Taxi Driver Online

Where to start with this?

So basically if you have financial and personal difficulties then you can be exempt from the rules applying to others?

But never a dull moment in North Ayrshire

But let's just hope she's not caught smoking in her car, particularly when she's off-duty


Ayrshire taxi driver granted licence exception after 'life changing events'

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/ ... e-35216824

Angela Murray said she had been put in a very difficult position.

A taxi driver has been given a licence to allow the use of a non-compliant car in place of a wheelchair accessible one which is far too expensive to repair.

And Angela Murray told the North Ayrshire Licensing Committee a series of “life-changing events” had put her in a very difficult financial position.

She asked if she could substitute a non-compliant Skoda Octavia car in place of a Peugeot wheelchair accessible vehicle.

The applicant said: “I currently have a wheelchair access vehicle on a Peugeot Horizon - the vehicle has still got car finance but the engine mounting collapsed and it will be approximately £3,500 to get the car fixed and put it back on the road.

“I currently have seven months of car finance on the vehicle and would be unable to trade it in as it is a non-runner. I would experience difficulty getting car finance.

“I have a Skoda Octavia that meets the criteria for non-wheelchair vehicles. I would like to substitute the wheelchair access vehicle for the non-wheelchair access vehicle. I came to be in this position of being financially constrained due to life-changing events.

“After Covid hit, my husband took a series of fainting effects and was not able to drive the vehicle as it is a hire in case he fainted or passed out and needed six months of no episodes which he did but DVLA backed up with people trying to get licences back. He had to wait six more weeks till DVLA said he was fit to drive then went back to licensing which was another four weeks.

“After he got his licence back in August, my youngest daughter took a rare autoimmune illness, she was four months in hospital and we had to support and look after our grandchildren. I was then off work with stress and anxiety for six months.

“We got back on our feet, got the car back on the road, and in the run up to Christmas we had had to pay the licence fee which was £540 and get the taxi through its test. At that point it needed a completely new exhaust system and tyres. Then in January the engine mount collapsed in the car.

“My husband has had no earnings from that point and this has caused severe financial problems and we are behind on his priority bills.

“We find there is not a great need for wheelchairs as a lot of our customers are older and struggle to get out of the bigger vehicles anyway.

“My husband is fit to drive now. If I scrap the vehicle, I will not get the scrappage value. The finance company say I could hand the car back but that would impact my credit reference."

Cllr Ronnie Stalker moved to grant the seconded by cllr Jean McClung and this was agreed by the committee.

Chair Eleanor Collier said: “We understand you have been through a difficult time and we will grant this exception to our policy and a substitution of the licence and hope you can sort out your financial situation and get back on your feet.”

As I recall it, Cllr McClung was the one who voted to badge a recently twice-disqualified driver because the criminal courts had got it wrong, essentially

Anyone remember a case very similar to this?

Maybe I'm thinking of the Welwyn court case earlier this year, where they argued that they should have been given dispensation from the age rule because of lockdown etc, but were unsuccessful.

Of course, the lady here has effectively made a very similar argument, and has been successful

I suppose this is evidence that some councils don't 'fetter their discretion', and IMO that's to be applauded.

Down here the council has decided that drivers who have a WAV medical exemption no longer need to buy a WAV if their vehicle has a WAV requirement.

Which in my view makes bundles of sense.

_________________
IDFIMH

Another one

And odd parallels as well - both women, and both with former husbands as plateholders, by the looks of it.

I'll bet there's a lot of resentment about this, and others might apply. But then councillors will realise that if they accede to what every WAV driver wants, they'll end up with zero WAVs.

But well played, ladies

And with emphasis on the word 'played'


Taxi licence granted despite going against North Ayrshire policy

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/ ... g-35398855

The green light was given for the non-wheelchair accessible vehicle.

A taxi driver was given a licence for a non-wheelchair accessible vehicle, despite it going against North Ayrshire Licensing Board policy.

Mary Hewitt applied for a new taxi licence for a vehicle without wheelchair provision and appeared at the Licensing Board last Wednesday.

Licensing chair Eleanor Collier said: “You have to convince us that you are entitled to an exception as this is against our policy.”

The applicant said: “The car I was driving before was a normal saloon car, my husband’s name was on the licence but I had been driving it for 28 years and anybody I pick up is really elderly. It’s like care in the community as well as being a taxi driver.

“The people I get are not able-bodied, their mobility is not great and they are not able to get into a car that is higher than a saloon car."

Cllr Collier added: "The direction of travel in terms of taxis is for wheelchair accessible vehicles. It is law and we should be doing everything we can to encourage them, we have heard before about the access issues.”

The applicant added: “I had a wheelchair accessible car before and only had a request twice for a wheelchair. The requests are very minimal."

Cllr Matthew McLean proposed granting the licence and this was seconded by cllr Donald L Reid and unanimously passed by the committee.