Taxi Driver Online

Nothing particularly new here, just that it's Aintree rather than Anfield and the weekend clubbers.

Around 130 comments on the Echo's website though, but all pretty predictable too, so I wouldn't bother...


'£50 from town to Aigburth' - Taxi drivers slam colleagues for Grand National rip-offs

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/li ... s-16106325

Drivers told they should be 'ashamed' for 'blatant overcharging' during race weekend

Taxi drivers in Liverpool have slammed some of their colleagues for the 'blatant overcharging' of customers during the Grand National Festival weekend.

The Taxi Alliance forum, which shares the views of a number of drivers around the city and region, sent a withering assessment of the hackney and private hire drivers it said had let the trade down last weekend by charging race goers exorbitant fares.

Speaking to the ECHO, the alliance said one of its members picked up a customer who had been asked to pay £50 to travel the short distance from Berry Street in Liverpool City Centre to Aigburth.

They said they then charged them the correct fare on the meter, which was £8.50.

They said they also witnessed examples of hackney cabs 'cherry picking' fares - which is when a driver refuses to take certain customers and picks the ones they want.

In a very strongly written statement on twitter, the alliance said that 'some within the combined licensed trade should be ashamed of themselves for the blatant overcharging' at the weekend - adding that these drivers are 'dragging our trade into the gutter where you belong.'

The taxi alliance have for a long time been critical of the enforcement operations of Liverpool City Council - suggesting that not enough work is being done to stop the dodgy practices of drivers around the city.

The ECHO has been reporting for several years on these issues - with a particular focus on customers being taken advantage of around football matches in the city.

This helped lead to a renewed effort by the council to catch culprits in the act with beefed up undercover operations on match days and at other busy events around the city.

In January, it was reported that more than 300 taxi and private hire drivers had been caught out in a police and city council crackdown.

This included numerous instances of cherry picking by Hackney cabs and illegal plying for hire by private hire drivers.

Speaking at the time, the council's transport boss Cllr James Noakes said: “People who live or work in Liverpool or come to the city for entertainment should have the reassurance that they can rely on taxi and private hire trade to provide a fair service that abides by the rules.

“In Liverpool, the vast majority of our taxi and private hire drivers are responsible, play by the rules and share our concerns for public safety.

“As these figures show, where we find evidence of wrongdoing we will not hesitate in taking action.

“We have also listened to the concerns of the city’s taxi trade, particularly around parking on taxi-stands. We work closely with them and we have taken action.

“The end of year figures are also a testament to the hard work and dedication of the city council’s licensing team who are out and about at all hours of the day ensuring the streets of our city are safe.”

Despite this, a spokesman for the Taxi Alliance said it did not feel the council's licensing team was fit for purpose, arguing that the trade in the city is not being kept under control.

Not a cab driver and not sure if it's Aintree, but came across this - think driver of this car a bit too optimistic about escaping here:

https://twitter.com/andrewtaxi4hire/sta ... 7744963584

Not sure what the fella done, but methinks a touch of overkill here.

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IDFIMH

Liverpool City Council obviously hand out press releases like confetti. This is the rehash on the Liverpool Business News website for a change, rather than the Echo's version.


Council cab and private hire crackdown forces 48 vehicles off the road

https://lbndaily.co.uk/council-cab-priv ... -off-road/

Licensing officers from Liverpool City Council served suspension notices on the 48 vehicles during the month following routine inspections. Tony McDonough reports

Almost 50 taxis and private hire cars were ordered off Liverpools roads in March in a crackdown on defective vehicles.

Licensing officers from Liverpool City Council served suspension notices on 48 vehicles during the month following routine inspections. Cabs were taken off the road for a variety of breaches, including unsafe tyres, dented and damaged bodywork – including sharp and dangerous edges and unhygienic interiors.

A further 45 vehicles were issued with defect notices for minor faults and ordered to make repairs within seven days. In total, 25 of the cabs taken off the road were licensed in Liverpool whilst 23 were licensed with other local authorities.

Valuable service

City manager Kevin Johnson said: “The taxi and private hire industry plays an important part in Liverpool’s local economy and provides an extremely valuable service to the public. People who visit, live or work in Liverpool have the right to travel around the city in safety and be secure in the knowledge that they are not being ripped off.”

The city council has pledged to protect the public through a series of ongoing safety campaigns, which include the crackdown on unsafe cabs. Licensing officers are also working to prevent unscrupulous drivers breaking the rules through plying for hire (private hire driver’s that pick up passengers off the street who have not pre-booked the journey), cherry-picking fares and failing to use their meters, particularly on match days.

Plying for hire

At the recent Liverpool home game against Tottenham Hotspur, three private hire drivers were reported for plying for hire without a licence to do so. Throughout March, a further 37 drivers were given written warnings for violations such as not wearing their badges, not having their taxi licence plates fixed properly and failing to act in a civil manner.

The offending drivers came from Liverpool and surrounding boroughs such as Sefton, Knowsley and the Wirral but some who were caught came from as far away as Wolverhampton.

While 15 drivers were prosecuted by the council for offences such as plying for hire, the city council’s licensing committee also revoked one private hire driver’s licence for drink-driving offences.

Mr Johnson added: “Thankfully the vast majority of our drivers play by the rules and provide a first-class service, but the message to anyone who thinks they can come to Liverpool and flaunt the rules is – you will be caught.”

Now there's a shock.

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IDFIMH