TAXI drivers in Southampton could bring the city to a standstill over a double council U-turn they say will hit their livelihoods.

Angry cabbies say they could strike and blockade the city centre if council chiefs go back on plans to help pay for CCTV cameras and extend the lifespan of city taxis.

They are also threatening legal action against city chiefs.

The row has erupted because council officers want to scrap the £250 subsidy to fit controversial “spy” cameras in ever cab, which it made compulsory back in 2009.

It would mean drivers having to pay the full £700 cost themselves.

They also want to limit the lifespan of cabs to seven years, ten if they are wheelchair adapted.

Councillors on the licensing committee are due to vote on the measures today.

Both would reverse decisions made last September.

Cabbies have reacted furiously saying it comes at a time when finances are tough for many in the trade.

Clive Johnson, from the Southampton Trade Association, said: “There is talk about demonstrations and blockading, because we are angry about the fact that the councillors voted to extend the lifespan, but now they want to overturn it really quickly.

“If drivers demonstrate it could bring the city to a standstill.”

Kevin May, from Radio Taxis, said: “They gave us an extension of two years and if they take that away I will take them to court.

“It was democratically voted on by the councillors and it is the only thing they have given us in the last seven to eight years that will help drivers a little bit financially.

“We aren't asking for that much - in Eastleigh the lifespan is 15 years for renewals. We are just fed up about it - it stinks.”

Council chiefs want to scrap the £250 subsidy due to “parlous” financial situation.

They say that Associated British Ports, the Southampton Hoteliers Association and Destination Southampton had “expressed their concern” on how older vehicles would “affect their organisations and the image of the city to potential investors or visitors” after the original decision was made.

The ultimate decision lay with council leader Simon Letts. He said: “After the original decision we got some correspondence from members of the business community suggesting that they were disturbed and disappointed by the original decision.

“Also, the older the car the more pollutants it will be producing.

“So I asked for the committee to have another look at it. They may decide they are happy with the original decision, that's up to the committee.”


The council has said it will wait until April 2016 to bring back the old policy in fairness to drivers who have put plans in place since the original decision was made in September.

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Saskatoon (dont ask, I dont know.)

Jim Frie bought his first taxi licence back in 1963 for $2,750, car included. Since then, he has watched the market for cab licences skyrocket.

Last month, a taxi licence in Saskatoon sold on the open market for $230,000. Last year, one fetched $240,000.

“The true value is what someone is willing to pay that given day,” Frie, who owns 24 licences, said in an interview Monday.

City officials now want to cash in on the skyrocketing values.

City council is lobbying the provincial government to change the Cities Act and allow the city to sell permanent taxi plates at fair market value. Right now the highest the city could sell a permanent plate for is $375.

“I believe if we were able to issue them at market value the City of Saskatoon and the citizens of Saskatoon would see financial benefit,” Coun. Darren Hill said in an interview Monday.

Hill said there is an “inflated sense” of exactly of what the licences out there are worth because the city has severely restricted the number of licences on the road.

There are currently 160 permanent taxi licences in the city. On top of that the city recently added six new seasonal licences — which allow operators to drive from September to June — bringing the total number of seasonal licences to 18.

The city has no immediate plans to provide more permanent taxi licences. While the market may be inflated, if and when city officials issue more licences they should take advantage of the market costs, Hill said.

Frie said if the city released any more licences and sold them for less money than the current street value, they would have a lot of upset licence owners on their hands.

“I think there would be a riot if the city was going to sell them for less than the going rate ... If they are going to release at half that price, I wouldn’t be happy,” Frie said.


http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/City+Saskatoon+wants+market+value+taxi+licences/9711639/story.html
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Derby/Gedling.

A TAXI firm boss has hit back at claims that Derby cabbies have been registering elsewhere because they cannot speak English.

To become a driver in Derby, you have to take a tough exam which tests knowledge of places and routes in the city.

It was alleged on Friday that taxi drivers who cannot speak English well enough to pass this exam have been registering with Gedling Borough Council instead – and then working in Derby.

It led to criticism from Mark Keenan, manager of Derby-based Western Cars, who said he was "upset for the drivers of Derby" who "are paying good moneyto go through stringent tests here".

Derby cabbies 'avoiding stiff test in city by passing easier one in Gedling'

But Muddasser Ahmed, manager of PJ Cars, in Derby, hit back at Mr Keenan's comments. While he accepted drivers have been registering in Gedling, Mr Ahmed said it was perfectly legal to do so and insisted it had nothing to do with their ability to speak English.

And Mr Ahmed said all his drivers who had registered in Gedling could speak the language well.

He said: "The reason drivers have been registering in Gedling has nothing to do with their ability to speak English, as has been claimed.

"They go to Gedling because the knowledge test in Derby is too hard. Something like 80% of people fail it.

"In Gedling, there is no knowledge test. They give you a driving test, medical and CRB check.

"I don't see the problem in all of this. They're not doing anything wrong because it's perfectly within the law."

Following Mr Keenan's claims, Derby City Council said there was a public safety issue to Hackney carriage drivers getting their licences outside the city.

This is because it has no powers to do safety checks on the vehicles and drivers, the cabbies do not have to comply with the city council's conditions and the authority has no powers to investigate complaints against them.

And the practice has meant Gedling gets the benefit of the licence fees.

The borough council said it had now changed its system but admitted the previous one attracted drivers from "as far afield as Birmingham or further".

But Mr Ahmed said: "There are more than 100 Gedling drivers in Derby today. I have never had a complaint in six months that our Gedling drivers can't speak English.

"They are all making a living and helping deliver a better service for customers because, by having more drivers, we can get to customers quicker.

"The Government wants people who come to this country to make a living for themselves and that is what these drivers are trying to do. I don't see the problem."

In Derby, drivers of both private hire and Hackney taxis must pass a test asking questions about local knowledge of Derby, vehicle maintenance and licensing conditions and pass a medical examination. Once they have done this, they must pass an NVQ Level 2 certificate in road passenger driving.

Comment; I rehash this story today because the drivers are having a demo later today.