Taxi Driver Online

Cabbies' go slow in licences protest


ANGRY cabbies across the region have taken part in protests demanding a cap on the amount of taxis on the roads. They held a series of slow drives around Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough and Gateshead at rush-hour yesterday morning to press their case.

They have also been asking for more rank space to be made available to them. More protests have been promised unless authorities act to reduce the number of licences being issued.

The drivers say they are being forced out of business and have called for a survey into the demand and need for taxis. Part of the problem, say some taxi drivers, is that there has been an influx of Eastern European, particularly Polish, drivers.

In Darlington, about 20 to 30 cabbies took part in a slow drive round the ring-road before congregating in Crown Street. Lucy Archer, chairwoman of Darlington Hackney carriage and Private Hire Association, said: "At the moment, there's something like over 200 hackney carriages and only seven ranks during the day time.

"What we're saying is they should stop issuing any more licences as there's not enough spaces. We're not going to let this go, we did this last year and we got a bit of a result from that." Ms Archer said even without the large number of migrant workers the number of taxi drivers was a problem.

She said: "Still, at the minute, there are taxi firms that go abroad and they do actually recruit a lot of drivers, and they tend to work for a wage. "No offence against Polish drivers, but there's not enough work without going abroad."

A Darlington Borough Council spokesman said: "The market dictates the number of taxis that is required. If somebody comes to the council and says they want to earn a living as a taxi driver, the market will decide whether that living can be earned or not.

"It is not for the council to determine the market - it is our role to licence, not to limit." The Gateshead Hackney Drivers' Association claims there are only 38 rank spaces for 335 taxis and wants 100 parking spaces to be made into taxi bays.

Stuart Hayes, of the Gateshead Hackney Drivers Association, called for a public survey. But Peter Wright, manager of environmental health and trading standards for Gateshead Council, said 85 per cent had not taken part in yesterday's protest. He said: "We have established mechanisms for consulting with the trade."

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IDFIMH

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IDFIMH

I have no doubt that tighter quality controls would have had the effect of slowing down Eastern European applicants. However, it is up to the council on how high they raise the quality control bar but as is often quoted "councils know best". lol.



I wonder if allo allo will heed the words of this particular council and perhaps realise that under current legislation they are not obliged to provide a living for Taxi drivers but they are obliged to issue Taxi licenses.



I see the Gateshead Taxi trade has at last woken up to the fact that the recent quality control exercise was not aimed at putting the lid back on numbers control. If anyone in Gateshead thought it was, then they should have read TDO.

Regards

JD

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And the mechanism of consultation is now being ignored

Years of hard work.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.