Taxi Driver Online

Coventry taxi drivers 'could stop using city-built cabs'

Plans to relax the rules on the types of vehicles allowed to be driven by Coventry taxi drivers are considered.

The city council is consulting on the proposals, ahead of a decision in December.

All taxis licensed to use ranks in Coventry have to be hackney carriages, made by the city's London Taxi Company (LTC), to meet the council's wheelchair accessibility and turning circle rules.

Taxi drivers have said the current rules create an expensive monopoly.

Coventry hackney carriage driver Arulampalam Murguganantham said: "I will definitely change to a Peugeot or Citroen if we can.

"We need seven-seaters and the finance and insurance costs on new black cabs are just not acceptable."

'Supporting local jobs'

Black cab driver Hashmat Zarie said: "It's a monopoly at the moment.

"If the black cab was as efficient and cost the same as others like the Nissan then we would prefer the black cab.

"We like supporting local jobs but you've got to think of your own pocket first."

Peter Johansen, from LTC, based on the Holyhead Road, agreed the vehicle is expensive, with current models costing £36,000, but said "very affordable" four-year schemes cost drivers £135 a week.

He said: "Taxi drivers in general love our vehicle, they love to be associated with it.

"Ours is the only purpose-built vehicle in the world.

"We are the best vehicle for wheelchair users, with the highest head room, hearing loops for the hearing impaired, swivel seats for those without wheelchairs. We are fully accessible."

LTC (previously known as LTI) went into administration in October 2012 and was bought by Chinese firm Geely five months later.

Full-scale production of black cabs in Coventry restarted last month, after 99 of its 176 employees lost their jobs.

A council spokesperson said disabled access was a priority and taxi vehicle manufacturers, vehicle converters, organisations representing disabled people and the Coventry taxi trade were being consulted.

A full report will be considered by councillor Rachel Lancaster, the cabinet member responsible for taxi licensing, on 10 December.

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-co ... e-24565363

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

Obviously Skippy has been advising them

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

Who me

Why? There are many many more abled than Disabled in this country added to the fact that we have so many Charity wheelers already catering for the disabled to the point that it makes little sense that so many working hacks have to be WAVs. Surely the Priority is to get the country back into a state of prosperity before imposing over zealous rules on those who are simply trying to earn a crust and who want to stay off the dole.