Taxi Driver Online

These are the big changes planned for all taxis in Torbay

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-ne ... ay-1774048

All private hire taxis will be black and cabs on the taxi ranks will be white - and they will all have contrasting vinyl-wrapped boots and bonnets, used elsewhere for advertising.

All taxicab drivers in Torbay will have to undergo Child Sexual Exploitation training, have a standard livery for their vehicles, and face losing their taxi drivers' licence if they get 10 penalty points under proposed new rules.

The drivers themselves will have to take a geography 'knowledge' test and English language test.

Consultation has begun on Torbay Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, which has already been agreed in principle by the Licensing Committee. A consultation period runs until August 31.

The eight main changes are:

New standard livery
All private hire vehicles will be black and hackney carriages will be white - but they will have vinyl wrapped boots and bonnets (used for advertising in other areas). Hackney Carriages, which are allowed to use the taxi ranks, will all be white with a contrasting vinyl wrapped boot and bonnet. Private Hire Vehicles must be black with a contrasting boot and bonnet (colour and any signage yet to be determined). Existing licensed vehicles will be required to conform to the new standard livery when the vehicle is replaced at any time.

All drivers will have to undertake Child Sexual Exploitation training
This will apply to all existing drivers by May 2019 and all new drivers within six months of the grant of a licence, as licensed drivers are in constant contact with the public and therefore can be instrumental in identifying and reporting potential cases.

Drivers may lose their taxi drivers' licence if they get 10 penalty points
A driver will have to appear before Licensing Committee if they have more than nine penalty points at any one time. This change means that 10 or more current penalty points on a DVLA licence may result in action being taken against the driver by the Licensing Authority, which could include their licence being suspended.

Tighter checks every six months
The process of checking for traffic offences and licence endorsements be tightened from 'where considered necessary’ to ‘every six months’.

Taxis can be 10 years old but reduction in maximum mileage
The maximum age of a licensed vehicle (once licensed) has been increased from 8 years to 10 years subject to suitability, the maximum age of a vehicle when first presented for licensing has been left at four years, but the maximum mileage of a vehicle when first presented for licensing has been reduced from 60,000 to 50,000.

Cars tested at eight years old
Each and every vehicle that has reached eight years of age or more will be required to undergo a second compliance test, approximately six months from the date of renewal.

New identifying door signs
All licensed Hackney Carriage and private hire vehicles will be fitted with identifying door signs.

CCTV installation inside vehicle will be left to individual drivers and vehicle proprietors.


The aim of the Policy is to regulate the system to ensure that the public travel safely, receive a good level of service and drivers and operators are not overly burdened by unnecessary conditions.

"Public safety is paramount, and this Licensing Authority seeks to ensure through its licensing regime that all taxi and Private Hire vehicles are fit for purpose and that their drivers and/or operators are fit and proper persons," the policy says.


Tests for 'fit and proper drivers'

To decide if a driver is 'fit and proper', the Licensing Authority will require the applicant to demonstrate:

- That they understand the local geography of Torbay, by successfully completing a knowledge test.

- They are able to communicate effectively with customers, to include a basic understanding of the English language.

- To successfully complete a Driving Standards Assessment.

- Drivers will have to produce an acceptable Disclosure and Barring Service certificate.

- They must have a satisfactory driving history, as verified through the DVLA.

- And, finally, they must be considered ‘fit and proper’ by Torbay Council.

Ouch. That's a tough colour scheme, particularly black PHVs with contrasting boots and bonnets. And, like Cambridge the other day, obviously councillors can decide the main colours after a few months, but take a bit longer to consider the finer details of the bonnet and boot

Suspect this proposal would be near to top of the list for watering down before adoption.



Suspect mileage limits for vehicles are pretty unusual?

councils up and down the country are going for this and I suspect we'll all eventually get it

AT THE DRIVERS EXPENSE of course

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

"Here Comes Nobbys Taxi"

Nobby a fully licensed Joytown Taxi Driver under the mandatory instruction from Big Lears who was the local big cheese at Joytown Council took a nice car and decided to turn it in the interest of safety into car even a Circus clown wouldn't want, Big Lears told Nobby in no uncertain Terms that Nobby would have to pay for the grotty paint job himself and he had to do so in order to ensure the safety of the Village Goblins "Sky" and "Gobbed-on" who enjoyed a bevvy and that this would get them both home safely after they staggered out rat arsed from the Local Toy shop Licensed Nightclub.

The Idea was endorsed by PC Plop and that was it, Nobby was £4000 down and "Sky" and "Gobbed-on" were run down a week later by another Hack from Thumpton driven by a Moonlighting Mill owner out of his Skull on Scrumpy.

Oh well Said Nobby, I'll give it three months, pack it in and go to the Job centre in Joytown as I've had enough of the whole bloody lot of them...Thanks a lot Big Lears you jugged lugged prat.

Why not just make taxis be white, with whatever signage the council deems necessary, and make all PHVs anything bar white with whatever signage the council deems necessary.

However all this is really all much as a muchness as vehicles and drivers licensed elsewhere can simply ignore any of these rules.

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IDFIMH

Do any other areas have such a distinctive and uniform PHV colour scheme?

By promoting such a distinctive PHV identity in this way I wouldn't be surprised if it actually facilitates plying for hire, which presumably isn't what the council intends.

From memory there is one that insist on PHVs being white. But can't remember where. Is it Manchester (area)?


I suspect the local taxi trade are trying to emphasize the different between taxis and PHVs, but the buffoons have missed the point that punters generally don't give a toss.

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IDFIMH

Suspect the offices down there will have mixed fleets as well, so with the mirror image colour schemes of cars turning up to calls it'll maybe cement the impression that it's all one big happy family/corporate image, so just jump in if you see one on the streets

So will look good on paper, but as far as punters are concerned may in fact blur the HC/PHV divide

It could be High-Viz Yellow and Pink but a P1sshead would still mistakingly climb into Phone box in an effort o get home.

But a mileage limit makes more sense than an age limit.

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IDFIMH

Every little helps, though

Talking to a driver last night who was complaining that council had told him his motor would have to be replaced because of the new ten-year age rule, which was extended from eight years, but now includes previously exempt vehicles classed as 'executive'.

Turns out his car is 20 years old, although I'd never have guessed it was *that* old, and I think the mileage isn't that high at 130,000, I think he said.

So maybe age *and* mileage are both factors.

Think there are vehicles elsewhere in the council area that are teenagers and have done 600,000 miles or something like that.

To most people taxis are black! They always have been. Why change it? and anyway, how many black cars are available?

Torbay, isn't that where John Cleese based Fawlty towers? Says it all really.

Interesting point, but HCs in Torbay presumably saloons, and I think colour codes for saloon HCs tend to be white or lighter colours, with the likes of the black/bright green bonnets/boots in Leeds and Brighton. Of course, there's the teal in Guildford, but suspect an all non-standard colour scheme like that is not typical. (And the Bristol Blue HCs are mainly purpose built, I think.)









Of course, in terms of availability black would be a nightmare for buyers, and white was unpopular for cars for a spell, but I think it's making a bit of a comeback? And silver cars were few and far between when I was young, but I think it became the most popular car colour for a while?

But for saloon HCs I wouldn't be surprised if white was the main colour specified if there's any council code, and I'd be very surprised if many councils specified black for PH, if any at all.

It's really the kind of thing PHTM should do a survey on

that last photo just made me throw up

for years in places like London whilst the bulk of cabs were black a few were other colours and it didn't seem to be a problem

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector