Taxi Driver Online

Cabbies claim 'pick-up' restriction is illegal


CONTROVERSIAL new guidelines have been introduced for taxis picking up revellers from the city centre.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has written to private hire firms asking them to arrange all their pick-ups from a Hanley car park, rather than a location chosen by the customer, on Monday, Friday and Saturday nights.

The council says the scheme will make it safer for cab users because taxi marshalls will oversee the pick-ups at Clementson Mill car park in Clough Street, while preventing congestion in city centre streets.

The move is proving unpopular with private hire cabbies, who say it is impractical and favours Hackney carriages, which pick up from a rank in Stafford Street – closer to the city's nightspots.

Councillor Gwen Hassall, cabinet member for housing and neighbourhoods at the city council, said: "We are currently running a trial where private hire operators have been asked to send their vehicles to Clementson Mill car park to pick up on certain nights.

"Parking enforcement are also assisting the enforcement of double yellow lines on Trinity Street and Marsh Street at night.

"We are working closely with Staffordshire Police on this trial and they have a dedicated officer working in the area.

"We want people to enjoy the city centre in the evening and know that the taxis waiting to take people home at the end of a night are official and safe."

Sergeant Phil White, from Staffordshire Police, said: "Having everyone picked up from one place makes it safer for everyone, and it also prevents congestion."

But Dave Currie, secretary of Stoke-on-Trent Private Hire Association, below, said: "Private hire vehicles can pick up and drop off anywhere that a normal vehicle can, so to stipulate where they can pick up from is illegal.

"A large number of private hire drivers are ignoring this. It seems to me a waste of resources."

Parvez Akhtar, a dispatcher from City Centre Central Private Hire, said: "The car park is too far out. It could be in a better place, but it seems the licensing department aren't listening.

"Trade is being pushed towards the Hackneys."

But Muhammet Koyuncuoglu, chairman of Stoke-on-Trent Hackney Carriage Association, said the change had cut down on rogue cabbies.

He said: "Private hire drivers were picking people up illegally in the city centre and were all over the place. This is stopping them, so the Hackney drivers are getting more work."

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Ca ... story.html

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

"Private hire Cabbies"....are these the third option? the mutant offspring spawned of parents from both trades.

I know this is dangerous, because once word goes around that car park becomes another PH rank in effect, if there is one thing that can improve the whole trade overnight it's a single metered fare scale, this way service comes into play, the customer then has the choice between a waiting hack or waiting themselves for a PH without undercutting coming into play, this would serve to sort out many of the problems instantly, because PH is currently acting like a cash in hand worker undercutting the tax paying worker, until there is a level price field the public will still seek out the cheapest way home even if it's an uninsured illegal way.

Once again PH demonstrates it's flawed thinking, the guy is moaning that the council is helping the hacks, well as a hack is located to serve the areas in concern and the PH is there to serve those that want PH to come get them he doesn't really have an arguement, what he's saying is how dare you stop us help ourselves to what isn't really ours, in todays tech world it's maybe time all the advertising on the PH car is removed and the dispatched cars number plate is sent by text to the booking customer so they know what to look for.

What if they have used a landline from a restaurant or from home days in advance?

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Grandad,

Good question, if home, driver knocks the door like he's supposed to, alien concept to these lazy drivers of today I know, same thing with a venue, and phone box the telephonist can say thare and then, red skoda octavia reg PH 09 CAR, it's how it used to be, and it would cut down on a lot of illegal activity if the car looked the same as a non cab one.

maybe not having signage on PH would prevent pished joe public assuming the car was a taxi.... and cut down on illegal pickups and sex attacks by bogus taxi/PH drivers....

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

But Muhammet Koyuncuoglu, chairman of Stoke-on-Trent Hackney Carriage Association, said the change had cut down on rogue cabbies.

He said: "Private hire drivers were picking people up illegally in the city centre and were all over the place. This is stopping them, so the Hackney drivers are getting more work."

Kind of proves what the PH are saying

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you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

I don't think so, if anything it's going to make it easier in the long run to thieve work, oh look the expensive rank, lets go to the cheap one, I'm sorry mate but I have extensive experience of both sides of this job and in todays market there is no morales at all, you have a workforce that doesn't observe any rules, firms that encourage them not to either because all the time they are nicking hack work they are making room for another PH car to come on their fleet.

Leading to pi**ed up birds getting into more unlicensed vehicles.

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IDFIMH

No not really, all you have to do is make the public aware that unless it's got livery on it don't get in it unless you booked it first.

I'll give you that missy widethighs will end up getting in the wrong car somewhere along the line, but how far do you go to protect someone who won't look out for themselves, you tell em not to do drugs, but they still do, you tell em to look before crossing the road but they don't, at the end of the day some ppl are insistant on putting themselves at risk.

Sadly it's getting to the point where the old saying....She won't do that again is applicable, and a rapist is a rapist, he doesn't need to pretend to be a cabby to inflict his vile will on others.

All irrelevant surely this is covered under consumer law and is illegal I don't know the relevant legislation but I seem to recall that there is something written into law about consumer choice and this is stopping that by telling consumers they can only use a service from a particular point I'm sure someone could challenge this

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

No one is saying they can't use PH, what is being said is if you booked a PH then look out for it and the tech is now available that stickers shouldn't be required anymore, or at least not in the manner they are right now, it used to be that a small sign could be displayed on the sun visor, so lets stop this poor little oppressed PH routine, because PH doesn't play by the rules all the problems have appeared, it doesn't get much simpler than Mrs Jones wants picking up from the Nagger and Hubby @ 2.20pm, where it gets complicated is when a PH car is sat in prime location blatantly touting business by intercepting a rank, which could all be stopped quite easily by making a rule that nothing sits unbooked within 1/2 a mile of any prime spot unless it is genuinely booked, and to enforce it is as simple as a sting with some hefty fines handed out, the message will get round soon enough once it becomes a £4 profit gamble against a £500 fine, PH is there to serve those who make arrangements with them, nothing more nothing less, or shall I come empty your house for you so you can feel the impact of someone else helping themselves, I estimate I've lost £30k in the last 3 years to theiving PH drivers.

sorry I didn't make my point clearly what I meant was I think I'm right in saying that consumers have the right to specify WHERE and when they want picking up i.e. not be told where they can have the service from

That said i suppose you can only catch a train from a train station so maybe only being able to catch a PH from a car park is the same logic BUT it does imply that on the spot booking is available

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Ahhh, in that case I own you a sorry, sorrieeeeeeeeee