Taxi Driver Online

I tell him serve a section 68 notice on me or let me go.

I guess that's the question, is a taxi or p/hire a commercial vehicle, you think if it's carrying passengers it is, so what if it's empty, and your using it social domestic and pleasure, what's the tax disc say, don't commercial vehicles pay more.?

so you would prevent a police officer and/or a VOSA official and/or a LO from checking your cab?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Its a vehicle used in a commercial (i.e. business) context, it doesnt mean its a HGV used for H&R...


Commercial as in COMMERCE (put another way, whats a commercial property?)

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

and what do you tell the copper?.....who can you stop checking your car if stopped....[/quote]

I tell him serve a section 68 notice on me or let me go. [/quote]

so you would prevent a police officer and/or a VOSA official and/or a LO from checking your cab?[/quote]

No I would gladly let him test my vehicle, after all it's a free check, if they are doing checks I actively seek them out, but if it was not convenient for me I would, the police officer either has to serve a section 68 notice on me or let me go, or he could arrest me I wish.

[/quote]

Dear Public Carriage Office,
I understand that a cab is classed as a diesel car for road tax
purposes, that said could you confirmed that it is also classified
as a commercial vehicle , hence the special regulations and
training that a taxi driver has to follow.

Thanks for your help

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 27
October 2011 asking for information about taxis and training for taxi
drivers.



Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and TfL’s information access policy.



In answer to your questions:



· A Taxi is classified for type approval as an M1 vehicle so it is
not classified as a commercial vehicle, a taxi has an excise licence or
Vehicle Tax Class of Private Light Goods, Petrol Car or Diesel Car
dependent on age and/or make model.

·

HMRC considers a commercial vehicle to be a goods vehicle, rather than a passenger vehicle.?

I think you'll find there's a difference between the definition of a commercial vehicle as defined by the TfL reply and the VRD and what the vehicle is actually being USED for.

As stated earlier, the Lundberg case defines that. If you are carrying people for money, then the vehicle is being USED commercially.

Another example, a privately preserved bus, class 5 test (non-psv, maybe not needing a test due to being pre-1960), VRD "historic", nil rate, being used to take people to a wedding for money. It is being used commercially and the driver/operator/registered keeper can be charged for doing so. The tax disc "says" it's not a bus..

And for going to or from a pick-up, there's a test case that dates back to the 1930s on that; that involved a bus going dead from its garage to pick up passengers on a bus route. On that dead journey it has to be driven by as driver with PSV entitlement, not an engineer because it was deemed that the dead journey was part of its ultimate purpose. So on that basis a taxi going along the road is still a taxi even if there's nobody in it, and is still being used commercially. He could be on the way to pick up a fare or be flagged on the way.

Again, if your car is properly maintained, why worry about the odd spot check?

It is not the spot checks that I worry about. It is the inconvenient times of day that our council carry them out. Between 23.00 and 02.00 on a Saturday night is ridiculous.

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Grandad,

I'm usually tucked up in bed then.

But there again it's probably the best time to catch those operating without licences etc. It's also the best time to catch those driving with defective lights.

Vehicles with defective lights can be seen easily and stopped by
the police. They do not require the vehicle to be removed from service for up to an hour at the busiest time of the week. Checks done at this time of night in our town are designed to cause as much disruption as possible. We do not have, nor have we ever had a problem with unlicensed drivers driving a licensed vehicle. We do however have a problem with drivers overcharging customers at that time of night but they will do nothing about that.

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Grandad,

There's a problem with unlicenced drivers in unlicenced vehicles in your area, you started another thread about it. But that was at schooltime..

2/3rds of the taxis here only work nights....

_________________
Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Best time to catch them then.

Unlicensed drivers and unlicensed vehicles are not being stopped in these checks though. It is only Hackney plated vehicles from our own area that get checked. Correct me if I am wrong but the council can only check vehicles that are licensed by themselves, which by definition EXCLUDES unlicensed vehicles and vehicles licensed by another area.

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Grandad,