Limo issues (ex Where's the Work?)

Sussex · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 10:05 am

grandad wrote:

I have tried to advise operators to get an operators license before even mentioning what vehicle they intend to run but they think it is a lot of money to invest if they arn't going to be able to then license their limo.

Surely £50-£150 isn't that much in the grand scale of things?

Sussex · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 10:07 am

grandad wrote:

But none were prosecuted. Why?

Because many have abused the seven day exemption. :sad:

grandad · **Joined:** Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:27 pm **Posts:** 20130

Sussex wrote:

grandad wrote:

But none were prosecuted. Why?

Because many have abused the seven day exemption. :sad:

Not in these instances. These operators are not even using the 7 day contract exemption. Simply the councils that don't license limos just don't prosecute for not having a license. The point expressed in various legal opinion that operators sought was that if the council can't or won't accomodate limos then they can't or won't then be able to prosecute for no license.
The proof of the pudding, so to speak is that none of these councils has ever tried to prosecute the operators. Now the councils that do license limos have brought many succesfull prosecutions against unlicensed limo operators and quite rightly so.

grandad · **Joined:** Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:27 pm **Posts:** 20130

Sussex wrote:

grandad wrote:

I have tried to advise operators to get an operators license before even mentioning what vehicle they intend to run but they think it is a lot of money to invest if they arn't going to be able to then license their limo.

Surely £50-£150 isn't that much in the grand scale of things?

Some councils want a hell of a lot more than that for a private hire operators license. I believe that Birmingham was around £1200 not so long back but I think it has come down a bit now.

grandad · **Joined:** Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:27 pm **Posts:** 20130

Birmingham rip-off licensing fees

This link should take you to the charges that Birmingham have. They have introduced a reduced licnse for upto 5 vehicles of £686 or a full license for £1202. Now I considder that to quite a lot when there is no guarantee that when you have the license that you can then license your limo.

skippy41 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:05 pm

How did this topic change from work to limo-es :?:

TDO start a new section entitled I used to be a limo driver until section 68 fecked me up

Sussex · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 7:44 pm

It's section 75. :wink:

I suspect the vast majority of the councils that wont license limos are the same vast majority that haven't got a f***ing clue about any licensing law, and their offices are staffed by women on minimum wage. :sad:

Thus the reason that no prosecutions happen is because they can't be bothered, and until someone dies then why worry? :sad:

But that still doesn't excuse anyone from being licensed. If they can't get licensed in one area then find an area that will, and join up with a Limo firm there that has a license, and share the costs.

There is no excuse, other than a complete disregard for the law.

As for operator fees, well IMO Birmingham are taking the p***. :sad:

If I was an operator there I would challenge it cos it's not justified, and/or move over to Solihull and pay less than £200.

http://www.solihull.gov.uk/Attachments/Taxi_fees1.pdf

Alex · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 7:54 pm

skippy41 wrote:

How did this topic change from work to limo-es :?:

TDO start a new section entitled I used to be a limo driver until section 68 fecked me up

I haven't named it that, but I have split the thread.

Original 'Where's the Work' thread.

Alex

kermit2482 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:16 pm

Sussex wrote:

Too many as the PSV route isn't much more than snide way to avoid the checks and balances that proper decent people don't feel the need to avoid. Ask many limo folks using, or should I say abusing, restricted PSV about seperate fares and they will not have a clue.

The fact that it's the law means nothing. [-(

Sussex you are clearly not so much in the know as you think you are, anyone using the restricted ops license have to have a written contract with a transport manager which states the vehicles are checked on an 8 weekly basis and VOSA check this every so often which i can personally testify too!! As for the single fare crap thats stopping as far as im aware as they know its practicly impossible to administer, even my local VOSA agents said they would never pursue any op for breaking this rule even whilst it was meant to be enforced!! The truth here Sussex is YOU dont like em full stop and you have admitted this :roll:

Sussex · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:51 pm

kermit2482 wrote:

Sussex you are clearly not so much in the know as you think you are, anyone using the restricted ops license have to have a written contract with a transport manager which states the vehicles are checked on an 8 weekly basis and VOSA check this every so often which i can personally testify too!! As for the single fare crap thats stopping as far as im aware as they know its practicly impossible to administer, even my local VOSA agents said they would never pursue any op for breaking this rule even whilst it was meant to be enforced!! The truth here Sussex is YOU dont like em full stop and you have admitted this :roll:

What about the folks that swap discs?

You must know many, cos I know many, folks who abuse the system by taking one disc from one vehicle and putting on another.

How do VOSA check that?

kermit2482 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:55 pm

Sussex wrote:

kermit2482 wrote:

Sussex you are clearly not so much in the know as you think you are, anyone using the restricted ops license have to have a written contract with a transport manager which states the vehicles are checked on an 8 weekly basis and VOSA check this every so often which i can personally testify too!! As for the single fare crap thats stopping as far as im aware as they know its practicly impossible to administer, even my local VOSA agents said they would never pursue any op for breaking this rule even whilst it was meant to be enforced!! The truth here Sussex is YOU dont like em full stop and you have admitted this :roll:

What about the folks that swap discs?

You must know many, cos I know many, folks who abuse the system by taking one disc from one vehicle and putting on another.

How do VOSA check that?

Now thats a fair point and one which i cant and wont argue against as i know it goes on, however my disc had its reg nos on so this would have been impossible for me!!

grandad · **Joined:** Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:27 pm **Posts:** 20130

Not being licensed by VOSA I am not to sure if this is correct but I think there is more than one type of pcv disc. Some are restricted to a particular vehicle and have the registration number on and some do not have the registration number on and are transferable from vehicle to vehicle providind that any vehicle that the disc goes on is subject to the same maintenance regime.

kermit2482 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 10:24 pm

grandad wrote:

Not being licensed by VOSA I am not to sure if this is correct but I think there is more than one type of pcv disc. Some are restricted to a particular vehicle and have the registration number on and some do not have the registration number on and are transferable from vehicle to vehicle providind that any vehicle that the disc goes on is subject to the same maintenance regime.

Hi fella, the blue discs are the ones for people with more than 1 vehicle but thats only up to four, im just wondering if some people put the orange discs in lets say a 3rd vehicle and just hope that no-one checks the reg no, i reckon i know a few whom would do this and think nothing of it, but hey not for me to worry about for too much longer

Sussex · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 10:27 pm

The way I read the 1981 PSV act is that anything (8 or less seats) with an engine can be licensed as a PSV.

And any PSV can be operated by any of the different levels of operator i.e. standard, standard internation, restricted and special restricted.

Sussex · **Posted:** Sat Jan 05, 2008 10:28 pm

As for the discs, it's blue/purple for standard and orange(ish) for restricted.

I know cos I'm always on the lookout. :wink:

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