Taxi Driver Online

Somerset taxi firm's legal threat over council's volunteers drivers

28 May 2013

A Somerset taxi firm is threatening legal action against the local council over its use of volunteer drivers which it says is doing it out of business.

CJW Taxis in Glastonbury says some drivers working on behalf of Somerset County Council should be licensed.

The government says volunteers can receive 45p a mile in expenses up to 10,000 miles. CJW claims some council drivers get paid beyond that limit.

The council said it was reviewing its volunteer drivers scheme.

A spokesman said: "We have written to all our voluntary drivers this week and plan to discuss the situation with them directly.

"Until those talks have taken place, we have nothing further to add at this stage."

Councils rely on a network of volunteer drivers to take those who cannot use public transport to hospitals, clinics and social functions.

In 2012, there were 241 volunteer drivers working on behalf of Somerset County Council.

Figures obtained by BBC Somerset showed that more than half of them drove more than 10,000 miles a year.

Solicitor Paul Lyon, acting on behalf of CJW Taxis, said: "The Department of Transport has made clear that whilst they support volunteer drivers, a genuine volunteer driver is only one who does not receive any profit from its activity.

"The current use of volunteer drivers by Somerset County Council can lead to an interpretation that a profit is being made."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-22687242

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

Most foster careers get 0.45p a mile to drop foster kids off to the school and back it is now part of the formal agreement between foster agency's and social services.

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Live life with a smile

And all this will carry on until a nasty crash happens and the insurance company don't pay out.

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IDFIMH

corking post i no say it better myself absolutely spot on

I'm afraid this has got to happen until then the volunteer drivers will continue to flourish.

you'll never beat the volunteers, they give Councillors and Politicians a perfect excuse to play to the gallery by appearing trendy and caring, this will surely get them voted back in time after time as they appease the nations dole wallahs and the Hint of a limp brigade by sponsoring free transport providers for the terminally workshy.

By all means, let them keep charity transport for the genuinely elderly or the Truly needy who cannot get out without the use of a specially adapted vehicle, but when its Doley's and the Plain lazy (as it so often is) that qualify for CT then thats just taking the P1ss.

There was one parked outside of our local hospital Killer Mill (as we call it), it was a 62 plate Mercedes C Class I think with an Ambulance Car Service sign in the back window. There was an old boy driving it I doubt he was this side of 70.

Good luck to that taxi firm. I suggest someone point them here and to my thread about Community Transport. The Test Case in the EU Court is Glockner. The UK Government in true fashion tends to ignore cases that it doesn't like the sound of .

There's a link to the case in the Community Transport thread.

Linky here:

The link here is EU case C-475/99 Glockner (2001) ECR I-8089 para.19, 20, 21

http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/d ... id=1349732