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PostPosted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 1:10 pm 
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Campaigners fight plans to relax taxi rules



CAMPAIGNERS are fighting plans to relax rules governing who is allowed to drive taxis in Hampshire.

Charities, cabbies, students and police in Southampton say relaxing the rules on who can drive private hire vehicles could put people at risk of sexual assault or robbery.

As previously reported, the changes under the Taxi Deregulation Bill, which are currently going through the House of Lords, would allow family members and friends of licensed drivers to drive marked private hire vehicles.

The Government says the plans, which would scrap current rules only allowing licensed drivers to drive the vehicles, would free many families from the need to run a second car and save money.

But Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Hayes has already opposed the plans alongside 18 of his colleagues from across the country.

And now a new campaign is being launched in Southampton to convince Liberal Democrat transport minister Baroness Kramer – who has responsibility for steering the new Bill through the House of Lords – to scrap the plans.

Safeguards Hampshire Constabulary’s community safety and licensing inspector Justin Roberts said: “The existing legislation puts safeguards in place around those transporting members of the public. If these are reduced or removed under the Bill in its current form we do run the risk of seeing increases in cases of sexual assault and robbery.”

Tara Doel, from Southampton Rape Crisis, added: “It will no longer be possible to know whether a person driving a cab is licensed to do so or simply driving someone else’s vehicle, making people reluctant to use cabs as a trusted form of transport and potentially increasing the risk of sexual violence.”

Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Southampton Itchen, Rowenna Davis, has coordinated the campaign. She said: “With two universities and an active night-time economy, we are particularly worried about women travelling alone late at night.”

And some cabbies in Southampton are also backing the campaign.

Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North Caroline Nokes, pictured left, was on the Deregulation Bill Committee which considered the plans earlier this year.

She said the law change would bring the rest of the country into line with London, and that if a driver was caught without a registered private hire licence while transporting a passenger, the driver must show they were not using the taxi for use as a hire vehicle.

She added: “That added safeguard should meet the concerns expressed about safety and enforcement.”

source: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/1137022 ... axi_rules/

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 2:48 pm 
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captain cab wrote:

Tara Doel, from Southampton Rape Crisis, added: “It will no longer be possible to know whether a person driving a cab is licensed to do so or simply driving someone else’s vehicle,

What utter rubbish. The driver of the vehicle, if the vehicle is working, is required by law to wear his/her drivers badge. This is the law now and will still be law after the deregulation bill. No badge, don,t get in and call the police. The vehicle must also be pre booked so the customer should be expecting the vehicle and not just getting in any old vehicle.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:20 pm 
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grandad wrote:
What utter rubbish. The driver of the vehicle, if the vehicle is working, is required by law to wear his/her drivers badge. This is the law now and will still be law after the deregulation bill. No badge, don,t get in and call the police. The vehicle must also be pre booked so the customer should be expecting the vehicle and not just getting in any old vehicle.


So basically your expecting the customer to know the driver has to display their badge, presumably these are the same customers that get in PHV's that illegally ply for hire.

The law will allow a non licensed person to drive the PHV - it is expected PH Operators will recruit vehicles from other areas - in these circumstances no local authority has jurisdiction over them - so basically nobody will actually know who's driving the vehicle.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:27 pm 
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captain cab wrote:
grandad wrote:
What utter rubbish. The driver of the vehicle, if the vehicle is working, is required by law to wear his/her drivers badge. This is the law now and will still be law after the deregulation bill. No badge, don,t get in and call the police. The vehicle must also be pre booked so the customer should be expecting the vehicle and not just getting in any old vehicle.


So basically your expecting the customer to know the driver has to display their badge, presumably these are the same customers that get in PHV's that illegally ply for hire.

The law will allow a non licensed person to drive the PHV - it is expected PH Operators will recruit vehicles from other areas - in these circumstances no local authority has jurisdiction over them - so basically nobody will actually know who's driving the vehicle.


The change does not say that operators can recruit vehicles from other areas, it will allow operators to sub contract to other operators in other areas, presumably these operators will be using licensed drivers who must also be wearing their badge.
Maybe a national advertising campaign to show the public what they should be looking for would be a good starting point.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:21 pm 
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grandad wrote:

The change does not say that operators can recruit vehicles from other areas, it will allow operators to sub contract to other operators in other areas, presumably these operators will be using licensed drivers who must also be wearing their badge.
Maybe a national advertising campaign to show the public what they should be looking for would be a good starting point.


