Taxi Driver Online

Take a registered Gloucester taxi - or your life in your hands, warn cabbies



ILLEGAL cabs cruising for business in Eastgate Street are taking money out of the pockets of hard-working drivers – according to one of Gloucester's largest taxi firms.

The practice of unauthorised pick-ups from the heart of Gloucester's clubland has led bosses at Andy Cars to demand council action is taken before someone gets hurt.

Unregulated drivers are accused of parking on double yellow lines and pavements along Eastgate Street, causing obstructions for pedestrians and adding to problems for police and club security staff.

John Taylor, who has been driving for Andy Cars for 10 years, says the problem has got steadily worse.

"People picking up illegal taxis in Eastgate Street late on a weekend really are taking their lives into their own hands. These taxis are completely unregulated and they have no idea who the driver is. There is no comeback if something goes wrong.

"It's only a matter of time before someone gets killed or seriously injured. Not all of these cars are registered or licensed to pick up off the street. They are breaking the law.

"It is costing our drivers money who are losing out on business. There needs to be better regulation and spot checks by the police and the council.

"A pedestrianisation of Eastgate Street would go someway to sorting the problem."

Andy Cars takes pre-booked orders, but the firm is also licensed to pick up fares from the street.

Taxi drivers are represented on the nightsafe partnership forum (made up of businesses, police and councillors) by union representative Paul Hopkins.

Discussions have taken place within the group to move the existing taxi rank from outside Liquid nightclub and takeaways to help diffuse potential trouble spots in the area and help marshalls to monitor queues.

Jennie Dallimore, cabinet member for communities and neighbourhoods, said: "The taxi rank position, currently directly outside Liquid, is now under review with a possible re-siting to GL1, where taxis can come in and out of the area easily.

"That would mean no traffic other than emergency vehicles would need to use Eastgate Street on a weekend evening."

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/ ... 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

So the answer to sort all this illegal plying is to move the taxi rank away from the clubs/takeaways.

The world has gone f***ing mad.

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IDFIMH

That's what they've done on my manor as well, getting the picture a bit clearer now?

I'm getting a clear picture that sections of the hackney carriage trade are f***ing clueless.

But then that picture has been apparent for many many years.

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IDFIMH

It's nothing to do with us, we've stopped them twice from moving a rank, the trouble is there seems to be some Police interference at high level, as I'm a long time driver I've grown up with most of the licensing staff and I know the idea's aren't coming from them, it also stinks that a senior official in the council might be taking freebies from a certain PH company, was heard in the halls after a meeting getting a right brushing down by the firm owner and the line that stuck was......you told me it was in the bag, this was after a meeting for taxi planning that he was trying to further place his PH fleet nearer to the customers than the rank iirc,

While on the surface of it it does look like no clue I can assure you every time you go to the council LO they do nothing, we have a fleet of immigrant PHD's that simply ignore the law and do as they please, it's been caught on camera and one of the favorite thieving spots is camera'd at both ends yet it seems impossible to cross ref the footage with what's on the HDD at the office regarding bookings (fact is they are scared to lose public money on a court case) hence why I would like them to start ripping badges up and let the then banned driver take them to court if he thinks he has a case rather than them gamble, if they don't think the case is water tight they can simply duck out before it gets expensive and re-instate the driver,

The real problem is PH has outgrown the HC over the last 15 years and by such an amount that it's gone all money talks, all those extra licenses, all the extra livery profits, it all generates cash flow and as you well know you don't upset your best customer do you.