Taxi Driver Online

Tuk-tuks fined for licence breach

The company running what it claims are the first tuk-tuks in the UK has been fined for operating them as taxis.

The 12 motorised three-wheeled rickshaws, which began running in Brighton in July, were supposed to be operated as buses with a timetable.

But a public inquiry held last month heard they were being used as taxis.

The South East Traffic Commissioner found TucTuc Ltd failed to run to a timetable 50% of the time and fined the company the maximum penalty of £16,500.

TucTuc intended the Brighton operation to be a test-run before it launched the service in London next year.

Amended timetable

Commissioner Christopher Heaps said on Friday he found the company had not operated in accordance with its Public Service Vehicle Licence.

But he added he would not stop TucTuc Ltd from operating because the company had amended its timetable to improve reliability.

The vehicles, which can go at speeds of up to 35 mph, are called tuk-tuks because of the sound their engines make.

The Brighton fleet, imported from India, was given individual designs with designer uniforms for drivers.

One design, the so-called Chavrolet in Burberry check, had to be withdrawn after Burberry's London office objected to a breach of its copyright.

Well at least its a start

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Legal and proud

Loads a love from BERTIE !!

according to the local rag he is going to appeal.
also he is haveing a three month hibernation and not running until the spring.
estimates are that he has lost about 250,000 pound on this.

Not sure he can do that unless he gives 42 days notice.

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IDFIMH

dont think he cares about the law.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/display.var.1 ... spring.php

Obviously MR Ponier is not a man for all seasons? I supsect as well as the passengers freezing their proverbials off in the winter the drivers would no doubt suffer the same?

I suspect customer interest in the winter would be negligible and if he ran these vehicles at this time of year he would be short of both passengers and drivers.

Regards

JD

Changes to how the service operates are being considered, although Mr Ponniah would not be drawn on whether he has a taxi-style service in mind.

He said: "We are looking at changing the Brighton model and running a different service."

Well you can be a PH, a taxi, or a bus.

One wonders what different service he is going to invent.

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IDFIMH

Met with Simon Burgess today leader of Brighton council, he definitely wasnt dissapointed that TUK TUK had stopped running.
we also pointed out the lack of licensing on LIMOS in the area, think we can anticipate some action on that!!!!!!!!!!
Made our point on the ignoring of disabled representation re shortage of WAVs as outlined by councils report, also criticised the failure of the council to issue enough HC licences to address this issue.

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The views expressed by this contributor do not neccesarily reflect the policys of The GMB Nationally or of the GMB London Region.