Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers to take strike action in Rotherham tomorrow - with ‘blockades’ threatened


Rotherham taxi drivers are set to go on strike from tomorrow in protest at controversial new licensing laws being introduced in the wake of the child sexual exploitation scandal.

The Rotherham Hackney Carriage Association has told BBC Radio Sheffield its members will not be accepting jobs tomorrow.

Strike action is due to start from 6am tomorrow and one private hire driver told the BBC cabbies are considering ‘blockades of the town’ as part of their protest.

It follows a protest involving more than 100 drivers outside Rotherham Town Hall yesterday at council proposals to being in more stringent measures for being a driver.

The plans, due to come into force from next Monday, July 6, will see all drivers needing to install CCTV into their vehicles within three months.

Drivers say they are concerned at the potential costs of installing, maintaining and repairing the cameras, which the council say drivers should be able to hire for £5 per week or less.

The new proposals also include drivers needing to pass a ‘fit and proper person test’ to hold a licence, a requirement to have a BTEC qualification.

Vehicles will have to be less than five years old when applying for a new licence and less than 10 years old for renewed licenses.

The shake-up affecting 1,200 registered drivers comes after the Jay report revealed the ‘prominent role’ of Rotherham taxi drivers in the abuse of children, while the follow-up Casey inquiry said Rotherham Council needed to ‘get their house in order and regulate taxis effectively’ due to the ‘well-publicised link between taxis and child sexual exploitation in Rotherham that has cast a long shadow over the vast majority of law-abiding drivers’.

Wajad Hussain, a private hire driver, told Radio Sheffield this morning that he is not opposed to the CCTV plan, but is worried about its potential costs.

He said the taxi industry in Rotherham is a ‘dying trade’, with many drivers struggling to break even.

Mr Hussain said: “It is a heavy-handed approach to penalise the drivers.

“They are using child sexual exploitation as a method to push through other policies through the back door.

“It is a way of scapegoating and it is shifting the blame on to taxi drivers.”

source: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/tax ... -1-7334474

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

sorry but that says it all

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

I wonder why that is?

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IDFIMH

Yes dosnt it as i pointed out months ago the trade there is a disgrace and its obvious its been despicably corrupted by sexual perverts all sensible drivers will support the new proposals to clean up this OBSCENITY posing as a public service.

Quite honestly as one ordinarily advocating STRIKEs and WORKERS demos i think this lot are INSANE ................its time to grab the bull by the horns and rid the industry in Rotherham of the perverted infiltrators within it and regain the public's confidence

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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

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

A post that I whole heartedly agree with.

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Grandad,

You really surprise me with your comments!

If you have a dozen crooks in your neighbourhood do you taint the rest of the good people who live there? There is a point of principle here to be seen to be as an innocent/good person, also the right to spend your earned money as you wish - and not to go down the road of being told as to how you have to spend it.

The Councils/L.A's have caused these problems with their poor selection criteria, on that basis if they want cams in the cabs then they should pay for them. Having said that they would in effect be saying that they do not trust any driver that they have appointed, that in itself, is scandalous/defamous.

The Council/L.A's never give a stuff about drivers safety by insisting that a cam is part of your/my license conditions, but when it comes down to the safety of the public.......you would have innocent working men/women pay up! You have become soft.

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Common sense........is just not that Common.

Yes dosnt it as i pointed out months ago the trade there is a disgrace and its obvious its been despicably corrupted by sexual perverts all sensible drivers will support the new proposals to clean up this OBSCENITY posing as a public service.

Quite honestly as one ordinarily advocating STRIKEs and WORKERS demos i think this lot are INSANE ................its time to grab the bull by the horns and rid the industry in Rotherham of the perverted infiltrators within it and regain the public's confidence [/quote]

You really surprise me with your comments!

If you have a dozen crooks in your neighbourhood do you taint the rest of the good people who live there? There is a point of principle here to be seen to be an innocent/good person, also the right to spend your earned money as you wish - and not to go down the road of being told as to how you have to spend it.

The Councils/L.A's have caused these problems with their poor selection criteria, on that basis if they want cams in the cabs then they should pay for them. Having said that they would in effect be saying that they do not trust any driver that they have appointed, that in itself, is scandalous/defamous.

The Council/L.A's never give a stuff about drivers safety by insisting that a cam is part of your/my license conditions, but when it comes down to the safety of the public.......you would have innocent working men/women pay up! You have become soft.[/quote]

Dear John me gone soft ffs why would any Driver in 2015 drive professionally without a CCTV device in his vehicle ??

Regarding Rotherham its clearly full of non English speaking Drivers who of course must learn to do so or be removed from the industry....................and your assertion that only a minority were involved in prostituting and Raping Children to me seems implausible i suspect it was habitual amonsgt very many of the Drivers in Rotherham and rest assured it will i believe be proven so in the future !

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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

There are fundamental principles at stake i.e innocent until proven guilty + nobody gave a poop that taxi drivers have been murdered over the years......no mention of "You will fit cams at your own expense" for the most despicable crime of taking the life of another!

John Warboys a London hack convicted of actually using his London cab for multiple rapes - do I hear the call for ALL London cabs to be fitted with CCTV??????????

The Councils/L.A's up and down the country should be sued on the basis of dereliction of duty. They have shown a complete disregard/disrespect toward the job/occupation by not having a "duty of care" within their selection policies - it is their failing, they then blame everybody bar themselves, and now others expect us to pick up the tab.

I regard myself as a proper person when dealing with others, as such I have nothing to hide - however I do not agree with being forced to spend money because of the actions of others. I bet passengers would be outraged to be told that they have to spend out on a body cam for their own safety - however it would seem that they are happy for others to do it for them.

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Common sense........is just not that Common.

Good luck in their strikes, I can't see them getting anywhere because it's all been rubber stamped.

Nail hit firmly on the head.

Second Rotherham taxi protest planned today



Rotherham taxi drivers vowed to carry on with strike action with another protest set for 4pm today.

Drivers withdrew their services in response to new licensing laws set to come in on July 6, which will make drivers install CCTV cameras in the wake of child sexual exploitation scandal.

The strike which started at 6am this morning caused gridlock on many roads coming into Rotherham as taxi drivers took part in a ‘go slow protest’.

One Rotherham taxi driver told The Star that strikes will continue until commissioner Mary Ney meets with drivers to discuss the controversial licensing laws.

Commissioner Mary Ney, who has responsibility for the council’s Licensing function, said: “We have been having ongoing discussions with representatives of the trade throughout the process of drafting this new policy and have met all of their previous requests for meetings.

“We have made numerous changes in direct response to what they have told us, relating to the age and colour of vehicles for example, and we are due to meet with representatives again to discuss the finer detail of how we put the scheme in place.”

source: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/sec ... -1-7336636

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

She should meet them and take with her immigration, hmrc and cid

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

Correct and someone from Health and Safety re their hours and just maybe the Benefits people

Reckon their be busy ?

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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

Most look like PH anyway so the proper taxis should be able to cope with demand