trotskys twin wrote:
Jasus you lot are fekking thick go the Chair of Licensing make the issue POLITICAL FFS he cant survive this crap,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,headline local rag [Council Officers deny Driver work} Councilor XXX Chair of licensing says oh fu£k !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 hes toast ,,,,,,,get on with it ffs
http://www.melton.gov.uk/meetings/archive[/quote]
Like i am going to sort through that lot Trev whats your point ????????????????
TT[/quote]
Any one who knows me knows that I like to make people use their little grey cells to learn and understand. The point I was making is that whenever you look at the committees nothing is scheduled. Now you and I, I think, would agree that most people are ignorant of the way councils work and I don't mean to be disrespectful when I say ignorant; they need to be taught. At the moment they need to be represented by Associations, Unions or people with the experience. Things have changed within councils from the old days with the banging on top of tables and councillors and chairman immediately doing your bidding.
Councils employ officers to run their departments, councillors have to rely on their experience whether good or bad. Councillors can no longer simply interfere, for they run the risk, under their protocols, of being severely held to account. Sueing councils, unless it's for big bucks, is simply a waste of time. Educating councillors and forming sub-committees with the intention of making a legal level playing field should be the ultimate aim of everyone concerned..........Trevor, retired, but still a big pain in the a**e.
http://www.sefton.gov.uk/media/56234/taxihandbook.pdfAnnex 9
Frequently Asked Questions
Question Answer
I’m a driver, can I smoke in my own
hackney carriage or private hire vehicle?
No – Smoking in a working vehicle is
prohibited – if caught you may receive a
fixed penalty notice.
What Do I do if my passengers smoke? As the driver it is your responsibility to
enforce the no smoking ban within your
vehicle. The Council provides free no
smoking stickers but as driver you are
responsible for the passengers in your
vehicle. However it is a defence for the
driver to show he took reasonable steps
to stop the person in question smoking,
or that he did not know the person was
smoking or that on other grounds it was
reasonable for the driver not to comply
with the duty.
Can a Sefton licensed private hire driver
work for an operator licensed by another
Council?
No – all three licenses, (driver, vehicle &
operator) must be licensed by the same
Council
Can a Sefton licensed hackney carriage
ply for hire in Liverpool or another area?
No – although pre-booked work can be
carried out by these vehicles.
Who can drive a licensed hackney
carriage or private hire vehicle?
Only a person holding a valid driver’s
licence (except if the vehicle is being
driven to a pre-booked compliance or
licensing test).
I’m a private hire driver, can I accept a
booking directly?
No – all journeys must be pre-booked via
your licensed operator.
Do I need special insurance to drive a
hackney carriage or private hire vehicle?
Valid insurance is required by the Road
Traffic Act and should specifically the
type of work you carry out. If you have
any doubt about you cover you should
contact your insurance provider.
When do I need to produce my insurance
documents?
An valid insurance certificate must be
produced at the One Stop Shop when
you apply or renew your vehicle licence.
It should also be produced if requested
by a Taxi Licensing Enforcement Officer
or a police officer. 59
I have received a vehicle defect / stop
notice, what do I do?
You need to arrange for the faults to be
corrected and then take to vehicle to a
Sefton appointed Compliance testing
centre (see Annex 5) or contact the Taxi
Licensing Enforcement Officer who
issued the notice.
I am an existing driver and need to obtain
the VRQ how long do I have to take
qualification??
You will need to have obtained the VRQ
by 31st December 2015. If you do not
currently have the VRQ then can only be
issued with a driver licence to that date.
Where to I go to apply for a licence or
renew an existing licence
The Council’s One Stop Shops, at either
Stanley Road Bootle or Cambridge Walk,
Southport.
I have a question about the licensing
process who should I speak to.
In this first instance you should speak to
a Customer Services Advisor in the One
Stop Shops or ring the Contact Centre
0845 140 0845.
I am not happy with the way my enquiry /
licence application has been dealt with.
