Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers who blame FACT for their loss of business call on MP Steve Barclay to support their case


ANGRY Fenland taxi drivers are calling on MP Steve Barclay to investigate the operations of the community transport organisation FACT – claiming that rules are being broken as it expands its operation.

FACT – Fenland Association for Community Transport – has declared that its principal activity is to provide transport for “people who experience mobility difficulties.”

But taxi drivers in March and Wisbech say FACT is operating outside that remit, and the increase in its timetabled dial-a-ride service, school transport and trips to weddings, airports and funerals are putting taxi drivers’ jobs at risk.

Drivers are also concerned that Councillor Kit Owen, portfolio holder for transport at Fenland District Council has a conflict of interest by serving on the executive committee of FACT.

Dave Humphrey, a spokesman for March taxi drivers, said: “How can Kit Owen be in charge of licensing and sit on the executive committee of an organisation that is taking business away from the taxi industry by breaking its own rules?”

“He is putting livelihoods at risk in an industry he is supposed to be regulating. I believe FACT is breaking its rules by working outside the principal activities it declared to the FSA.

“We believe that 80 or 90 per cent of their income comes from activities that fall outside their principal activity.”

Manager of FACT, Jo Philpott, does not believe that FACT is affecting taxi drivers, and has stressed that FACT’s services can only be used by its 2,000 plus members.

“We are a door to door service. Some of our passengers live in a village where there is no bus service and they have no access to a car and cannot afford other modes of transport,” she said. “FACT is considered a huge lifeline to these people.”

According to last year’s accounts, FACT had a turnover of £408,000, with £72,819 coming from its dial-a-ride service and £236,847 from the hire of mini-buses, as well as more than £109,000 in grants. It carries between 1600 and 2000 passengers each month.

Cllr Dave Patrick, chairman of the Wisbech and District Hackney Carriage Drivers’ Association, said: “How can we compete with that when they are receiving grant funding, how can we tender for contracts when they have a head start on us.”

A FACT executive report states that 64,753 dial-a- ride passengers were carried last year, an increase in journeys of 24 per cent. That report also thanked two members of staff from Fenland District Council for their help with marketing.

Mr Humphrey claimed the FACT dial-a-ride service “is a private hire company acting as a charity.”

Councillor Dave Patrick added: “FACT is putting legitimate businesses at risk. They are tendering for commercial work and undercutting bona fide contractors, because they get their vehicles bought for them, and receive grants, that is why they are able to undercut us.”

A Cambridgeshire County Council website reveals the authority reduced its school contract payments to the March taxi industry by £73,000 last year, while at the same time it increased those payments to FACT by more than £18,000.

Mr Patrick said: “I believe by tendering for school contracts they are acting as a commercial business.

And Mr Humphrey added: “There is a correlation between what the taxi industry is losing and what FACT is gaining.”

He added: “I would not want to do harm to a legitimate charitable organisation as long as they stick within the boundaries of their stated aims.”

Councillor Kit Owen said there is no conflict of interest between his roles with the district council and FACT.

“FACT is one of many services provided in addition to hospital cars, taxis, buses and trains, and a whole plethora of transport. I don’t see a conflict. FACT is working in conjunction with other transport options. We provide wider services to meet the needs of the community.”

* To register with FACT call 01354 661234 or go to the website.

http://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/news/t ... _1_1669394

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

we get a fleet of them turn up in our town every Friday to take loads of little old ladies to and from the market and Morrisons and they insist on blocking up the spaces which are supposed to be our "friday rank" so I can understand their frusration

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

edders.....no use of the word boggits?

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

I believe you are spot on.

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IDFIMH

It's not usually the Fenland ones that come its the Thrapston and Oundle ones and sometimes one from Huntingdon the Wisbech lot as far as I know never venture this far over but they are all part of the same organisation

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

The Volunteers around here are eating away at our work as well, the really Fechin Niggly thing is that many of their Drivers are Professional people who have been fortunate enough to take early retirement on nice chunky personal pensions and who really don't need the extra money it brings in, but they think nothing of depriving someone else of part of their earnings just to make a few coppers extra themselves.

Had we been able to Run Volunteer Schools, or Voluntary Police forces or any other Voluntary professional service from whence these Semi retired Volunteers came from..then they would have been up in Arms about people stealing their livelyhoods...

That Shower add new emphasis to the phrase "Double Standards"..

When I did the Christ church day center the other day I overheard a conversation between one of the volunteers and the lady he was picking up the gist of which was that he was doing an airport booking after he had dropped her off to Birmingham Airport !!! And there was I thinking these volunteers were just there to provide cheap transport to and from Hospitals/day centres

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

I have argued that one until I am blue in the face but to no avail.

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Grandad,

Enough is enough say taxi drivers but Fenland Council snubs call for an inquiry into community transport scheme

TAXI drivers have resorted to “covert phone calls” to prove that a community transport scheme is operating illegally, says Fenland councillor Dave Patrick.

No conflict of interest says council leader

COUNCIL Leader Alan Melton insists there is no conflict of interest between having a Cabinet member who duties include licensing who also sits as a board member of FACT.

Cllr Melton says the appointment of Councillor Kit Owen is on behalf of the council and so therefore he does not have to declare an interest each time FACT is debated.

Cllr Patrick believes this is unreasonable, especially since Cabinet approved a grant in July of nearly £18,000 to FACT to buy two used vehicles.

“We believe that Cllr. Owen, as portfolio holder for licensing who is therefore responsible for the Regulation of the Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Trade, that there is a serious conflict of interest,” said Cllr Patrick.

The Wisbech Lib Dem councillor and taxi drivers’ spokesman, said calls have been made to FACT – the Fenland Association for Community Transport- to prove it is now competing directly against established taxi firms.

Cllr Dave Patrick claimed that FACT is operating in part as a private hire company.

“The dial a car scheme does not use volunteer drivers but to my belief uses vehicles owned by FACT themselves who are also using employed unqualified drivers to carry out their bookings,” he said.

“FACT drivers wait at base and when a call is received will go and do the job immediately.

“FACT do not only operate around the district but are more than happy to take on work outside the district including airports, seaports, weddings etc and it is my view that this particular part of the business should therefore be considered as a “private hire venture” and as such licensed accordingly.

“Had volunteer drivers been used to carry out this part of the operation at the rate prescribed maybe it could be argued that this was a service of benefit to the community,” he said.

“However covert phone calls for price quotes have shown that the service provided is in more cases than not more expensive than the use of private hire or hackney carriages.

He added: “I trust therefore that this matter will be investigated by Fenland District Council as a matter of urgency.

“It is my belief that the only proper outcome is that all vehicles with FACT that operate under the Dial A Car scheme that seat eight passengers or less should, as the people who drive them be, licensed by the council as private hire vehicles.”

The council, responding to demands for an inquiry and specifically into Dial A Car, says they have carried out two investigations in 2011 and this year and “found nothing that implied it was an issue”.

A spokesman said: “The issue was raised again at the first taxi forum in June this year and we reported back to the forum at its second meeting on September 27.

“The key information given at that meeting was that FACT is registered for the necessary Section 19 and Section 22 permits by the Traffic Commissioner. Any issues regarding its operation should therefore be taken up with the Traffic Commissioner direct.

“If the Commissioner wants to speak with us regarding any issues raised with them, we will be more than happy to assist and share relevant information.”

DO you use FACT? Have you paid £10 a year membership to do so? Have you found FACT cheaper or more expensive than local taxis?

http://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/news/e ... _1_1680671

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