Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers face council in court again

Another row between the Lancaster Hackney cab trade and the city council has resulted in court dates for two taxi drivers. The drivers have been summoned by Lancaster City Council to appear before the city’s magistrates court on July 12 for “failing to comply with the district’s byelaws relating to hackney carriages”.

The row centres on whether taxis must make their way back to a rank that is not already fully occupied after taking a fare.

But the Hackney Carriage trade, which has taken a battering after being moved to Dalton Square earlier this year, has reacted angrily to the move, arguing that a report to the licensing act sub committee in 2001 agreed that the joint approach of police and council has been to allow hackney carriages to park outside nightclubs, although it is recognised that it is not in accordance with bye-laws.

Coun Jonathan Dixon, chair of the council’s licensing regulatory committee, said: “This requirement is not new or unusual and forms part of the national Model byelaws, which have been enacted by many other local authorities.

“The purpose is to ensure that hackney carriages are available to the public at designated ranks, and that congestion is not caused by over-ranking or by parking in other undesignated places.”

_________________
IDFIMH

A copy of the byelaws m ight be handy to understand what the issue is

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

It does ring true.

The model by-laws (they are on here somewhere) came about the time of the 1976 act, and many councils adopted them at that time.

One of those by-laws was the go back to nearest rank rule.

_________________
IDFIMH

So in other words if you drop off mid afternoon and the nearest rank is one which only produces work late at night you have to go to that one even though you have absoluteley no chance of a fare

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

No, you have to proceed to it, not stop at it.

I think in practise it's there to stop over ranking, not to make drivers go to non viable ranks. Although at times that might be the same outcome.

_________________
IDFIMH

i believe it to stop illegal rank forming in place where rank can be ostructive

silly arguement anyway who in right mind wants to sit an hope passer by get in you need to get back to rank an hope flagger on the way

What if your not working? Just picking up your friend,son,ect. And while your waiting someone says can you take me to where ever? Nothing wrong with that me thinks, your honour

first thing they need to look at is number of hacks and number of rank spaces available to them

plenty of places where theres more cars than rank spaces out there and if Lancaster is one of them then the councils onto a looser straight away

Byelaw 7 of the DfT's Model Byelaws for Hackney Carriages states;

7. The driver of a hackney carriage shall, when plying for hire in any street and not actually hired -
(a) proceed with reasonable speed to one of the stands appointed by the Council;
(b) if a stand, at the time of his arrival, is occupied by the full number of carriages authorised to occupy it, proceed to another stand;
(c) on arriving at a stand not already occupied by the full number of carriages authorised to occupy it, station the carriage immediately behind the carriage or carriages on the stand and so as to face in the same direction; and
(d) from time to time, when any other carriage immediately in front is driven off or moved forward cause his carriage to be moved forward so as to fill the place previously occupied by the carriage driven off or moved forward.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

What if I'm a hackney on a booking? My booking does not turn up? And some asks to be taken. Is that ok:-)

Ask Ms Marku.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

i beleve you can form an unoficial rank if there is demand at the time

Yes.

_________________
IDFIMH