Taxi Driver Online

Having done a few trips to our capital city over the last week or so, I can't understand how anyone driving for a living there gets away with having a clean license.

There are just thousands and thousands of speed cameras.

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IDFIMH

Do people think that's the norm for the rest of us?

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IDFIMH

To me that's sounds quite good, but in true newspaper style they don't say that two thirds of drivers have clean licenses.

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IDFIMH

i only no of two that have or have had 12 points.
one they called the nutter because he drivesd like one.
and one they call a lying cheating b*****d because he is one.

well, it looks like he finally gone:



http://makeashorterlink.com/?I2BD24C5B

TAXI DRIVER LOSES HIS LICENCE APPEAL

12:00 - 01 July 2005
A Plymouth taxi driver who was allowed to work even though he had notched up 19 penalty points has lost his appeal to get his private hire licence back.

Terrance Oates, 64, had his licence revoked by the city council's licensing committee in April after being told he had 'an appalling driving record'.

But Mr Oates, who had run up a number of speeding convictions, decided to appeal against the committee's decision and was legally allowed to continue driving his cab until there was a court hearing.

Yesterday city magistrates heard and dismissed the appeal saying Mr Oates was not a 'fit and proper person' to hold a private hire licence.

He was also ordered to pay Plymouth City Council £400 in legal costs.

Mr Oates, of Law Walk, Southway, already had seven penalty points on his driving licence when the council allowed him to become a cabbie in March last year.

During the next 12 months, while driving for Taxifast, he brought that total to 19 points after racking up another four speeding convictions.

Twelve points on a licence usually means an automatic driving ban but at a court hearing in February this year magistrates found reasons of 'exceptional hardship' not to disqualify Mr Oates from driving.

At yesterday's appeal hearing Philip Drinkwater, for Plymouth City Council, said that when Mr Oates applied for the renewal of his private hire licence this year it became apparent that he had not complied with the conditions of his licence and reported such speeding offences to the licensing committee within 24 hours of conviction.

He said that this, along with his appalling driving record and disregard for road traffic regulations, brought the committee to the conclusion that Mr Oates was not a fit person to carry passengers.

Mr Oates, who has more recently been driving for Silverline Taxis, told magistrates that his four speeding convictions during the last year happened in the early hours of the morning and when he didn't have passengers on board.

He admitted he had not read the conditions printed on the back of his private hire licence and was therefore not aware he had to report such convictions to the council within 24 hours.

His solicitor, Michael Hayman, said the conditions were 'not properly spelt out, but that Mr Oates had 'learnt his lesson'.

He also said there had never been any complaints from passengers accusing Mr Oates of being a speeding driver.

But magistrates said Mr Oates had signed a declaration that he had read and understood the conditions of his licence when he made his original application to the committee and dismissed his appeal.

Mr Oates was given 28 days to pay the £400 court costs awarded to the city council.

A most welcomed development.

But what is stopping him going to work for one of those 'unlicensed' airport transfer companies?

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IDFIMH

i'm sure i saw him out driving on saturday night....

maybe he was driving one of preeces train buses.

What surprises me with all this is no-one has mentioned insurance!!!! How have these people got away with it or have they not notified their insurance companies? If they have they must be paying a fortune.

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42 years now! and still going strong!

He could be running on a fleet insurance, or more likely he hasn't told them what a naughty boy he is.

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IDFIMH

there's a bloke on our firm that has 12 points and he is the biggest theiving ba***** in the trade.
why dont he get booted off.
because of the money he gives the boss each week.
simple as that.

and another one bites the dust....

http://makeashorterlink.com/?F5BF1407B

TAXI DRIVER FACING BAN

12:00 - 16 July 2005
A taxi driver banned from driving after being convicted of speeding five times in four months including twice within minutes on the same day, faces losing his taxi licence. Stephen Arnold, aged 36, a private hire driver who was disqualified by magistrates from driving for six months after racking up 15 penalty points, is described as having either "a complete lack of comprehension for, or total disregard" to the rules governing motorists.

