach that destination.
“That not only means that empty vehicles are being driven needlessly all over the county, harming the environment and wasting fuel, but it also means that passengers wanting to get in, are not able to do so.
“By removing the zones we are bringing County Durham in line with many other counties and ensuring a better service for customers, improving accessibility to taxis at peak times in all areas and enabling a system to operate which is fairer to all taxi operators and to the environment.”
Mr Hodgson said: “In general it’s a bad idea that’s been rushed through.
“It’s a money making exercise that hasn’t done anyone, any favours.
“Why mend something that isn’t broken in the first place?”
source:
http://www.teesdalemercury.co.uk/teesda ... ,3557.html
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