Taxi Driver Online

Reading to hold black cab survey to see if the town needs more


Reading Borough Council licensing committee agreed to retain its cap on Hackney Carriage licences and to hold an 'unmet needs' survey

The council will be conducting an independent survey in Reading to see if the town needs more black cabs.

Reading Borough Council agreed in March 2009 to put a cap on the number of Hackney Carriage licences at 216.

There had been an increase of 40 per cent in the previous two years and a sharp downturn in the economy which led to the decision.

In order to continue the restriction on the number of licences, the council has to conduct a survey on the “unmet demand” which it did in 2012 and decided to continue the policy.

On Thursday, July 9, the licensing committee was asked to decide again whether to continue with its capping policy.

The committee’s decision came two days after questions to the full council meeting which suggested the restrictive policy led to a kind of “organised slavery” for sub-contracting taxi drivers and to a “black market” in the resale of licensed cabs for up to £80,000.

Taxi driver Syed Abbas of the Reading Taxi Drivers’ Assocation had raised one of the questions and he was at the licensing meeting on Thursday with GMB union representative Steve Garlick.

Mr Garlick raised concerns about the increase in private hire vehicles illegally touting for trade and the dangers that went with that.

Safety

He urged the council to hold its survey pointing out: “The by word of licensing regardless of space, income and everything else is safety”.

Chairman of Reading Taxi Association representing the owner drivers Asif Rashid urged the council to hold a survey on unmet demand saying the RTA members were willing to pay the one-off fee to cover the cost of the independent survey.

Cllr Jeanette Skeats took Mr Garrolick to task saying Reading was already aware of the problems of touting and she pointed out: “Our officers are doing a extremely fantastic job out there.”

Mr Garrolick acknowledged Reading was “well. well ahead of most licensing authorities throughout the country.”

The committee agreed to carry out the independent survey and existing Hackney Carriage licence holders will be charged a one-off fee of £54 in addition to their annual licence fee of £296.67 to pay for it.

source: http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local- ... ey-9636620

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

Missed this one


Taxi driver spokesman alleged 'black market' and 'organised slavery'


Chairman of the Reading Taxi Drivers' Association Syed Abbas raised questions about the cap on Hackney Carriage licences in Reading

Renting a black cab in the town is “organised slavery” according the chair of Reading Taxi Drivers’ Association.

And he also claims the limit on the number of Hackney Carriage licenses leads to “black market” sales of licensed cabs for nearly £80,000.

Syed Abbas brought his complaint to the full Reading Borough Council meeting on Tuesday, July 7.

Mr Abbas, who says he is now blacklisted and unable to drive a cab, asked simply: ”Renting a cab as a taxi driver is organised slavery, who is responsible?”

A second taxi driver Masud Mazhar also asked a question at the same meeting: “We provide proper evidence, black marketing is going on high level. Local government is failed to provide justice. Why?”

Cllr Paul Gittings said in answer to Mr Abbas: “The Modern Slavery Act 2015 details that modern slavery encompasses human trafficking, slavery, forced labour and domestic servitude. Whilst you may consider that renting a cab rather than owning a cab is restrictive, the council in its stewardship of Hackney Carriages has not found any evidence to substantiate that you, or others, in your situation are being forced to work.

Police

“If you feel that this is not the case, the police are responsible for investigating these matter.

“To answer your question as to who is responsible for the current policy you will know that the council has previously considered your concerns regarding the number of Hackney Carriage plates that have been issued.

“It is within the council’s powers to make a local decision on limiting the number of Hackney Carriage licence vehicles it will issue and at present some 28 per cent of local authorities do limit their Hackney Carriage numbers.”

Mr Gittings said the council had to justify the limit under the Transport Act 1985 by carrying out a survey to establish whether there is “unmet demand” for taxis. The council carries out such surveys every three years and the next one is due to be completed this October.

Cllr Gittings said there was no law restricting black cab owners from renting their vehicles to other drivers provided they had a valid Hackney Carriage Vehicle drivers’ licence.

In answer to Mr Mazhar, Cllr Gittings said: “I met with you and members of the Reading Taxi Drivers’ Association in December last year to discuss the matter I believe you are referring to in your question.

“The then chair of licensing was also present at the meeting and we promised to fully investigate your concerns.

“This investigation was carried out and reported to members of the licensing committee with advice from legal services.

Dismissed

“The outcome of the investigation and consideration by members of the committee was that your complaints were dismissed.”

Mr Abbas explained to getreading afterwards that he phrased the question in that way because he had raised his concerns with the police and they had passed him to Reading Borough Council’s licensing committee and now the council was saying it was a matter for the police.

Mr Abbas’s main concern is that Reading Borough Council no longer issues additional Hackney Carriage licences.

He says that leads to “black market” sales of cabs with licences being sold for as much as £78,000 even though a Hackney Carriage licence plate only costs £400 if purchased from the borough council.

That in turn, he claims, forces people like himself with a taxi drivers’ licence to rent cabs from existing licence-holders.

