captain cab wrote:
Wayne’s World
By
Wayne Casey
Nobody takes responsibility for this shit
Those of you who religiously read my world will have a bit of an inkling that I don’t trust government either national or local. I do have good reason for this, their record of accomplishment in terms of our industry reflect the reality of the situation, and despite their obvious protestations and denials, is a track record of incompetence.
What they (or their friends) see as red tape, the majority of us see as standards.
This leads me to the DSA (now DVSA) and their controversial dropping of taxi / private hire testing from the end of this year.
Well over a decade ago, the DSA approached many local authorities effectively selling their new ‘cabology’ test for both existing and prospective drivers.
The scheme, sold to local authorities based on ensuring a decent standard of driver, was seen by many (in the trade) at the time as a basic insult. Until, of course, some local associations persuaded local authorities the new test should be only for new applicants, not for existing drivers. At that point, the scheme became the best thing since sliced bread.
It was sold to the cab trade as potentially lowering insurance costs and like many other things offered by snake oil salesmen, the reality is the significant lowering of costs never happened.
Many local authorities bought into the idea, of course they would, wouldn’t they? They didn’t have to pass the damned test, as a brucie type of bonus, it wasn’t going to cost them any money.
Sitting in a darkened room watching DSA salespersons showed them a video of the course, followed by dubious statistics, involving the use of flipcharts and powerpoint. A reported 200 LA’s made it a requirement that the DSA test must be passed to obtain a drivers license.
The DSA have since made many hundreds of thousands, if not millions of pounds with their scheme that was actively encouraged by national and mandated by local government.
Naturally, some local authorities did this in a rather cack handed manner, one such example was Darlington Council, who arrogantly insisted all drivers, (including those of many years experience) would be required to pass the test. This didn’t sit well with Maurice Kaye, a Darlington taxi driver with many years experience. He took his council to court, then higher courts and subsequently lost.
I wonder what his feelings are now with the DSA pulling out of the scheme. I do not know the guy, but if he’s alive, I sincerely hoping he’s laughing in a pub over a pint and saying ‘I told you so’.
The majority of local authorities who adopted the test do use it as a deterrent, if a driver appears in front of them with allegations of bad driving, or indeed, penalty points on their driving license, these drivers are very often told to go take the DSA taxi test.
The DVSA retreat from this money-spinner will not (and has not) gone unnoticed by the private sector, they will be busily circling licensing departments like the proverbial vultures. After-all, local authorities will want something to step into the void left by the DSA – so we could well face a PLC stepping in – with the costs to drivers that they will bring, all for private profit, naturally.
The greater danger is that we will be left with a hotchpotch of differing standards in different areas. So much for those national standards as suggested by the Law Commission not so long ago.
Have any of you people heard of the ‘Tourism Action Plan’? No? Well I suggest you get sight of a copy and scurry through to page nine.
The following is stated, i wont bore you with the other bits that don’t concern us;
Commonsense Regulation
Working in partnership with the Tourism Industry Council, we have identified four areas of regulation where progress can be made to allow tourism businesses to flourish:
• We will seek to deregulate an element of Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) licences as soon as parliamentary time allows. This will allow owners of hotels / attractions to collect visitors from train stations / ports of entry, without having to apply for PHV licences (operator, vehicle and driver).
Looks innocent enough doesn’t it?
Well I once saw a baby picture of Adolf Hitler; he looked innocent and consider what happened.
The statement from the government is really quite vague. They mention collection from train stations and ports of entry, but not bus stations or airports? Hmmm, I think they’ll include them.
I also notice they mention ‘attractions’, could some of you please define ‘attraction’ for me? The oxford living dictionary defines the word as ‘a place which draws visitors by providing something of interest or pleasure’.
The broad definition of ‘attractions’ could be anything, from a ‘theme park’ to ‘Madam Fifi’s dungeon of pleasure’.
I have no good reason to disbelieve that the government are trying to do their bit to help the guest house trade in places like rural Cumbria, and given the reported perversity of past MP’s, I can to a degree support their concern about Madam Fifi’s. I do however believe they have not taken one key law into any consideration whatsoever, this law is known as the law of unintended consequences.
You see, the government record of accomplishment in these kind of things is one of stupidity.
Only recently they tried to convince us that cross border private hire was all to do with supplying a replacement ‘out of town’ car in the event of a breakdown. The unintended (or arguably intended) consequence has been vehicles from many miles away working in other areas virtually all the time.
This was on a par with unlicensed drivers being able to drive licensed vehicles when the vehicle was off duty, it saved the family, the environment and the world. As boasts go, that one was right up there and thankfully dropped as it was quite insane. The consequences of that one would have been hideous.
In respect of this particular government proposal, B&B and guest-house owners may well think it’s a wonderful idea, however, they should perhaps be mindful that they are mere B&B’s and guest-house. An unintended consequence could well be that some of the larger multi million pound hotel chains cotton on to the same idea.
A little like that damn app exploiting cross border private hire licensing.
Till next month
Always a good interesting read highlighting frequently real concerns for the industry BUT as usual no alternatives promoted no attempt at organising resistence to perceived problematical policies activities of the regulators WHY Wayne ???
If were a regulator reading this article my reaction would be " another whine from the iriot section who will never can never construct any collective effort except go to COURT where of course they will lose as did the clot from Darlington, nothing to worry about with this collection of morons"
ffs get together fight this bleedin nonsense construct regulations that will benefit the industry and its workers you have the knowledge of the current regulations, now highlight their inadequacies faults. I believe there is a government coming that will be receptive to New Regulation constructed and agreed by the workers within it GET ON WITH IT
_________________
All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity
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