You should make a Corporate Complaint
by telephoning the Council’s Contact
Centre, or visit the One Stop Shop in
person or complete the ‘online’ complaint
form. The matter will then be investigated I am a driver / proprietor and I have been
asked to present my vehicle for testing
/checking. Do I have to attend?
Yes – the Council is permitted by law to
require up to three vehicle examinations
a year. One is required when the vehicle
licence is issued or renewed at the
driver’s/ proprietor’s expense, the others
are as requested by the Taxi Licensing
Enforcement Team and will not be
charged for. In addition an authorised
officer may inspect any vehicle as a
matter of routine whilst it is under licence.
Can an officer ask me to produce the
vehicle registration document or
insurance certificate?
Yes – an enforcement officer is entitled
to check relevant documentation.
Where do I get information about Council
decisions about taxi licensing?
The Council publishes the agendas and
minutes of all its Licensing & Regulatory
Committee meetings on the Council’s
website.
Where do I get information about trade
consultation with the Council?
The Council holds quarterly trade
consultation meetings between officers
and representatives of the hackney
carriage and private hire trades. The
current trade representatives are listed in
Annex 8. The agendas and minutes of
these meetings are published on the 60
Council’s website.
There is also one annual consultation
meeting involving 3 Councillors who sit
on the Licensing & Regulatory
Committee, officers and trade
representatives.
Taxi Etiquette At the request of the Hackney Carriage
Trade Working Group, the good practice
guide published by the National Taxi
Association is appended to this
document as a guide for new drivers.
It is not a legal requirement to follow the
guide and it included for information only.
The Council accepts no responsibility for
its content. 61
Taxi Etiquette, Extract from the National Taxi Association
Most, if not all, of us, when granted our first taxi driver’s licence, were taken
line by line through most of the conditions book. Unfortunately, nobody
deemed it necessary to tell new drivers about Taxi Etiquette; some of the
things you do and some you don’t!!
Below is a selection of these common courtesies, which taxi drivers SHOULD
accord each other.
• A taxi plying for hire [especially when its hire light is on!] does not
overtake another taxi plying for hire, unless the front driver indicates it
is ok to do so. If you have a “TX vehicle keep the 2 small red lights in
the rear window working, they show red when the top hat is on.
• In traffic, if a taxi allows you into the traffic flow, either from a side road
or another lane, you do not pick up in front of him, but, if hailed, signal
for the taxi behind you to take the fare. Ideally, if a safe opportunity
arises, allow him to overtake you.
• Do not overtake another cab when plying for hire or with your hire light
on.
• Do not execute illegal right turns, you might save the customer a few
pence, but you risk a fine and points on your licence. Plus, other
drivers who comply with the law are then accused by passengers of
taking the long way round.
• You should not pick up within 50 metres of an occupied taxi rank.
Better to err slightly on the safe side rather than swipe a rank! If you
can’t judge 50 metres, how did you pass your driving test? Seriously,
try pacing it out once to get an idea of how far it is.
• Equally, if there is a queue at an unoccupied rank, the queue should be
given priority over any nearby street hails.
• It is not clever to offer a discount just to get a job out of turn. If you are
the first driver & cannot agree a fare you may like to ask a colleague for
an opinion, even your radio operator if you have one.
• When ranked, if a customer expresses a preference for your taxi when
you are not the first taxi on the rank, you should advise that the first taxi
has priority unless there are VERY special circumstances.
• Unofficial ranks outside nightclubs etc are generally not “swiped,” as a
matter of courtesy, although discourtesy is not unknown. STICK TO
THE ABOVE RULES 62
• If you drop off on a rank, you cannot hold a position on that rank until
you are fully disengaged. You should allow any taxi arriving whilst you
are disengaging, in front of you.
• If you approach a rank and an oncoming taxi is waiting to turn on to
that rank, you should allow the taxi to complete his turn and rank in
front of you.
• If you drive a saloon vehicle as a taxi cab DO NOT expect these
courtesies if you have your roof light off; if you drive purpose built
vehicle only expect these courtesies if your hire light is on. Otherwise
you are treated as either not working or as being loaded.
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