Private hire drivers in Bridgnorth, who are employed by local firms, see themselves as ambassadors for private hire. They now believe that out of town Hackney Carriage Taxi drivers are coming into their area and impersonating them. They say this is not giving a good impression, as these Taxi drivers don't know where they are going.
David Gordon, who runs TD Taxis (Private Hire Firm), said:
“The drivers have Shropshire plates and badges and are impersonating local minicab firms".
“It’s becoming a big problem for the public because once they get in the car they are responsible for whatever’s on the meter”.
Shropshire Councillor Steve Charmley said the council would not tolerate any illegal activity by licensed drivers.
The licensing committee has recently revoked one hackney carriage licence and 20 more are under review.
Peter Quinton-Jones, owner of Bridgnorth Taxis, said:
“I am a private hire business and I’ve had four complaints since November with people getting into Hackney taxi and being overcharged because a certain driver has been pretending to work for Bridgnorth Taxis, private hire cars”.
Councillor Charmley added:
“As far as we are aware, no drivers have obtained a licence by falsely claiming to work for a local operator”.
The Worm Has Turned!
HACKNEY CARRIAGE IS FIGHTING BACK UP NORTH.
Perhaps the National Taxi association should be contacted to find out how these minicab firms are getting away with calling themselves Taxi Conpanies!
ReplyDeleteYou're right anon, provincial law needs changed to be more like the London PH act, no PH firm should be allowed to call itself a taxi company.
DeleteI don't know about Bridgnorth, but in some boroughs the PH drivers and taxi drivers have done the same knowledge, so your distinction doesn't make much sense. Some drivers even drive a taxi some days of the week and drive a PH other days. One PH driver was busted for accepting a street hail and his defence was that he forgot he was in a PH because he drives a taxi half the week. I can't remember whether he got away with it.
DeleteYes In Borehamwood a Private Hire can drive a taxi the knowledge is the same 20 questions . Working from Borehamwood and Elstree Station
DeleteSection 38 Town Police Clauses Act 1847 in respect of taxis and section 80 Local
ReplyDeleteGovernment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 in respect of PHVs.
Taxis can pick up passengers that have pre-booked without needing a separate PHV licence. Indeed, case law applicable to England and Wales (outside London) suggests that it is not possible for a vehicle that is licensed as a taxi also to be licensed as a PHV, and nor is it possible for a vehicle that is licensed as a PHV also to be licensed as a taxi. This appears to be the result of the legislative provisions that define taxis and PHVs according to their characteristic use throughout the period of a licence, rather than their specific use on any particular occasion. Effectively, in England and Wales (outside London), once a vehicle is licensed as a taxi or a PHV, it cannot be used for any leisure purposes and can only be driven by a licensed driver. In London, the legislative definition of a PHV makes clear that a licensed taxi will never be a PHV. As a result, a licensed London taxi can carry out private hire bookings without needing a separate PHV vehicle licence. In London, both taxis and PHVs can be used for leisure purposes.
i think drivers who are not aware of the areas where they are driving must be given a training and must be given a time to know every passage about that area.
ReplyDeleteAirport Taxi Toronto