Taxi Driver Online

I'm assuming 'taxi rank' in this piece means 'taxi office'


Far-right activists at Preston taxi rank sparks row and police response

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire- ... i-20587299

Political activists from far-right Britain First visited Preston to distribute what they labelled as 'grooming gang awareness leaflets'


Image: Google/LancsLive

Police officers have been called out to a Preston taxi rank after far-right political activists descended on the city centre distributing what it described as 'grooming gang awareness leaflets'.

Individuals from the extremist political party Britain First visited Preston city centre on Tuesday (May 11) where they visited a number of locations including Preston police station, Preston Railway Station taxi rank, convenience stores and a number of takeaways.

They said the reason behind their visit to Preston was to address the 'grooming gang pandemic plaguing this city'.

Tensions escalated when activists visited Eagle Taxis in Fox Street, with a member of staff at the business asking those from Britain First to leave the premises and to stop filming inside the premises.

In a video of their visit, the staff member can be seen grabbing the leaflets from the activists and throwing them outside of the taxi rank.

Officers were quickly called to the business in Fox Street with activists later leaving the scene.

Since Britain First's visit to the city, a multi-agency response has been undertaken by Lancashire Constabulary, faith leaders, and Preston City Council about the far-right group's visit and the leaflets distributed.

Officers are now asking anyone with any concerns to contact the police.

A police spokesperson said: "We were called around 1.50pm on Tuesday (May 11) to a report of nuisance at an address in Fox Street in Preston.

"It was reported a group of people were filming at a taxi firm before later leaving the scene.

"We are aware and have spoken with relevant partners, including licensing, Preston City Council and faith leaders, about the leaflets.

“If anyone has any concerns, we would urge them to contact police.

“No criminal offences have been disclosed at this time.”

A spokesperson for Preston City Council said: “Grooming is a situation we and the police take very seriously, and we urge anyone with genuine concerns about a specific situation to please go through appropriate channels to get the necessary advice and to report it.

“The police have made us aware of the leaflets that are being circulated and are supporting them with this issue in any way we are able.”

Police were recently called to a hotel housing asylum seekers after Britain First descended on the property, filming inside it.

They arrived at the Scarisbrick Hotel in Southport on Wednesday, April 7, asking people inside the building questions such as where they are from and how long they have been there.

Up to 150 asylum seekers had been living at the hotel but have since been moved on after the government withdrew financial support.

A spokesperson for Southport Against Racism said they wont tolerate hatred in the seaside town.

"[Asylum seekers] are recovering from horrendous acts that most of us cannot imagine," they said.

"These disgusting groups will try and make out our money is going on refugees for them to have a great life, but a lot [of refugees] are professional people who worked hard and had a good lifestyle before they became unsafe.

"They want to work but are not allowed whilst being assessed, and actually only get about £5 a day to live off."

well I've had a good look on google street view and I can find loading bays and car parking but no taxi rank so where is it ?

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

Think 'taxi rank' just means 'taxi office'. Note here where it states that the staff member threw stuff *outside* the 'rank', suggesting that it just means the office premises:


Have seen similar usage in press reports before, at least once or twice. Not what we would understand by a rank, but, you know...

Yes Stuart, I know... a “taxi” office (ph) is a virtual taxi rank...

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Former taxi driver

How is my PH office a virtual taxi rank?

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Grandad,

More to the point why is it legal for a PH office to use a loading zone as a "rank" ?

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

Back to the thread subject.

Why can't these people leave our trade alone?

The vast vast majority of the trade are good honest working class people, if the leaflet people have any evidence of drivers not being good and honest then report them to the police.

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IDFIMH

Well that's a wider question, that's been done to death in the past, but how do you know what the office here does in terms of using the loading zone, and whether or not it's legal?

Anyway, as regards the usage in the report, and for the avoidance of doubt, I was assuming 'taxi rank' referred to inside the office premises rather than the exterior, so the leaflets were thrown out of the office. The were filming *inside* the premises:

Not much news around this weekend, so I rearranged some screengrabs etc I took on Friday trying to shed some light on the parking and 'taxi rank' scenario. It's all very interesting, and reminds me of the 'musical cab offices' stuff a few months ago, in nearby Burnley, wasn't it?


Anyway, as regards the parking, the Google StreetView images are actually from about ten years ago, and for some reason haven't been updated. There are several updates at the other end of the street, but it's a cul-de-sac just beyond the Eagle office, so maybe that's why they haven't been updated at that bit.

So the press have just taken a screengrab from the out-of-date Streetview, thus the photo at the top of the thread is out of date.

But the still photos that come up via Google show that Eagle have in fact moved next door

Funny thing, though, is that next door is still a cab office, but now called Premier Cars

And the council's website show they've got an operator's licence for each address, with the licensee being:

Eagle Taxis Preston Ltd T/A Eagle Taxis & Premier Taxis

Can't show the photos on here, but they can be viewed via these links, which indeed show that Eagle not shy at using the loading bay and double yellows, at least for promo photos:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/uv?pb=!1s ... FHoECD8QAw

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/uv?pb=!1s ... FHoECD8QAw

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/uv?pb=!1s ... FHoECD8QAw

Funny thing, though, when they've used those photos on their actual website, they've either cropped out the name on the Premier Cars office, or blurred it out:

Anyhow, for what it's worth the Britain First protesters presumably didn't enter the office in the image at the top of the thread, but the one next door, as in the more up-to-date photos

And the two offices are obviously part of the same business, rather than competitors side-by-side, but seems a bit daft to move next door then rebrand the old office despite it being part of the same operation, effectively

Anyway, none of that maybe particularly interesting, but found that on Friday when trying to shed some light on the 'taxi rank' terminology, but didn't have time to post it then. But another odd thing is that there is actually a proper HC rank at the other end of the street.

Not sure why that front cab is facing in the wrong direction, but you can see another LTI half way up the street, and another one turning outside the Eagle office The silver Sharan on the left is presumably the Eagle PHV - you can just make out a plate

Anyway, one possibility is that the journalist sees the queue of HCs, possibly stretching near to the Eagle office at times, and also knows there are two offices at the end of the street. So the journo might think they're all related in some way, so he just calls it all a 'taxi rank'

But obviously my Googling to shed any light on it all ended up down a bit of a rabbit hole, but the above is the result, for what it's worth

So pretty much a waste of time, but utterly fascinating as well

Having a taxi rank and PH office in the same area.

What could possibly go wrong?

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IDFIMH

Parked with two wheels on the footpath where's the traffic warden when you need him

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

Reporters could conflate the whole lot and call it all a 'taxi rank'?

But must be messy down at the Eagle office end at times - it's a cul-de-sac down there, so will be PHVs parked here, there and everywhere, and picking up punters, and doing three-point turns, and HCs doing U-turns amidst all that and outside the PH office.

Bet there's been one or two words exchanged over the years, at the very least

All it's needs is a Uber pick up point and we will have a full house.

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IDFIMH