Taxi Driver Online

Angry cabbies abuse councillors as new policy approved



A tirade of abuse rained down on councillors last night after they voted to abolish restrictions on the number of taxi drivers allowed on the ranks.

The four-letter word explosion erupted as furious taxi drivers stormed out of Maidenhead Town Hall last night.

They were angry that Royal Borough councillors had agreed overwhelmingly to grant five new licenses a month to drivers wanting to pick up customers at ranks or in the street without previous pre-booking.

Only 96 drivers across the borough are currently allowed to do this.

The change is bitterly opposed by the existing drivers, who fear their custom being taken by the 950 private hire drivers who were previously restricted to customers who pre-booked their services. Drivers staged a drive-by protest in Windsor and Maidenhead last month when the changes were first proposed.

Councillors agreed to the change despite a 1,400 name petition against the plan and a personal plea by John Page from TSSA (Transport Salaried Staff Association).

He said drivers have worked 20 to 30 years to build up their business and warned councillors: "With more people chasing fares they could now have to work much longer hours just to make the same money."

Drivers who packed the Desborough Suite at the town hall were clearly split between Hackney carriage drivers who do not want to see their traditional territory invaded, and private hire drivers keen to join them on the taxi ranks, all making their views loudly known.

Earlier security staff guarded the entrance to the town hall as taxi drivers demonstrated outside in the lead up to the meeting, although the demonstration stayed good natured.

Some councillors were sympathetic to those who opposed the change. Cllr Kathy Newbound (Lib Dem, Pinkneys Green) said: "Sometimes taxis all chasing business is no guarantee of a better service for people. The drivers are worried about a risk to their livelihood."

But Cllr Carwyn Cox (Con, Hurley and Walthams) summed the attitude of most colleagues when he said: "We should 'free up' restrictions so that people who wish to enter a profession can do so. It is a sensible, progressive, modern approach we should be proud of."

The new policy will come into effect on May 1.


http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/ ... 042012.htm

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

Hmmm, 1400 ppl say it will be a disaster, probably at least 300 of them experienced drivers, yet 10 ppl on a committee seem to know better and overrule the overwhelming masses and grunt their will on them once again,

I think the best thing to do here would be to investigate the committee members, see if there are any skeletons any of them are hiding, because you simply would not invoke this change in these difficult times unless you had a personal motive to do so.

Looks like that councillor is the Law Commission's warm up act.

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IDFIMH

And of course it has nothing to do with generating extra council revenue ?

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

Not really IMO.

Every new taxi will be one less PH.

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IDFIMH

Parked on a non existant rank space

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

If asked I'm certain the new plate-holders could suggest a number of new ranks.

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IDFIMH

Where will all the extra rank/street work come from ? So the bigger picture is were forced to go on radio circuits and become ph.What a feckin joke that fellow drivers are so shortsighted

We were promised new ranks in 1994.......we got 10 additional spaces for the extra 170 cabs

The people that issue plates in the majority of the country....have no control over the roads.

CC

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

So an ex PH driver remains on a PH circuit? Is he worse off?

So an ex PH driver gets no rank street work? Is he worse off?

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IDFIMH

No, he's still a serf....just a serf in debt.

CC

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

When you can get a Whole Type Approved WAV for less than a Mondeo?

But if you are right then the driver can go back to his PH roots.

That would be his choice, not a civil servants.

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IDFIMH

But a hackney driver who doesnt work on a circuit would be worse off be it driver or owner,but that doesnt matter does it as long as ph are ok.Glad you think of us all x

So PH drivers should refuse taxi plates because it might effect the taxi trade?

I suggest you put up a better case to the Law Commission.

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IDFIMH

as if anything we say to the Law commission will change their pre-prepared legislation????



I think its a stitch up.....it would probably have the same result if every cab driver in the country went to the PH exhibition and called them a bunch of c*nts.


CC

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