Taxi Driver Online

Under pressure cabbies to fight private hire plans

Published date: 11 October 2011

Black cab drivers in Chester say new plans to lift restrictions on private hire cars will “destroy” their trade.

Chester Licensed Hackney Association claim the move will further saturate an already overcrowded market, with too many cars competing for too few customers.

Chairman Richard Barker said the number of black Hackney cabs in the city had increased from 77 to more than 140 since deregulation was introduced a few years ago, which was “way too much” for the Chester area.

“When you take into account there are also 500 private vehicles, you see it is too small a city to sustain that demand,” he said. “If you drive to a taxi rank and it is full, the law says you must drive on to the next taxi rank. We have only 43 spaces across the city for 140 black cabs. That means you can drive around for hours and not get any work. We already have had five drivers recently whose cars got repossessed.”

He added there were plans by Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) to allow private hire cars to function as black cabs, using taxi ranks throughout the city.

“We’re saying the recession, with increasing fuel costs, declining customer demand and increasing insurance prices, we are being driven into the ground,” said Mr Barker. “If this new legislation is enacted, it would likely be the end of trade in Chester.”

Secretary of the association, Chris Farrell, added they planned to bring their concerns to the attention of CWaC officials at a meeting to be held this week.

“We are campaigning for this to stop,” he said. “But the problem is not just this.

They have made it much easier to become a taxi driver by making the tests more simple. People never fail these tests any more. Many drivers are from places like Manchester and don’t know the city, and as a result they aren’t driving the shortest route and people are getting ripped off. This is damaging our reputation and driving away customers.

“I have written to MP Stephen Mosley and to councillors, we are going back and we are campaigning for this to change.”

Source; http://www.chesterfirst.co.uk/news/1069 ... plans.aspx

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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.

You simply despair about the so-called reps the taxi trade finds themselves with.

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IDFIMH

Somehow, I get a gut feeling that he's made this one up for the newspapers.

But then again I could be wrong.

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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.

I think it has been mis-interpreted by the reporter.

The situation is due to the De Zoning issue which is possibly going to allow saloon cars from another zone to use the ranks in Chester which is currently 100% WAV.

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http://chestertaxicall.co.uk

Can they be flagged down outside their zone?

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

Under the plan, there will be no zones.

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Grandad,

Aye, it's a nightmare when you have to fight and compete for a living instead of expecting the council to hand it to you on a plate (pardon the pun).

You see. This is where taking control of your own industry makes all the difference. No more Uncle Tom's representing their own egos, a simple banding together (and that means everyone) to form a consensus of what represents your interests and fighting for it, instead of expecting drivers to prop up your little world.

It's funny to see guys squealing when the real world jumps up and bites them on the ar*e.

And you know all about working in a de-restricted market eh skull

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

Edinburgh was de-restricted when I started driving taxis in the Capital, and what's more, I got my first plate through the de-restriction of the market.

So Toots, I know all about working in a de-restricted market.

Another thing I find really funny is when taxi drivers go before the council with their begging bowls out, they call it, fighting for something.


There's nothing like watching cabbies grovel and the councillors love it.

Oh and it's absolutely hilarious when so called trade Uncle Tom's claim to be in negotiations with their council. Like the councillors are being forced to give a [edited by admin].

Aye that's fighting for what represents your interests alright.

In twenty years driving taxis I don't think I've witnessed the trade fight for anything, to beg, yes, roll over and die, but not fight. They wouldn't know where to start.

pardon me! but you don't even drive a taxi

I use to and neither do you by all accounts and Skull definately doesn't

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

She's probably grabbed herself a wealthy bloke. What some people will do to get out of the Taxi Trade.

I'm not out of the taxi trade but I'll never go to the extent you did to get out, I'll just leave

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