A new political party in Dundee focuses on the plight of taxi owners in the city.

The People's Independent Party in Dundee aims to revolutionise local politics by inserting a clause into its constitution that will ensure that each member will work solely for his or her constituents, and will not be compelled to follow party policy.  

That was the message from a recent meeting of the Dundee Taxi Owners' Association, where it emerged that members had been working behind the scenes to set up the party.  The new venture is apparently backed by several wealthy business men and aims to contest every Dundee seat in the next council elections.

At the meeting the main topic of concern was the number new taxis that Dundee City Council had licensed since it lifted the cap on numbers for anyone willing to operate a wheelchair accessible vehicle.  Although a survey of demand for taxi services had effectively endorsed the status quo in terms of numbers, the council had lifted the limit for anyone willing to operated an accessible vehicle.

DTOA chairman Grahame Stephen said that not only the taxi trade but also other people had become disillusioned with the council.  He said that if several hundred in the taxi trade became involved then their mobility in the city would help in areas like leafleting and helping to get the party's message across.  However, Mr Stephen said that the party would not be single-issue and he hoped that ordinary people would become involved.

It also emerged that a midnight 'strike' by taxi drivers had been narrowly averted following a conciliatory meeting with council officials.  Another idea mooted was for every taxi in Dundee to enter the city centre at a designated time, thus clogging up the city's streets. 

The party's first leader is Mr Alan Petrie, a former Scottish National Party councillor who lost his seat following a dispute with the party.  Speculation has also surrounded the identity of others backing the party.

Another ex-SNP councillor, Mr David 'two plates' Coutts, had in the past threatened to start a 'People's Party' after a dispute with the SNP, but this threat never materialised.  However, in 1999 Mr Coutts was embroiled in a dispute with the DTOA when the association objected to the renewal of his taxi licences on the basis that Mr Coutts was resident in Estonia, where he was involved in the pub trade, and could thus not possibly be in a position to exercise proper control over his two taxis.  But Mr Coutts accused DTOA members of 'looking to take more of the cake' and councillors allowed him to keep his plates.  Mr Coutts subsequently returned to Dundee and was involved in the creation of 505050 Taxis, one of the city's major players.

Mr Bob Costello, a local coach operator, has recently written to the local press criticising the council's handling of the issue of licenses for wheelchair accessible taxis and also bemoaning the plight of taxi owners.  Mr Costello was embroiled in a long-running dispute with the council following the 1999 removal of taxi plates from license holders who had been accused of illegally hiring out their plates in breach of the licensing conditions.  However, Mr Costello refused to hand hand back his license, and also refused to accept a 'variation of the condition' which was offered to the other license holders in order that they could keep their plates.

However, 203020 Taxis, dubbed 'Marrs' Minicabs' by drivers who object to a mainly private hire hire firm calling itself a taxi company, has made clear that it is not involved with the new party - a recruitment advert subsequent to the announcement of the new party stated that '203020 Taxis have no affiliation to any political parties'.

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