Taxi Driver Online

100 more taxis for Brighton and Hove's streets?



More than 100 extra taxis could hit the streets of Brighton and Hove in a bid to increase the number carrying disabled people.

Taxi firms have called the move “unsustainable” and urged Brighton and Hove City Council to maintain a cap on new cabs.

The council is considering giving licences to all taxis on its 150-strong waiting list.

The move is in response to recommendations made by the Fed Centre for Independent Living, which has called for a 60-40 ratio of taxis which meet the needs of those in electronic wheelchairs.

Currently there are 31 out of 167 which are accessible to people using wheelchairs.

At the current rate of five new plates a year, it would take 35 years to reach the target.

Brighton and Hove is one of about 80 local authorities which limits the number of licences.

The current cap is 545 taxis, with five new licences being issued each May.

A report for a licensing committee meeting on Thursday, which is considering the proposal, reads: “Taxis provide an important means of transport for disabled people and are often the only viable option available.

“Locally, representatives of disabled groups have asked for the continued provision of a mixed fleet, but are keen to increase the percentage of rear-loading wheelchair accessible vehicles to meet the needs of passengers with large powered wheelchairs.”

John Streeter, of Streamline Taxis, said an increase of even 25 extra taxi licences would be unsustainable.

He argued that 90 per cent of disabled users call for a cab rather than go to a taxi rank, but the proposals made no guarantee that the new taxis would be part of a radio circuit which would pick up these phone calls.

Mr Streeter added: “If most of the taxis go downtown to work on the ranks it will not solve the problem.

“The trade cannot take another 25, 30 or 40 cars.”

Mick Hildreth, secretary of the GMB Union Hackney carriage and private hire section, said: “The Brighton and Hove GMB Taxi and Private Hire section are firmly of the view that our industry, both from an ecological and economy viewpoint, cannot tolerate a large influx of Hackney carriages.”

He added that improvements to cabs needed to be continued for wheelchair-using customers.

The council will consider a range of options on Thursday, including increasing the number of licences by five each year and removing the current cap.

source: http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10062575 ... _streets_/

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

oh dear

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

Yippeeeeeee

Talk about the taxi trade panicking over nothing.

I can guarantee any panicky plate holder down here that nothing will chance. They can have that information for nothing.

However I can't be as confident about the Law Commission, then we all might be justifiably panicking.

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IDFIMH

Of course a number of existing saloons could choose to provide WAVs, thus preserving the cap? Any takers?

Thought not.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

See that's the problem the thickos down here can't grasp.

If there was a 100% taxi WAV fleet, then there would be about 60 less taxis licensed.

Thick as pigs sh**.

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IDFIMH

Are you including yourself in your assesment ?

ah, so now its not just "WAV" its "EWAV", where will it end? will hacks have to have stretcher lifts installed for the occasional iron lung sufferer?

But maybe they are getting extra WAV's on standby for this...

Motability admits it might have to take back 100,000 vehicles

Motability has admitted that up to 100,000 disabled people could have to hand back the vehicles they lease under its car scheme, because of the government’s cuts and reforms to disability living allowance (DLA).

Motability currently has about 600,000 customers, who all use their higher rate mobility component of DLA to lease a vehicle.

http://www.thefedonline.org.uk/componen ... icles.html


600,000 vehicles.......

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

And also as greedy.

Oh no.

And to be honest I have an easier time down here due to most of the taxi trade reps being as thick as pigs sh**.

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IDFIMH

Ignorance is bliss.....im all for that

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

I never seem to hear or see any figures of disabled persons per area that are used to justify the taxi trade spending/bailing out the local authorities! Do B&H have a higher amount of disabled than any other area? - probably not! Why all of a sudden do they need the nice round figure of 100 vehicles? - it sounds like a solicitors invoice, always 0000's on the end...............has the local population overnight become reliant on Wav's? - is this day or night time OR both?

Before they talk figures there is a need to know why this has come about?, as I do not see us as being the saviour for social services/council/government departments who are failing disabled persons.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

Like they really give a feck ! Its the same as the deregulation saga, lets have as many taxis as we want , no thought for earnings or where they are meant to obtain work or stand.

Its not about Disability, its about LA's having the desire to have uniformity and image on the ranks, the visitor/tourists cant be expected to see a line of WAV-E7-saloons-LTi-saloon lined up, all in different colours and of varying ages, the knob in a suit at the LA wants 1 line of identical vehicles for the sake of the Councils promo photos and using the WAV argument is a damn good start, adding a stupid age limit (or requiring NEW vehicles for a 1st plate) is even better, then every hack on the rank is mint, black and has aircon..... whoopeedooo, better yet the council aint paying!

they want A....not B, cos it looks better

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

And it came to pass that the Authorities in Neverland did bring unto the people new rulings that henceforth all carriages made available unto the peoples would be able to carry the individual charioteer.
And amongst the charioteers there was much rejoicing and smiling of faces.
And amongst the carriagers there was much grinding and gnashing of teeth.
And the carriagers went, not as a body, but in ones and twos, up to the Temple of the Authority and they sayeth to the Priests of the Temple and to the Officers of the Guard thereof:
"Why must we have the carriages that taketh the chariots, when the charioteers use not our carriages but carriages provided by an Authority greater than this wherein we stand, which they, or they that careth for them drive on their behalf.
And lo, the Priests and the Officers replied to them, "the rules are made, follow then the rules".
Dispirited the carriagers left the Temple of the Authority in their ones and their twos and went they to the Doctors.
And some went to the Doctors of the Law and some went to the Doctors of the flesh.
Those that went to the Doctors of the Law saw those Doctors eyes light up and enquiries of the carriagers means to pay were made, and the carriagers went away marveling at just how much justice cost in the most filthy of lucre.
Those that went to Doctors of the flesh told the Doctors of their bodily ailments, and some were true, and some were contrived. And these were given papers taken from a tablet and scribed upon the papers were scribed these words of wisdom "Exempt from assisting individual charioteers".
With great rejoicing the carriagers bore their papers up to the Temple of the Authority and sayeth unto the Priests and the Officers "Verilly you may stick this" and pausing for breath, continued "up in my file".
And as time passed, despite the carriages being accessible unto the individual charriot, fewer and yet fewer carried these charriots.
When time passed the greater Authority looked down and sayeth "All is not good" and decided to make new rules from on high. There was much wailing on all sides and a goodly whack of gnashing too, yet the greater Authority continued on.
And the greater Authority did call for all interested to put in their tuppenny worth and these were given to the greater Authority who issued a receipt for all these scribeings and retired behind the closed doors of Brass to consider all the ramblings that had been submitted.
And lo, after many months, the great doors of Brass were flung open and the greater Authority (or rather his minion known by the name Elsie or for ease of the scribes, LC) announced that, with the forthcoming blessing of the Greater Authority, henceforth all would....

To be continued.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related