Taxi Driver Online

Tuk-tuks' return delayed two months

Europe's first fleet of tuk-tuks have been sensationally banned from making their spring comeback - after a series of blunders by licensing officials. A litany of errors - including workers losing a form - have forced Tuc Tuc Ltd to delay its 2007 launch for almost two months.

The company, which operates across central Brighton and Hove, last night vowed to sue the South East area Traffic Commissioner for lost earnings and damages totalling £50,000.

Director Dominic Ponniah said: "It is TucTuc Ltd that has been left to pay the price for the complete disorganisation, arrogance and shameless chaos of the traffic commissioner's office."

TucTuc Ltd was set to bring the three-wheelers back onto the roads of Brighton and Hove for Easter after a four-month absence. But the service will not start now until May 23.

The motorised rickshaw operation, which runs like a bus network, needed to apply for a new licence before the relaunch. Plans had been drawn up to bring the service back on April 1 but bureaucracy has led to delays and Mr Ponniah claims he has been left at least £50,000 out of pocket.

On January 22 TucTuc Ltd applied to the South East vehicle licensing authority's office in Leeds for permission to relaunch. The papers were then lost by the Yorkshire office and four weeks later a second copy was submitted and approved.

But just over a week later, another licensing office in Eastbourne wrote to TucTuc Ltd, saying that the application had not been accepted. The company was then told on three separate occasions the service had been rubber stamped by Leeds and the rickshaws could take to road in time for Easter.

Details of the April 1 licence are still available on the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) website. But the Traffic Commissioner in Eastbourne ruled he needed more information and eventually agreed to grant a licence for May 23, nearly two months late.

TucTuc Ltd today confirmed that it have begun legal proceedings against VOSA's South East office to recover losses and damages. This is the latest blow to befall the firm behind the motorised rickshaws, which are usually seen on the streets of India and Thailand.

One of the most popular tuk-tuks, the Chavrolet, was withdrawn from service after fashion company Burberry said the tartan livery was a breach of its copyright.

The arrival of the three-wheelers also sparked a furious reaction from taxi drivers, culminating in a £16,500 fine when TucTuc Ltd was found not to be sticking to its timetable. An appeal against the decision reduced this to £8,000.

Mr Ponniah said: "We are absolutely outraged that SEMTA have behaved in the way they have. "The same public organisation is giving different information from different corners.

"This is not the first time the Traffic commissioner has mishandled a situation and made an incredibly poor decision. "The Traffic commissioner's judgment shows a clear disregard for the complete failure of his own organisation to handle this matter properly. "The situation we have been left in is to be deplored."

The Traffic Commissioner's offices in Leeds and Eastbourne refused to comment.

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IDFIMH

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IDFIMH

I had a conversation a while back with a big fish in the local bus trade, and he said the last person anybody connected to the bus game would want to pi** off is the Traffic Commissioner.

I believe the S.E. Commissioner is new to his position, so let's hope he has a good and long memory.

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IDFIMH

Does anyone know when the PCO is going to license the bikes?

Ian