He alleges he was black-listed as a driver after he spoke out about his grievances to the council and to MP Alok Sharma.

Mr Abbas claimed the council had been given evidence of “threats” by Hackney Carriage licence holders to drivers and the “black-market” trade in licensed cabs and it had taken no action.

source: http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local- ... ck-9614325

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

really? they must have improved dramatically from this article -

Illegal taxi trade ‘a major problem’

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local- ... or-4213795

Oh and this -

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... xi/m37.htm

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

or this -

Private hire driver fined £2,000 for illegal pick-up

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20630%22%22

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

Our firm insists that day drivers are out at morning and afternoon school run time every day and night drivers work 1am-7am once a month on a rota, if not you are first 'fined' and eventually removed from the company.
Is that forced labour ? We are being forced to work when we don't want to (certain times), ok we don't have to work, but if we don't we face a punishment.

No that is not forced labour it is being employed and those drivers who are told what shifts to work should stand up for themselves.

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Grandad,

The phrase 'Billy no mates' springs to mind.

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IDFIMH

Not employees, employers - seeing as our rents pay the wages of all the office staff, including the ones telling us when we have to work !
Anyways, company rules, if you don't like them go and work for someone else

Isn't it great being self employed and paying someone else's wages to be your boss

You contradict yourself there. You say that you can go and work for someone else sugesting that you are an employee. If you are told what shifts to work, you are an employee. If you are truly self employed you work when you want and not when you are told. Self employed drivers within our company work what shifts they like. We sometimes ask them if they can work at certain times but it is up to them if they want to. They can also hand out their own business cards to get their own customers and they can accept work from others if they want. They all drive hackney carriages rented from us by the mile.

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Grandad,

Grandad, if a 'self-employed' driver on your company is sent a job and then refuses to do it (without good reason) do they face any form of penalty - do they HAVE to do the job or can they pick and choose jobs as they wish ?
Do the drivers have to abide by a dress code, do the vehicles have to comply with a company policy, does the company have any rules that drivers have to abide by or do they just rent the vehicle and go off and do whatever they want with no control from the company ?

Not having a go at you, but I would think every company tells it's drivers what to do in some form or another, and very few firms have salaried drivers. So if the drivers pay rents which fund the companies wages and the companies tell the drivers what to do, who is the employer and the employee ?

The only "rules" that the drivers have to abide by are that they do their vehicle checks as laid down by the company before every shift. They can, and sometimes do, refuse jobs. this is usually because they have just picked up a street job and they have not put themselves on a "break" We do request them at busy times to be available for office jobs but they sometimes take a job that will take them out of town and we have to cope. As an example, at 5.15 this evening I was leaving a meeting at the Council and the 2 drivers that were working both picked up out of town jobs. One to Grantham station and the other to Stansted airport. They knew that i was at the meeting and that there were jobs that had been booked in so the more senior of them used her common sense and made arrangements to get the local jobs covered by drivers who were able to help out and just let me know about it. We are very fortunate in our small town that most drivers are happy to help others out. At weekends we try to keep either my son or myself available to cover such things. We also have some drivers who are hourly paid employees and these drivers are required to be available for company work at set times.

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Grandad,

Cheers Grandad Wish my company was like that, can I come and work for you

Just to clarify, you wouldn't have a problem with one of the self employed drivers refusing every job that was less than £3 for example ? I know on our firm if we could refuse a job some would be sent back by every driver and never get done (we have a lot that only go 1/4 mile)

I'm happy to do those 1/4 mile jobs at £3.60 a time (min. fare) I could easily do ten an hour provided I'm not dragged about where as you get a 20 mile job that takes you out of town you will probably do 15 mile back empty before you get your next fare.

We have very few jobs like that and most of the drivers prefer them. We have 2 drivers who never do any company work. They are quite happy getting their own so we leave them to it.

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Grandad,

I guess every area has different situations then.
Where I work most pickups are within 1 mile of where you are plotted and the jobs tend to go around 1 mile as well, although I'd say 50% of journeys are less than a mile.

However at social club closing there's an area where every job will be 1/4 mile and £2.50 and EVERY passenger will ask for the discount so you get £2.20 and every single one of them you'll have to wait 10 minutes for them to get in the car - regardless to say no-one will work that area at closing time.

We also have a contract job that only pays £3.00 at midnight and it involves a 4 mile round trip, again drivers will try and avoid it but then the office will run you 3 miles to pick up.

So for some doing the little jobs may be fine but for me running over a mile to do a job less than £3 is'nt worth it, you might say stay in the area where all the little jobs are if no-one else is there but at the times when it's busy you can work the little job area and be run from pillar to post for £8ph or you can work the good areas and do up to £30ph.

So you can see why drivers would refuse jobs if they were allowed to, I don't mind a little job if I'm nearby and I know the passenger will be ready. But a 2 mile drive to pick up a £2.20 fare that still wont be ready 10 minutes after they phone and then will ask for a discount, no thanks.