Taxi marshal scheme to be wheeled out in DundeeTaxi marshals will take to Dundee’s streets in the new year, after high-level talks salvaged the troubled scheme.
Council officials have been working to secure the staff required and have now informed the taxi trade they are finally ready to deliver.
The announcement comes amid an ongoing investigation by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman into the apparent failure of the scheme.
It is more than 17 months since the council charged each of the city’s 1,300 taxi drivers a £30 fee to bankroll its introduction. Licensing committee convener Stewart Hunter said the council is finally on the verge of delivering the marshals.
The plan is to station the staff at key city centre locations at weekends to protect the public at road safety hotspots.
They will also be asked to help quell trouble at certain taxi ranks, giving drivers the confidence to stop for passengers in areas some have been avoiding, and could look at poor parking.
The council has had significant difficulty in attracting staff with the required abilities but that now appears to have changed, meaning the drivers will finally receive a service for their money.
Mr Hunter said: “We have been meeting with the taxi trade and there have been a number of good ideas shared. Thankfully, we now appear to have a solution to the staffing problem and I hope to see something happen quite quickly.”
Mr Hunter said a report will go to committee in the near future and there will be no further cost to taxi drivers.
While some will welcome the news, the president of the GMB Union Dundee’s wheelchair-accessible taxi branch, Wullie Lees, remains unhappy about the fee levied on drivers’ licences.
“I know that the council has struggled to recruit staff but I was at the latest meeting and it seems there have been major changes.
“The taxi marshal scheme will go ahead, starting in the new year. The scheme is still a sticking point for many drivers who will feel as if they have been paying for it for three years by the time it finally arrives.
“I’m against the proposals for the simple reason that we already pay Police Scotland for a cab enforcement unit to police the taxi ranks. It feels like we are being forced to pay twice.”
Dundee City Council has been given two weeks to provide answers to the SPSO, which is investigating how the scheme has progressed.
Its involvement was prompted by local driver Gregor Ross, who believes the £30 charge should be refunded. “I’m delighted to see the ombudsman looking into this,” he said.
“If I had paid for a television package and then received no channels I’d justifiably expect a refund. I don’t see why this should be any different. It has dragged on for far too long.”
source:
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/ ... e-1.904052
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