Taxi Driver Online

There's an old thread on this, but it got a bit messy

So a lot of this is rehash, and can't be bothered looking back, but some of the councillor quotes seem total rehash as well, although supposedly it was a new meeting.


Colchester taxi drivers risk penalty points under new policy

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/234 ... ew-policy/

TAXI drivers in Colchester could be hit with penalty points if they don’t have a means of accepting electronic payment and will be warned the device “must be working at all times”.

Colchester Council’s licensing committee is set to review proposed adjustments to the penalty for failing to comply with the new policy, which is set to go before the full council for a vote.

The committee will meet this evening after officers suggested the punishment be reduced from four penalty points to three.

A report said: “This change will bring the points into line with those given for first offences for a variety of other matters.”

Colchester Council’s licensing policy looks set to be changed to require cabbies to fit their vehicles with a means to accept electronic payments as well as cash.

An officer’s report says card payments have become the norm for a large percentage of the population and a disparity within the trade is causing problems for customers.

In a consultation with drivers, 36 out of 48 who took part responded positively to the proposed changes.

The survey also suggested most drivers in the city already accept card payments.

However, not all taxi drivers were in favour, with some appearing at a licensing committee meeting on Wednesday to oppose the plans.

One, Stewart Beer, said: “The penalty for drivers failing to comply, that’s horrendous and draconian.”

Councillor Roger Mannion (Con, Tiptree) said: “I am uneasy, actually to be fair, with the forced use of card machines.

"As members of the trade have said, it’s a business.

"They should have the voluntary ability to choose if they want a card machine or not.”

Councillor Tim Young (Labour, Greenstead) responded by saying that because drivers are ambassadors of the council, it should be able to decide the conditions they work under.

He said: “Whether cash will completely die out in the future, who knows, but that’s the way its going and I just think we’ve got to put the customers first.

“Young people today wouldn’t dream of carrying cash about with them, they use their phone. They don’t even use cards, they use their phone to pay and that’s what we’ve got to take on board.”

He also said he was concerned about signal black spots in the city which would prevent card machines from working.

However, he agreed drivers would be able to identify these in advance when they asked customers where they wanted to go.

Councillor Patricia Moore (Con, Mersea and Pyefleet) said: “Listening to the concerns of the drivers, it does seem to me that when you go to a taxi rank and you ask to be taken somewhere, you usually say the destination, where you want to go.

“The taxi driver will know if the reception is bad at that place and that is the point where he can say to the passenger, it will have to be either card upfront or cash, your choice.”

in January, the committee voted to recommend the changes to full council, meaning there is one more vote left before the policy is amended.

Hold the front page


I'm sure this is one of the rehashed quotes but, I mean, passengers 'usually' state a destination? What happens when they don't state a destination? The driver just guesses, or sits there all night?


OK, so the driver will be told the destination, even assuming the pax change their minds en route.

But drivers know the mobile phone signal for their network 'everywhere' they may be asked to go to?

Is that part of the conditions to get a badge? And what happens if they change network?

To be fair, in general terms I agree with what the council is doing, and what the councillor is saying here, but just trying to underline the huge dollop of naivety that councillors often demonstrate.

As for the bit I've highlighted in the quote, again that sounds a bit blunt, and the kind of thing you might avoid saying to drunken/drugged up headbangers late at night. And let's not get started on her presumption that the driver will be a 'he'.

This is merely a section of the trade rehashing their objections to card readers.

Numpties.

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IDFIMH

A bit of overlap here, but it's a different report, and a bit more nuance on some of the debating points.

Quite interesting that there seems to be a fair bit of councillor kickback against compulsory readers, though, and the arguments do demonstrate the difficulties. For example, with regard to advance payments etc, which is a tricky enough thing when it's just cash involved.

And maybe Colchester does genuinely have more signal problems than most towns and cities


Update on penalties for Colchester taxi drivers over compulsory card machines

https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-n ... rs-8280724

The council is planning to make offering card as well as cash compulsory, despite concerns over poor signal

Penalties enforced on Essex taxi drivers for not installing card machines in their cabs are set to be reduced. Colchester City Council is planning to make it compulsory for the city's taxi drivers to install card machines in addition to accepting cash payments.

Taxi drivers at a council meeting in January previously criticised the plans to hand out penalty points on taxi licenses of drivers who failed to comply as "draconian." The licensing committee met again last night (March 23) to approve a reduction on the number of penalty points for a first offence from four to three, in line with other policies.

But taxi drivers continued to stress concerns over poor signal across the city, which has historically caused problems with accepting card payment. A driver, named as Mr Madikazi, said at the meeting: "I do support card payment myself, but we are facing some difficulties. The network has become a big problem and customers use that opportunity not to pay the cash."

Councillor Tim Young (Labour, Greenstead) said card payments can be taken in advance where signal is anticipated to be a problem, but acknowledged the network could be better across the city and its rural outskirts. He continued to say the suggestions from officers to reduce the number of points were sensible. He said: "It shouldn't really differ from first offences for a variety of other matters."

Overpayment from advance fares can be refunded, however some councillors felt it was unclear whether refunds could be given in cash as well as card. Councillor Jeremy Hagon (Con, Stanway) said: "I believe in choice, I also believe in having all the information to hand before we make those decisions, especially on point-related schemes, that could impact somebody's livelihood. I think we owe it to the city, to the residents, to our hard working drivers that actually we do need information."

Councillor Roger Buston (Con, Prettygate) said: "I can't see any member of the trade who has made a good effort to do this and comply being hauled over the coals by our officers because the telephone signal doesn't work."

Drivers who do not install card machines will now be given three points for a first offence, six for a second, nine for a third and 12 for a fourth. The full council will need to approve the policy before it is adopted. A meeting is anticipated in July this year.

Exactly, and drivers can store the above quote should it ever happen.

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IDFIMH