How very dare they?

Sussex · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:41 pm

Taxi licences from England

TAXI firms in a border area of Wales are threatening to switch their bases to England to avoid what they regard as draconian licence conditions.

One Ruabon taxi firm, Cerbyd Cymru, is reducing costs by licensing vehicles and drivers nine miles away in Oswestry, Shropshire, according to Wrexham council officers.

Licensing costs are lower over the border because Wrexham imposes stricter controls, specifying vehicles no older than 10 years, banning standard saloon cars and restricting advertising on taxis.

"The purpose of local authority licensing is to ensure authorities have proper control of the operators of private hire vehicles in this area," Wrexham council told Cerbyd Cymru.

JD · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:53 pm **Posts:** 10381

Sussex wrote:

Taxi licences from England

TAXI firms in a border area of Wales are threatening to switch their bases to England to avoid what they regard as draconian licence conditions.

One Ruabon taxi firm, Cerbyd Cymru, is reducing costs by licensing vehicles and drivers nine miles away in Oswestry, Shropshire, according to Wrexham council officers.

Licensing costs are lower over the border because Wrexham imposes stricter controls, specifying vehicles no older than 10 years, banning standard saloon cars and restricting advertising on taxis.

"The purpose of local authority licensing is to ensure authorities have proper control of the operators of private hire vehicles in this area," Wrexham council told Cerbyd Cymru.

I like this new found freedom that Taxi drivers are putting into practice. I think the whole system of local licensing is being shown up for what it is. Thats why I advocate all those sefton private hire drivers to take their money somewhere else and get a hackney license and you can still work Sefton.

Its nice to see feeedom of choice in action.

Regards

JD

jimbo · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:51 pm

JD wrote:

Sussex wrote:

Taxi licences from England

TAXI firms in a border area of Wales are threatening to switch their bases to England to avoid what they regard as draconian licence conditions.

One Ruabon taxi firm, Cerbyd Cymru, is reducing costs by licensing vehicles and drivers nine miles away in Oswestry, Shropshire, according to Wrexham council officers.

Licensing costs are lower over the border because Wrexham imposes stricter controls, specifying vehicles no older than 10 years, banning standard saloon cars and restricting advertising on taxis.

"The purpose of local authority licensing is to ensure authorities have proper control of the operators of private hire vehicles in this area," Wrexham council told Cerbyd Cymru.

I like this new found freedom that Taxi drivers are putting into practice. I think the whole system of local licensing is being shown up for what it is. Thats why I advocate all those sefton private hire drivers to take their money somewhere else and get a hackney license and you can still work Sefton.

Its nice to see feeedom of choice in action.

Regards

JD

So, you are supporting these drivers, who are clearly trying to avoid tighter quality controls?

How strange?

Sussex · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:54 pm

jimbo wrote:

So, you are supporting these drivers, who are clearly trying to avoid tighter quality controls?

How strange?

I suppose the more folks that do take the easy route the more chance we have got of getting the gov to block it. 8-[

jimbo · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:57 pm

Sussex wrote:

jimbo wrote:

So, you are supporting these drivers, who are clearly trying to avoid tighter quality controls?

How strange?

I suppose the more folks that do take the easy route the more chance we have got of getting the gov to block it. 8-[

Don't hold your breath. :oops:

Sussex · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:02 pm

jimbo wrote:

Don't hold your breath. :oops:

A valid point, but the same could have been said last year, even by me, that the gov would never bin the un-licensed exemptions. :wink:

JD · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:53 pm **Posts:** 10381

jimbo wrote:

So, you are supporting these drivers, who are clearly trying to avoid tighter quality controls?

How strange?

I'm supporting the law and freedom of choice. My aim is for national quality controls and what these drivers are doing is proving that there is a flaw in the system which is good news for me and perhaps bad news for you? At the end of the day you can only support what is lawful and under this system of licensing it is perfectly lawful to do what these guys are doing?

If you don't like it you can either try and change the law or do what the Carlisle TOA did in 1994 and ask to exclude certain vehicles from public Taxi ranks. I suppose the latter would suit you just fine.

Regards

JD

edders23 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:50 pm

Surely since all taxi testing is at approved MOT stations there is a national standard of sorts ?

JD · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:53 pm **Posts:** 10381

edders23 wrote:

Surely since all taxi testing is at approved MOT stations there is a national standard of sorts ?

All Taxi testing is not done at general MOT stations, if it was I could get my vehicle tested for £40 instead of £377. A council that tests its own vehicles is obviously approved but so is my local MOT station. Therefore there is no reason why a test should cost £377 and another cost £40 pounds.

There are only so many things you can test on a vehicle before you run out of ideas and a guy at an mot station must be equally qualified if he is licensed by the DfT to carry out MOT's.

So perhaps we should concentrate on a national standard of price just like public service vehicle legislation.

And before some bright spark chirps up about a council test be being more stringent I should remind you that this website is full of articles about the poor condition of both Private hire vehicles and hackney vehicles. Take a trip down to blackpool or read some of the articles on here about wonderful Blackpool and their excellent standards of 20 year old vehicles.

Regards

JD

rambo · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:24 pm

How can they be tested in one area and then be allowed to work in another?.

JD · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:53 pm **Posts:** 10381

rambo wrote:

How can they be tested in one area and then be allowed to work in another?.

Thats like saying how can they be allowed to drive in the area they are tested?

A vehicle is a vehicle and a test is a test, what does it matter where the test is conducted?

Regards

JD

Tom Thumb · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:17 pm

So what are the standards in Wrexham?

Knowledge test?

Restricted market?

WAV only?

Price control?

Sussex · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:20 pm

Welsh.

JD · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:53 pm **Posts:** 10381

Tom Thumb wrote:

So what are the standards in Wrexham?

Knowledge test?

Restricted market?

WAV only?

Price control?

Wrexham have just introduced higher quality controls. Everyone has to pass an English test so i imagine if you can't communicate you don't get a license.
Thats only one aspect there are other quality controls. I posted them a few weeks ago, or someone did?

http://taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5009

Regards

JD

jimbo · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:47 pm

JD wrote:

jimbo wrote:

So, you are supporting these drivers, who are clearly trying to avoid tighter quality controls?

How strange?

I'm supporting the law and freedom of choice. My aim is for national quality controls and what these drivers are doing is proving that there is a flaw in the system which is good news for me and perhaps bad news for you? At the end of the day you can only support what is lawful and under this system of licensing it is perfectly lawful to do what these guys are doing?

If you don't like it you can either try and change the law or do what the Carlisle TOA did in 1994 and ask to exclude certain vehicles from public Taxi ranks. I suppose the latter would suit you just fine.

Regards

JD

My,my we ARE presumptive, aren't we?

This "flaw" why bad news for me?

You suppose that the Carlisle pragmatic approach would suit me? Why? My City is 100% WAV as you know full well.

But the answer to the Quality dodging Welsh Taxi drivers is clearly to limit the issue of licenses. Gosh, what a "draconian" rule, no cabs over10 years old?

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