That's true - but some LA's give operators licenses to people from outside their own areas - some give operators licenses to people who use mobile phones - and your presuming a bit much :wink:

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:46 pm 
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captain cab wrote:
That's true - but some LA's give operators licenses to people from outside their own areas - some give operators licenses to people who use mobile phones - and your presuming a bit much :wink:

That happens now, the Dereg Act will not makes things worse.

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:52 pm 
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captain cab wrote:
grandad wrote:

The change does not say that operators can recruit vehicles from other areas, it will allow operators to sub contract to other operators in other areas, presumably these operators will be using licensed drivers who must also be wearing their badge.
Maybe a national advertising campaign to show the public what they should be looking for would be a good starting point.


That's true - but some LA's give operators licenses to people from outside their own areas - some give operators licenses to people who use mobile phones - and your presuming a bit much :wink:

No comment on educating the public?

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:55 pm 
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grandad wrote:
No comment on educating the public?


as soon as we educate the press in the difference between taxis and phv's its right on up there :wink:

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:05 am 
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grandad wrote:
No comment on educating the public?

Will never happen, as they generally don't give a f***.

Until things go wrong that is.

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:11 am 
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Sussex wrote:
grandad wrote:
No comment on educating the public?

Will never happen, as they generally don't give a f***.

Until things go wrong that is.


That shouldn't be too long after the dereg bill :wink:

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:02 am 
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Some people break the law now, these people will still break the law after the deregulation bill.
Why do you think that even more will break the law after the deregulation bill? Why would people who work within the law now suddenly become criminals overnight?

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:45 am 
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grandad wrote:
Some people break the law now, these people will still break the law after the deregulation bill.
Why do you think that even more will break the law after the deregulation bill? Why would people who work within the law now suddenly become criminals overnight?


opportunity :wink:

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 12:01 pm 
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captain cab wrote:
grandad wrote:
Some people break the law now, these people will still break the law after the deregulation bill.
Why do you think that even more will break the law after the deregulation bill? Why would people who work within the law now suddenly become criminals overnight?


opportunity :wink:

I don't buy it. Normal law abiding citizens will not risk their livelihood and liberty just because an opportunity that requires lots of planning and lies is put before them.
I mean are you saying that someone who runs their private hire business legally is suddenly going to say to a sex offender, here mate use my car to pick up victims don't worry if you get caught because I will go down as well.
No, it doesn't seem likely. The only people who will break the law after the deregulation bill are the ones who already break the law now.

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 12:13 pm 
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grandad wrote:
I don't buy it. Normal law abiding citizens will not risk their livelihood and liberty just because an opportunity that requires lots of planning and lies is put before them.
I mean are you saying that someone who runs their private hire business legally is suddenly going to say to a sex offender, here mate use my car to pick up victims don't worry if you get caught because I will go down as well.
No, it doesn't seem likely. The only people who will break the law after the deregulation bill are the ones who already break the law now.


Of course you don't buy it - you haven't from the start - you see opportunity from the changes to the law which will help your business - as does Sussex - as he will benefit from his other half and spouses being able to drive his PHV whilst off duty.

No I am not saying a legitimate PH owner will suddenly change their modus operandi, but it has happened.

I'm sure those PH firms in Manchester and Trafford who now have Rossendale and Gedling HC's working on their radio circuits - simply because the drivers find it easier to get licenses in Rossendale and Gedling over Manchester and Trafford don't consider themselves to have changed their modus operandi either.

What I am saying is that certain rules for PH are more lax than they are for HC.

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 1:10 pm 
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captain cab wrote:

No I am not saying a legitimate PH owner will suddenly change their modus operandi, but it has happened.

I'm sure those PH firms in Manchester and Trafford who now have Rossendale and Gedling HC's working on their radio circuits - simply because the drivers find it easier to get licenses in Rossendale and Gedling over Manchester and Trafford don't consider themselves to have changed their modus operandi either.


The company's that you allude to have not done anything illegal. They are working within the law as it stands. The fact that they can do it is down to pi55 poor standards in certain areas and maybe trade associations should be putting pressure on these councils to improve their standards. You seem to think that law abiding people will break the law just because they can.

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