Taxi Driver Online

The important change being brought in for taxi drivers in North Somerset

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bris ... xi-2021932

A change is coming to taxi licensing

Taxi drivers in North Somerset will have to attend compulsory safeguarding training to help tackle child sexual exploitation.

North Somerset Council is expected to sign off on its Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licensing policy for 2018-2023 at a meeting next week.

Under the new policy, mandatory safeguarding training will be introduced for all drivers.

This has been introduced in a number of other council’s across the country in a bid to address growing concerns over children and others vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking.

According to North Somerset , the training will not only apply to existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers but also to beginners going through the job application process.

The other main change to the policy will see vehicles more than eight-years-old only be issued with a six-month licence, all other vehicles will be subject to the usual annual licence review.

Also, previously, it has been a requirement that taxi vehicles need to be under eight years old at first license.

As part of the revision of the policy, the council has proposed that this age be reduced to five years.

Changes to the policy follow a public consultation held earlier this year.

A spokesman from North Somerset Council said: “Following a public consultation, the council has agreed that taxi drivers can continue to own vehicles that are eight-years-old, as per the previous policy, but they must renew their license every six months, instead of annually.

“This is to ensure vehicles are at a suitable standard to protect public safety.”

North Somerset full council is expected to meet on Tuesday (September 25) to officially approve the policy.

Seems inconsistent with the three-year licences instigated by the Law Commission.

Thought maybe article was confusing testing periods with licence duration, but the council's spokesperson does specifically talk about 'renewing' the licence every six months

We have the same … 6 months license for vehicles over 8 years old...…..has been for 20 years.... If you want a yearly license .. Buy a new car....

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Nothing wrong with this proposal but Council could have gone down the logical road of using the powers in the Act of testing the vehicle up to 3 times in a 12 month period and still issue a 1 year license.

That was for drivers, the six months is for vehicles.

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IDFIMH

Ah, I see - had it in my head the duration was standardised at three years for badges and plates, and five years for PH operators' licences.

Does seem inconsistent to leave the plates out of that though...

Not at all, different licences should be considered completely separately.

An MOT is 1 year. Seems logical that Vehicle Plates should be the same, then as Heathcote points out the LA can insist on up to 3 Vehicle tests a year in LGMP 1976 land. In Plymouth the PCCA 1975 says up to 4 times a year.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

But take your argument to its logical conclusion and the licence period would coincide with the testing period - so potentially a licence renewal four times per year in Plymouth

And while Heathcote does point out that LGMP-land cars can be tested up to three times per year, he does also say that even at that a one-year plate is acceptable (correct me if I'm wrong)

Can't really see the problem with three-year badges *and* plates - we have them here in Scotland for both, and to that extent there's consistency, and obviously vehicles are tested several times during the three years, the total frequency depending on local rules.

And I think there's provision in the legislation for LAs to specify a shorter period if they want across the board (we have a one-year option in Fife) or in individual cases.

Also, as regards the three-year default duration for badges in England instigated by the Law Commission, if I remember correctly there's also provision to specify a shorter period in individual cases, but not on a blanket basis.

So to that extent I can't really see how logically three-years plates couldn't have been brought in by the Deregulation Act while standardising the badge and PH ops licence durations.

It's a lot easier, legally, to refuse to re-license than to revoke.

So in that respect, if I was a LO, I would sooner have shorter vehicle licenses.

Despite the good point you make about having as many tests within the three years as required.

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IDFIMH

Interesting point about the revoke/renewal thing.

But which begs the question, why extend badges to three years, when the revoke/renewal conundrum more likely to apply to badges rather than plates, surely?

And how often does the age of the car lead to a position where a council would prefer to be in a situation where it would be easier not to renew rather than revoke?

And it all looks like the LA here are implying that the older cars are less safe and thus more likely to render the proprietor not fit and proper, thus quite an odd scenario.

So to my mind it would look more consistent if shorter liceneces were issued on an individual basis rather than a blanket rule based simply on the car's age, as indeed is the case with the new three-year badges and PH op's licences instigated by the Law Commission.

It's easier to assess the suitability of a vehicle than the suitability of a person.

And more vehicles fail to be fit and proper than people, so the numbers game is a good reason IMO.

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IDFIMH

That would be a good argument if failing a vehicle inspection meant that the license holder wasn't then fit and proper as a consequence, which I don't think is the case, in the vast majority of instances anyway.

More to the point, how many licenses are actually revoked or not renewed on account of the condition of the vehicle?

Very, very few, I would imagine, and fewer than the amount of badges revoked or not renewed.

I suspect the vast majority are suspended until repaired.

In some respects it's similar to medical suspensions, once the person is repaired they are allowed back on.

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IDFIMH

So if a cab fails an inspection and is off the road until it's repaired, then that amounts to a suspension in licensing terms?

Not that I'm disputing what you say, just that I'd never thought about it in those terms.

Anyway, as regards the shorter licences for vehicles that's beside the point, because the argument was more about the revoke/don't renew conundrum.

I mean, how many HC plates in Brighton either revoked or not renewed due to the condition of the vehicle?

Very few, I suspect, and certainly less than the number of badges

Yes.

None, but a few have been suspended until fit/repaired.

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IDFIMH