Taxi Driver Online

you wouldn't belieeeeeeeve what our mob of a LA want

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

Do tell!

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Chris The Fish

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

Well - everyone whose got a camera system has to have the ICO license - even though the system has to be sealed and they can have no access to it

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

My understanding is that the ICO licence for a driver that wants his own (with access to it himself) is the £35.00 that you state.

If an LA insist on CCTV then they pay one licence for all the vehicles, Taxi and PH that they cover, then only they can access the pictures and (if Southampton win) sound recordings.

The ICO licence is annual I believe, so if an area has 100 cars, LA insistance on systems saves the trades £3,465.00 per annum.

What I do find intriguing is, if a driver had the LA compulsory system, could he then have his own as well if he pays the licence or could he use the same system and in effect, share it with the LA and have access?

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Chris The Fish

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

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

It appears theyve got organised and are heading for a ruck take a look at this press release www.gmb.org

WELL DONE BOYS AND GIRLS GO FOR EM

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

You link is in Dutch or something

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

Double Dutch. Which Moronic cretin put up this link?

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Former taxi driver

Trotsky a orangeman !

Let's try this link instead.

http://www.gmb.org.uk

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IDFIMH

When can we start saying compulsory instead of the US version, mandatory. When can we return to freedom of choice? When will the local councils stop coming up with new schemes to screw more money out of Taxi/PH drivers?

Sheffield CCTV In Cabs Dispute
Friday 15th February 2013


GMB OPPOSE SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL PLAN MANDATORY CCTV IN CITY’S LICENCED TAXIS AND CABS

The best way to improve driver and customer safety standards is to develop good practice through a workable policy that all parties agree with and have contributed to says GMB

GMB, the union for private hire cab drivers, has launched a campaign to fight against Sheffield City Council’s decision to move from a voluntary policy covering CCTV in private hire and black cabs to a mandatory policy. This decision was made on February 5th 2013.

As part of the campaign GMB plan the following steps:

· Written to the Chief Licensing Officer and Head of Licensing, Stephen Lonnie, and put our case forward in defence of a voluntary model for CCTV in cars. We await a response but we have requested that an urgent meeting is now scheduled to consider our case appealing the decision to move to a mandatory policy. See copy of letter in notes to editors

· If we cannot revisit this decision with the Council we will consider a legal challenge once we have received advice from our solicitors.

· In any event we are also considering organising a large protest by both private hire and black cab drivers in Sheffield to show our dissatisfaction with this decision.


Peter Davies, GMB Regional officer said “We cannot accept that anyone will benefit from a policy that forces drivers to comply. The likelihood is that we’ll end up with a minimum set of standards at a maximum cost to drivers.

Surely the best way to improve driver and customer safety standards is to develop good practice through a workable policy that all interested parties agree with and have contributed to.

GMB encourage the use of CCTV but the Council are forcing a mandatory policy through that will result in a £500 system without any consultation with the drivers.

This Council seems to be approaching this with a ‘we know best and you’ll do as you are told’ attitude. Well maybe they don’t and maybe we won’t.”

End

Contact: Peter Davies 07501 228 313 or 0845 337 7777. GMB press Office 07921 289 880 or 07974 251 823

Notes to editors
Copy of GMB letter to Chief Licensing Officer and Head of Licensing, Stephen Lonnie,

Dear Steve,
I am in receipt of the report that was submitted to the licensing committee on February 5th 2013 and I would like to raise the following concerns on behalf of our private hire and taxi driver members:

1. We understand that the licensing board is made up of officers and 15 elected members but due to the severe weather on 5th February only 3 elected members, including the chair, were in attendance. It is also the case that I was unable to attend along with our reps and that was partly down to the severe weather and partly down to the fact that I did not receive advance notice of the meeting. It is the view of our members that given the massive financial impact that this decision is likely to have on their businesses more elected members should have attended and all representatives needed to have been present. We understand that 3 elected members may have been the minimum requirement but it was not appropriate in this case given the potential impact of a change to policy. For this reason we would request that another meeting is arranged where we can submit and discuss our concerns.

2. Paragraphs 3.4 and 3.8 refer to attacks on drivers and the public. The GMB are pursuing legal damages for the driver that the report refers to and we can see no reason as to why that particular case has been used to justify a change to a mandatory policy, this driver was attacked out-side of his vehicle. Further references to attacks on customers were used but again although in some cases CCTV may improve safety and deter crimes there is no evidence to prove that it could alter the behaviour of any violent criminal and that is what any attack from whoever to whoever should be considered as. Our view is that the Council, in partnership with drivers, their representatives and the Councils ULR programme should encourage the use of CCTV but that the advantages should be developed and designed into a system of good practice and good use. a mandatory policy will be greeted with great hostility and resistance and at best it will provide the public with a MINIMUM standard.

3. Paragraphs 7.1 to 7.5 deals with the case of SouthamptonCC v May Court Case Judgement. There is now a clear risk to the Council because we, and potentially other organisations that represent drivers must, on behalf of our members, consider a challenge to any decision to force them into installing CCTV. This judgement does nothing to discourage that, it does, in fact, encourage a challenge because it was the process that the claimant used to challenge Southampton CC that enabled the decision to be won on appeal, not the actual case of argument or point of law. Obviously we do not want to launch a legal challenge and please do not take this correspondence as any sort of threat but the Council has to consider this as a possible financial implication of this policy change.

I am not entirely sure what you can or cannot do to postpone this process but I hope that you and the Council can consider our request to revisit this policy decision and reschedule another Licensing Committee meeting.
Yours in anticipation,

Peter Davies

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

Union campaigns against mandatory CCTV cameras in Sheffield taxis


A union has started a campaign against a council decision to make taxi drivers install CCTV cameras in their cars.

Sheffield City Council made the decision earlier this month, stating the cameras would help reduce abuse and violent attacks.

The cameras would cost taxi and private hire cab drivers about £500 each.

The GMB union said it had written to the council to suggest the cameras should be voluntary and said it would consider taking legal action.

A union spokesman said: "If we cannot revisit this decision with the council we will consider a legal challenge once we have received advice from our solicitors.

"In any event we are also considering organising a large protest by both private hire and black cab drivers in Sheffield to show our dissatisfaction with this decision."

Crime 'reduced'

Hafeas Rehman, chairman of the Sheffield Taxi Trade Association, previously said cameras help drivers, but "shouldn't be mandatory".

"We're all adults. If anyone feels it will enhance their safety they should install one, but not have it actually forced on you just because people think it's a good idea," he said.

The chairman of the council's licensing committee, councillor John Robson, said the results of a trial in 2007 were "overwhelmingly amazing".

He said: "One in seven fares prior to the trial resulted in an incident - whether that was verbal abuse, threats of violence, physical assault, a dispute over the fare, people running off without paying or damage to the taxi.

"During the trial that figure reduced to less than one in 100. Surely the figures speak for themselves."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-so ... e-21486927

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

I remember someone on here passing comment regarding this story - seems rather bizarre - refuse a fare increase then legislate for drivers to pay for a CCTV system;


Sheffield cabbies lose out in bid to raise fares


TAXI drivers in Sheffield have been refused permission to put up their fares – and were warned an increase could have ‘priced them out of the market’.


Sheffield Council’s licensing committee rejected the application by Sheffield Taxi Trade Association for a 10 per cent increase to meet rising fuel, insurance and running costs.

Coun John Robson, committee chairman, said: “The application had been deferred since October because we asked the drivers for more information about the financial pressures they were facing.

“The only details they provided were about insurance costs – and fuel prices are falling.

“We aren’t aware of any drivers leaving the trade.

“The majority of people have had to cope with a wage freeze for the last three years and there is a danger of taxi drivers pricing themselves out of the market.

“Money is tight for everybody.

“We recognise and have a degree of sympathy that costs have increased, but there’s a feeling among members that the trade needs to absorb cost increases as best they can.

“While committee members had every sympathy with taxi drivers, who like most members of the public are hard-working and doing their best to earn a living in the current climate, everyone is suffering and there cannot be exceptions.”

The last increase the council approved was a rise of more than 4 per cent in October 2011.

Hafeas Rehman, association chairman, said: “The drivers will be very, very disappointed and some will be very angry.

“We didn’t apply for an increase last year because of the fact that everybody is losing jobs and so on, so we gave it a rest last year.

“We could have done with a slight increase to meet the increases in costs.”

source: http://www.thestar.co.uk/

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

That's as maybe, but, how much have they risen since the last fare increase?



Leave and go to work where?



Does that mean less people are getting taxis to help meet the financial burden for the drivers?



Ahh I see now, they're refusing the fare rise for the good of the taxi driver, silly me



Of course they do because they haven't got to maintain and run a taxi ffs



Perhaps somebody should tell our politicians that, we could save a fortune in expenses for them.



So I wonder what they will do about it?

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!