His is one of 11 cases of taxi drivers to be considered by members of the licensing committee (hackney carriage) on Tuesday of next week, mostly relating to motoring convictions.

Mr Arnold, who was first granted a private hire licence back in 2001, contacted the council's licensing unit on May 26 this year to inform them that the previous day he had been disqualified from driving for six months by magistrates.

Subsequent inquiries revealed he had notched up five speeding convictions within four months - two on the same day within five minutes of each other.

They were:

Speeding in Eggbuckland Road on August 28, 2004 - Fined £100 and ordered to pay costs of £35. Licence endorsed with three penalty points

Speeding in Western Approach on August 31 - Fined £100 and licence endorsed with three penalty points

Speeding in Honicknowle Lane on September 23, 2004 - Licence endorsed with three penalty points

Speeding in Outland Road on November 28, 2004 at 2.47am - Licence endorsed with three penalty points

Speeding in Western Approach on November 28, 2004, at 2.52am - Licence endorsed with three penalty points and disqualified from driving under the totting up system for six months.

A report which will go before the licensing committee states: "Officers are concerned that since the grant of a private hire driver's licence, Mr Arnold has managed to acquire sufficient penalty points on his driving licence to warrant a period of disqualification.

"As all the offences are of a speeding nature, and occurred in a short period of time between August and November 2004, it would demonstrate that Mr Arnold either has a complete lack of comprehension for, or total disregard to the rules and regulations relating to drivers of motor vehicles.

"Officers feel that due to the ante- cedence of motoring convictions listed, it calls into question the suitability of Mr Arnold to hold a licence issued by the council which permits him to carry passengers about the city."

It also points out that Mr Arnold moved address without informing the licensing unit as required under the terms of his licence.

Mr Arnold has been invited to attend the committee for his case to be heard.

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what can you say? especially getting caught twice on the same camera

http://makeashorterlink.com/?F29B6267B

DRIVER STRIPPED OF TAXI LICENCE

12:00 - 20 July 2005
A taxi driver banned from driving after being convicted of speeding five times in four months - including twice within minutes on the same day - has said he felt it was more dangerous to keep looking at his speedo. Stephen Arnold, aged 36, a private hire driver who was disqualified from driving for six months by magistrates after racking up 15 penalty points, has been stripped of his taxi licence.

He said he had lost his job as a result, and asked for leniency from members of the council's hackney carriage licensing committee.

But councillors decided to take away his taxi licence on grounds of public safety, based on his five driving convictions and failure to notify the licensing unit of a change of address as required under the terms of his licence.

A report by officers to the committee described Mr Arnold as having either 'a complete lack of comprehension for, or total disregard' for the rules governing motorists.

At the hearing, Mr Arnold claimed he had been unaware of the speeding offences, and mounting penalty points, as letters were being sent to the wrong address.

He also claimed there had been 'a vehicle speed fault' with his car which was dealt with by a garage.

He said in the early hours of November 28 last year, when he was caught speeding twice within five minutes, he had had two 'very difficult'' passengers in the car.

He said: "They were really drunk. They started fighting in the back of the car.

"My adrenalin was pumping. I just wanted to get them out of the car."

He added: "The roads are so quiet that time of the morning.

"Sometimes it's more dangerous in my opinion to keep on looking down at your speedo."

On the other three occasions on which he was caught speeding, he said, he was not carrying any passengers.

Mr Arnold said: "I've done driving all my life.

"I find it hard at the minute being unemployed.

"I know these speeding offences are not right to do.

"All I can do is try and be a responsible driver."

And he stressed: "I have never had any sort of accident since I have been driving."

He is able to appeal against the licensing committee decision.

looking at when he got caught twice within five minutes:

<<speeding in Outland Road on November 28, 2004 at 2.47am - Licence endorsed with three penalty points

Speeding in Western Approach on November 28, 2004, at 2.52am - Licence endorsed with three penalty points and disqualified from driving under the totting up system for six months. >>

looking at the times and the places he is on his way back in to town at ten to three on a sunday morning. dunno about you but i dont get many drunks going in to town after everything has shut on a saturday night
i smell a little BS here.