Taxi Driver Online

Sandwell private hire cars may ditch silver colour due to paint premium

Private hire cars in Sandwell may no longer have to be painted silver as part of a shake up of licensing regulations.

However, the proposal by Sandwell Council is being held up following complaints from Hackney carriage taxi drivers about other changes.

The plan came after an appeal by operators in the borough who said they were no longer able to afford new cars because car dealers had slapped a premium on silver vehicles knowing the council only licensed cars in that colour.

Other changes are also in the pipeline, including a relaxation on the age policy.

Currently private hire vehicles have to be under five years old when first applying for a licence and cannot be more than eight years old at renewal, unless they are in 'exceptional condition.'

Licences would also be refused for vehicles found to be used to ply for trade outside the borough and cabs would be obliged to display a window sticker showing the vehicle had been licensed by Sandwell Council.

The aim of this change is to ensure Hackney carriage drivers cannot carry out pre-booked work for private hire operators in Birmingham as the city council there has experienced a large influx of cabs licensed by other local authorities, with no details of whether the driver has a criminal record or whether a licence had been revoked.

But this particular change has been opposed by the Hackney drivers who put their names to a 102 signature letter to the council voicing their concerns as part of consultations on the plans.

As a result, the council has deferred a decision and will be reviewing the proposals at a cabinet meeting on February 3, which is set to defer a decision for a future cabinet meeting.

Currently, licensing regulations in Sandwell stipulate that private hire operators have to drive silver cars, while Hackney carriages can be in any colour.

Richard Wade, who runs Brook Fleet Cars in Sandwell with his wife Mandy, said: "I think there should be an age limit, but I don't think there should be a colour. There are some vehicles in Sandwell that are over 15 years old and in a poor condition. I think it is a disgrace. I have seen some cars that have got pin dents in them."

Bilal Younis, manager of Queens Head and Local Cars in Bearwood, said the delay had caused problems for a lot of drivers who had put off plans to buy new cars in anticipation of the relaxation of the age rules which were due to come into effect on December 1, but now faced the prospect of not being able to renew the licence for their existing vehicle because it would be too old.

He said: "My own personal view is that they sort out the licensing situation for private hire drivers. I have spoken to drivers in Dudley, who do not have any stipulation to buy a car that is five years old and a specific colour and they are very happy with the situation."

source: http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015 ... t-premium/

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

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

I've said before that all licensed vehicles should be colour coded. Most of the ranks look like a car auction car park.

PERHAPS YOU COULD USE ENGLISH NTA REP WTF IS A "MONG"

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

Mong is short for 'mongoloid', which was originally an anachronistic term for a Down's Syndrome sufferer. The modern Mong however is a total [edited by admin], who deserves nothing less than complete humiliation for their idiocy.

yep - that one

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

If your going to insist on Private Hire cars being of a single unilateral colour then it follows that no other cars belonging to the general public can be of the same colour anywhere in the LA's sphere of influence or it would defeat the object of permitting the general public to identify a private hire car through its exclusivity of colour..

Seeemples.