Taxi Driver Online

Fair points here about costs and actually getting an appointment with your GP

On the other hand, I suspect there's an element of the Wolverhampton syndrome going on here, as is often the case with vehicle inspections, too - shopping around for a more lenient approach to standards

And it's the usual *up to* £170 qualifier - would guess most are paying a lot less...


Bolton taxi drivers call for medicals from private doctors

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/24 ... e-doctors/

Taxi drivers across Bolton are calling for the right to go to private doctors to avoid long waits and “paying an arm and a leg" for a medical certificate declaring them fit to work.

Under the current system taxi drivers in the borough must go through medicals with their registered doctors, who they have been with for 12 months or more, to stay on the roads.

But drivers have said this has forced them to endure long waits and in some cases pay charges of up to £170 rather than go to more convenient and cheaper alternatives.

Bolton Private Hire Association secretary Yasif Khan said: “All taxi drivers have to go through a medical and getting an appointment with a doctor these days is like trying to get an appointment with King Charles, it's easier to do that!

“And they are charging an arm and a leg for it.”

He added: “Bolton licencing doesn’t let drivers go to a private doctor.

“Instead they have to go to a registered doctor who they’ve been with for up to 12 months and since after Covid its absolute murder to get in to see a doctor.”

Mr Khan said that drivers have been holding a long running series of talks with Bolton Council to try and convince the authority to let them go to private doctors.

He argued that this can help drivers get their medicals dealt with much more quickly for as little as £50.

Mr Khan said: “So we have been asking Bolton Council, we have been asking for quite a bit now, both the previous Conservative administration and now the Labour one as well that we need this sorting where we can go to an independent doctor.”

He added: “We need this sorting because why should we be paying £170 when we could be paying £50?”

The debate over doctors’ notes comes after several high profile disputes between the taxi trade and Bolton Council.

Throughout 2022 the trades’ representatives had staunchly opposed the plans for a charging Clean Air Zone across Greater Manchester.

More contentious still was the Minimum Licencing Standards policy.

This would have demanded vehicles would have to be less than five years old on first registration and have been on the road for less than 10 years to avoid a charge.

But the policy was abandoned in its entirely in July 2023 after widespread opposition from the taxi trade.

Now Bolton Council’s leadership says they hope to work with taxi drivers and their representatives to come to a common agreement.

Executive cabinet member for licencing Cllr Sue Haworth said: “This council year taxi drivers are asking Bolton Council licensing authority to change its policy on medical statements and taxi driver licensing.

“Bolton taxi trade representatives are aware that in some other council licensing authorities a wider range of medical professionals can provide statements about a drivers medical fitness and this choice means drivers can pay less for these medical practitioner services.”

She added: “A policy options paper is being put together.

“Some staff absence has impacted licensing policy work this year and reducing the impact of absence is being addressed going forward.

“Working with taxi drivers’ representatives is very valued at the council as they bring the regular experiences of many of the over 1,500 Bolton licenced drivers to our attention and it is important that we meet them regularly.”

Let's be thankful the *executive* *cabinet* member for licencing Cllr Sue Haworth is putting together a 'policy options paper'. Or at least someone else is, and she's just being quoted in a press release about something she's just been told about, assuming she even knows, and is actually aware of the press release and its contents


'Going forward'

'Staff absences'? WFH, or people who got used to getting paid for sitting at home doing nothing, and are now taking lots of sickies so they don't have to go back to the office?


I'm sure

Does anyone know of anyone paying £170 for a medical? Think I paid less than £100 last time.

_________________
IDFIMH

I understand the above from the point of a driver, but from a council perspective I can see them saying a big fat no.

Anyone who has ever had an insurance claim for injury, following an RTA, knows how utterly dodgy some private doctors are.

It's also worth remembering how many TfL medicals were deemed iffy a few years back.

_________________
IDFIMH

Has the council come up with a miracle cure for all ailments then? Or will they be much more firmer with those trying it on?

_________________
IDFIMH

I paid £150 last year the previous year was £100
Group 2 medicals you can use any doctor, HGV, PSV and pilots to mention a few, perhaps the public are more at risk from taxi drivers.

First couple of times I had it done I used a different surgery as a few people had said they were the cheapest @ £50. Then one time when I was at my own surgery I asked out of curiosity how much and they said £50.

Last time (April '21) I just called in at my surgery. Spoke to the receptionist who said she would send an email to all the doctors to see who wanted to do it. Phone call from a doctor the next day and medical done 2 days later.

we have only one surgery now that they have all merged and their price was £175.00 5 years ago but as I didn't renew my badge I don't know what the current rate is it used to be possible to negotiate with the surgery but now that GP services have been privatised it's all about how much revenue they can generate.

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

At my local surgery, which is quite a big one, one of the semi-retired GPs comes in on a Saturday and does as many as he can.

It has to be easy money for him, he can do 10, £500 for him, £500 for the surgery.

_________________
IDFIMH