Taxi Driver Online

Without a phone call to the LO I don't, but bearing in mind there are only 34 taxis licensed I would bet a pound to a penny there is. But if there's not and no-one wants one then existing plate-holders have nothing to fear.

And who the f*** is Shirley?

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IDFIMH

I was hoping for a quote from the book of revelations you hold up as gospel that some would call "myth and reality."

The usual suspects produce the 100 taxi's 200 drivers mantra to prove the theoretical diatribe which "proves" that de-limitation means more taxi's not more drivers. With 66 names on a register of interest, where there are 34 hacks rather blows this absurdist piece of notional holy grail out of the water. Existing plateholers have nothing to fear?............

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Former taxi driver

The saga continues.....

Taximen in protests on licences

BURNLEY taxi drivers staged a town centre go-slow in protest at council plans to issue unlimited numbers of Hackney carriage licences.

Police said that approximately 25 taxis were involved in the action, which aimed to reduce traffic to a crawl.

But they added that the demonstration, which saw taxis drive through the town centre and up to the Centenary Roundabout before parking outside the town hall, had caused minimal disruption to traffic.

The protest took place between 2.45pm and 4.15pm and came in response to Burnley Council's plans to end limits on the number of Hackney carriage licences it issues.

The move is aimed at improving safety by removing the market for illegal taxis, creating choice and following Department for Transport guidelines.

But taxi chiefs are against the plans, announced in September, saying they will result in reduced earnings for existing drivers.

There are 34 black cabs currently operating in the town but the DfT has issued guidelines advising councils not to protect trade monopolies.

There are also fears the council could be challenged in the courts if it fails to open up the market.

There are 66 applications for licences on the council's books and three of the applicants have threatened the authority with legal action if it does not issue more licences. The council would be liable for legal fees running into thousands of pounds if it lost a legal challenge.

But chairman of the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association, Habib-Ur-Rehman, said: "This is an important issue and we feel that de-limiting is not appropriate. In order to fully clarify and comprehend the current state of affairs further consultation would be required."

Coun Charles Bullas, the council's executive member for licensing, said that more taxis would be a positive thing.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin