Taxi Driver Online

Not something I'm in favour of myself, but it's not an unreasonable request, obviously.

But the killer's at the end, and demonstrates the councillor is not living in the real world. Or at least the cab trade real world


Blackpool taxi drivers ask council to allow signs that are 'common practice all over the world'

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire- ... l-25025079

Calls are being made for more Blackpool taxi drivers to be able to display adverts on their vehicles

Calls are being made for more Blackpool taxi drivers to be able to display adverts on their vehicles as a way of boosting income.

Conservative group leader Coun Tony Williams will put the request to the vote at the next full meeting of the council on Wednesday September 21. While hackney cabs are already allowed to display adverts, Coun Williams says the opportunity should be extended to private hire vehicles to help them offset rising costs.

He said: “It’s common practice all over the world but not in Blackpool. It creates extra revenue for operators in these difficult times.” Coun Williams has submitted a notice of motion to the council.

It says taxi companies “have recently been presented with further cost challenges caused by rising fuel costs and road closures around the resort.” The motion adds: “To increase their revenue streams and promote local and regional business the council should permit advertising on both hackney carriage and private hire vehicles with an agreed type of content.”

Coun Williams is asking for the council’s chief executive Neil Jack to meet with representatives of the taxi trade to discuss the viability of advertising. Any recommendation made would then go before the relevant licensing committee to consider changing the current policies around the display of adverts.

The notice of motion adds: “The intent would be collective campaigns where advertising revenue is shared on an equal basis between vehicles and the companies to formulate a payment procedure for their drivers.”

Councillors will vote on the notice of motion when they meet at the Town Hall.

Next he'll be proposing to decide what offices charge as settle, or what drivers pay to rent vehicles. Or what Shell charges the trade for fuel, or Halfords charges for tyres

They either allow advertising or they don't. How the income is carved up will be decided by the market, not the council

Clueless, utterly clueless.

We can put adverts on our taxis/PHVs, but most of us don't have them. Out of the ones that do most just put the number of their operator there.

But as for a pot of gold, sadly that has never been the case in our trade. Unless maybe the complete wrap-arounds you see on London cabs.

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IDFIMH

Taxi advertising would confuse the public say Blackpool cab chiefs

https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news ... fs-3854661

A call to allow private hire taxis in Blackpool to display advertising has been thrown out by the council which was told cab companies did not support the move.

It was feared it could lead to some rogue private hire drivers taking illegal fares.

Coun Tony Williams, leader of the Conservative opposition group, had put forward a notice of motion asking the council to consider the measure to boost revenue for drivers.

But the motion was lost by one vote after the Labour group voted against it.

Currently only hackney cabs, which are mainly the black 'bomber' taxis and which can be hailed down on the street, are allowed to display adverts.

Private hire taxis, which must be pre-booked cannot display adverts.

Bill Lewtas, secretary of the Blackpool Licensed Taxi Operators Association, said the council's decision had been "the right one."

Taxi operators had been opposed to the proposed changes because it would have made distinguishing between the two different types of taxis more difficult for members of the public.

Mr Lewtas said: "Private hire vehicles are by law not allowed to look like taxis, not allowed to put the word taxi on the vehicle and not allowed a roof sign.

"If this had been allowed private hire vehicles would have looked even more like taxis. In Blackpool it is already difficult for people to recognise the difference.

"This is important because journeys in private hire vehicles which haven’t been pre-booked are uninsured.

"Allowing advertising on private hire vehicles would start to erode the safety reasons and put the public at risk, due to a small minority of unscrupulous private hire drivers plying for hire and taking illegal fares."

Coun Williams had argued drivers were facing financial challenges including rising fuel costs.

He said in his motion that to enable more drivers to "increase their revenue streams and promote local and regional business the council should permit advertising on both hackney carriage and private hire vehicles with an agreed type of content."

Coun Adrian Hutton, chairman of the licensing committee, said the council had already helped drivers boost their income by agreeing a set of fare supplements.

He said: "It gave them extra revenue but protects residents and visitors from being charged too much in the future."

Private hire drivers?

And he's the licensing committee chairman?

Anyway, the point about PHV advertising enabling illegal plying for hire is well made, but maybe the confusion is in large part because HCs are a mixed fleet of black cabs and saloons?

amended for accuracy

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