Taxi Driver Online

I'd heard that the new cohort of 'lads' who live in Dundee, but plate in Fife and work in St Andrews, had been doing a bit of plying for hire in Dundee as well - who'd have expected that?

Which I'd guess is what this is all about...

And, under the Scottish rules, the Fife cars wouldn't even be able to habitually do pre-booked work in Dundee, as stated chapter and verse below.

But I'd guess it's more about plying for hire anyway...


Fife taxi drivers ‘illegally operating in Dundee’ as council launches probe

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/51 ... rs-dundee/

Dundee drivers claim Fife drivers have been operating locally, affecting their livelihoods.

Fife taxi drivers ‘have been spotted umpteen times operating in Dundee’.

A probe has been launched after Dundee drivers claimed there is illegal competition for hires.

The Courier has seen a video showing a driver with a Fife licensed plate being confronted by a driver in Dundee.

Fife taxis and private hires fitted with a taximeter must display Fife Council plates and adhere to specific tariffs, which differ from those set in Dundee.

Taxi licences are granted by local authorities, and it is illegal for drivers to “deliberately ply for trade in another licensing area in Scotland.”

Exceptions apply if a driver receives a request while in the area where they are licensed, is picking up or dropping off a passenger in their area, or is returning to their area after completing a journey.

Chris Elder, who represents several taxi drivers through Unite the Union, said there have been problems with Fife drivers operating in Dundee since the Covid pandemic.

Concern over claims Fife taxi drivers are illegally operating in Dundee

He said: “There have been several incidents reported to Fife Council.

“This one that was filmed has given us more evidence to highlight the problem and I’ve also sent this to the police.

“Fife drivers have been spotted umpteen times operating in Dundee.

“The excuse seems to be they’re carrying out food deliveries.

“At the end of the day they are not licensed to operate in Dundee – why are they not doing food deliveries in their own boundaries?

“We’ve recently launched our “No Excuse For Abuse” campaign and I would urge passengers to ask to see taxi drivers’ badges if they have any concerns.

“Fife drivers shouldn’t be stopping and picking up passengers in Dundee.

“If there is an incident in the cab passengers might automatically assume it was a Dundee taxi they were in.

“It’s concerning that this is happening and potentially impacting on the livelihoods of local drivers.”

Dundee City Council confirmed the matter has been referred to Fife Council.

Gillian Love, miscellaneous licensing lead officer for Fife Council said: “We’ll investigate this and take appropriate action if necessary.”

Who is Chris Elder?

Not sure if you're being sarcastic, Heathcote, but he's the Dundee go-to rent-a-quote one the Courier always seems to ask about stuff like this, or maybe he's the one who's always going to the Courier with stuff he wants published

But he's the Unite rep, and noticed recently that it always says he represents several drivers, which suggests to me it's very small number - a handful, might be an alternative description.

Would have included the photo, but becaue he's in the Courier all the time this photo has probably been on here before several times. That's him at the rank opposite the Courier's office. But they must have at least come down the stairs to take it. Or no doubt they have a lift

are they insured to do deliveries?

Was wondering that, Mr Diesel01uk, but I'd guess that's a cock and bull story about the food deliveries. Onn the other hand, I think the Dundee Unite rep is barking up the wrong tree with his comment about food deliveries - I don't think taxi licensing boundaries have any relevance to that:


Funny thing, too, the chap who springs to mind in all of this has a Fife HC plate but lives in Dundee, but has been doing a lot of food deliveries in Dundee in the last few years, and I rarely see him in Fife these days.

But he's been around for years, and worked in the Dundee trade for years as well, and is as traditionally Dundonian as they come, and ironically lived pretty close to where I lived in Dundee for a couple of decades while also driving through to work on a Fife plate.

So he's the most obvious person that this article would be about, at face value at least, but I'm pretty sure it's not about him at all, as he knows the score, and pretty sure he won't be doing that sort of thing, and he'll be quite well known to many the Dundee trade anyway.

So I'm guessing it's really all about the new Dundonian, er, demographic, all of whom seem to live on the Dundee side of the Tay Bridge, but come across to Fife to work on Fife plates. Nothing illegal about that if it's all done within the rules, but I had heard they'd been know to ply for hire in Dundee. Which again isn't surprising, since they'll literally be passing through Dundee city centre going home when the clubs are coming out, if only because everything in St Andrews closes an hour or two before Dundee.

Which indeed is what I did for literally twenty years. I mean, I drove through the centre of Dundee on my way home, as opposed to plying for hire there I could have made thousands there over the years if I'd stopped for every flag down passing through there

In fact I used to take my roofsign off, particularly at weekends, to avoid any possible problems...

Because they can deliver food wherever they wish.

If they are not carrying punters they don't meet the definition of a licensed activity, in my English view.

(2)In subsection (1) above, “hire car” means a motor vehicle with a driver (other than a vehicle being a public service vehicle within the meaning of section 1(1)(a) of the M8Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981) which is, with a view to profit, available for hire by the public for personal conveyance.

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IDFIMH

I suspect they are via the food app.

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IDFIMH

Regardless to what the vehicle is engaged in it is a licensed hackney carriage 24/7 from the moment it is plated until it is delicensed.

I agree, but the driver isn't undertaking an activity that needs licensing.

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IDFIMH

Heathcote, I think you're right to an extent, but not in other ways.

So I think that with regard to stuff like plates, fare cards and meters, the car is always an HC, if only because they don't want people taking stuff like that and door stickers on and off.

But in other regards I don't think the principle holds true - otherwise, drivers wouldn't be able to drive to work in an HC, go to the supermarket, or even go to see other drivers to collect settle, as per the recent case on vaping

So it depends what it relates to, precisely. I mean, as regards the smoking ban, the government has effectively decreed that nationally an HC is always an HC (ditto PHVs).

It can differ according to local rules, too. For example, some LAs say that you can switch off compulsory CCTV when using the car privately, so to that extent it's not always an HC or PHV

As regards food deliveries, we've actually been here before on here. And think I recall that some LAs have specifically banned HCs and/or PHVs from doing food deliveries.

And, of course, it may be more difficult to get insurance for it anyway, but that's up to insurers, obviously.

So although in some regards a plated HC is precisely that as long as it is licensed, in other respects it's not a hard and fast rule...

Who'd have thought it would be this daftie - a law unto himself

If there was one driver in St Andrews of the 200 or so in the area that I would have put at the top of the list of potential suspects then it would be this guy.

And it was his brother who lost his licence for trying to batter the other driver on our main night rank

(Apparently there was a third brother, who lost his licence over some kind of sexual thing, but I'm not entirely sure about that. And rumour is that one or more of the three were licensed and revoked in Glasgow once upon a time )

https://www.facebook.com/61558910893884 ... 0713167640

I think the driver might be better served turning his roof light off if he wants people to believe he isn't doing stuff he isn't licensed for.

But then again maybe he is.

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IDFIMH