Taxi Driver Online

CABBIES WILL BE TOLD TO TAKE OUT THEIR CB RADIOS

Cabbies in South Gloucestershire who fitted CB radios in their cabs for their own protection after a colleague was stabbed to death are set to be told to take them out. Some taxi drivers have tried to overturn a ban on their use, claiming they could summon help from other cabbies more quickly if they found themselves in danger of attack.

But the council's licensing authority, which meets next Tuesday, is set to stick by its ban because of fears that passengers' lives could be put at risk if they were taken to a potentially violent situation by a driver responding to a call for help.

Colin Winstone, aged 42, of Longwell Green, was stabbed to death while working in Easton, in January. Mr Winstone's widow Kelly has backed the campaign by cabbies who have already fitted CB radios in their cabs.

Taxi drivers in Bristol and Bath are allowed to use CB radio, but it is a condition of taxi licences in South Gloucestershire that drivers do not use the radios.

But Bob Chapman, a member of South Gloucestershire Taxi Association, vowed to defy the ban whatever the authority decides. He said: "I can tell you now, I don't care what the council's decision is next Tuesday - I will not be taking my CB radio out."

Steve Evans, the council's director of community services, said CB radios were originally banned after complaints from passengers about swearing by drivers on the network.

Mr Evans said: "The use of CB radios to summon assistance may not be the most appropriate course of action. "If a response is required to a violent or potentially violent situation, the police should be called rather than dealing with the situation on a private citizen basis. "If a vehicle responds to a call for help from another taxi, it could be driven at excessive speed and passengers taken to a potentially violent situation."

But Mr Chapman said other cab drivers could respond much faster to a cabbie's coded call for assistance than the police and claimed passengers would not be put at risk. He said: "In the six months since Colin Winstone was stabbed, drivers have had to call for assistance on five occasions."

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IDFIMH

the lads would be lost down here without cbs.
they have different numbers for all the ranks and tell each other if there is work there and/or how many cars are there.
they also help for saftey for the lads without operator radios.
the only thing that does happen that shouldnt is that somethimes they pretend they are talking to a firm to get a quote and the other lads quote a really high price.

It appears the ban is down to the police.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4092418.stm

One wonders how they would feel if they had their radios taken away from them.

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IDFIMH

the police are fine with cbs down here.
its some of the operators that dont like them.
i think they think drivers will leave their firms if they can work the ranks better with cbs.
also a lot of rumour and rubbish goes over the air and firms dont like to wash in public or whatever the saying is.