Ban on Denbighshire taxi drivers wearing shorts could be withdrawn at meeting

A controversial ban on the wearing of shorts by taxi drivers in Denbighshire is to be reconsidered.

In March the county council introduced a dress code aimed at projecting “a more professional image” among the county’s 400 licensed taxi drivers, 70 of whom work in Rhyl.

The ban on the wearing of shorts came into force on May 1 but drivers have raised a petition containing 500 signatures protesting against the move. They say that shorts are practical in hot weather and that they can be just as smart as full-length trousers.

In response to the petition the matter has been placed on the agenda for next week’s (June 10) meeting of the licensing committee .

In his report Emlyn Jones, the authority’s public protection manager, points out that all six drivers who attended a workshop as part of a consultation exercise prior to the police being introduced had been in favour of the ban.

But he says that members may now wish to reconsider the matter, with the options being to stick to the ban, to allow tailored shorts to the knee, to allow tailored shorts to the knee but to be more prescriptive by, for example, not allowing denim or sports shorts, or to have further consultation with the drivers.

http://www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/148853/ban-on-denbighshire-taxi-drivers-wearing-shorts-could-be-withdrawn-at-meeting.aspx
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DURHAM

Drivers and passengers to be consulted about changing taxi rules

TAXI drivers and passengers are being asked their opinions on potential changes to licensing rules.

Durham County Council is holding a 12-week consultation as part of a review of its Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.

The consultation, which ends on August 26, will ask opinions on a range of potential changes to rules on roof-top signs, more stringent safeguarding measures, vehicle age and emission standards and numeracy and literacy tests for drivers.

Joanne Waller, the council’s head of environment, health and consumer protection, said: “Our current policy was introduced in 2011 and is now due for review.

“This review will make sure the policy continues to support both the taxi trade and passengers in the county.

“We would encourage anyone with an interest to have their say on the proposals.” 

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/13318958.Drivers_and_passengers_to_be_consulted_about_changing_taxi_rules/?ref=rss
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Taxi passengers in South Tyneside could soon be facing a fare hike of 3%, it has been revealed.

The borough council has received a request from the borough’s Hackney Carriage Association to increase its scale of charges.
If agreed, it would mean that on Tariff One, for journeys taken between 7am and 10pm, the cost of the 
first two miles of a passenger’s journey would rise by 20p from £5 to £5.20, with the cost of a five-mile journey increasing by 40p to £10.80.

 When compared to the cost of taxi journeys in neighbouring authorities, the proposed hike would still put charges behind the highest charging area – Newcastle – where the first two miles cost £5.60.

But it would be costlier to travel in South compared to North Tyneside, where comparable charges are at £3.20 for one mile and £10.60 for five miles.

The council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee is to be asked to endorse or reject the changes when it meets on Friday.

Taxi driver David Gill, who has worked in the trade for three decades, believes the proposed increase “doesn’t go far enough”.

He said: “It costs me £40 a day and £200 a week to keep my cab on the road because of the licensing, and the fuel 
and the repairs are horrendous.

“We are not making any money.

“Last week I did six jobs and five of them made £20, an average of £4 each.

“Three per cent is not enough, I think we are miles behind.”

A report to the committee says: “Whilst the council is entitled to fix the table of fares, it has been customary for many years in South Tyneside and in neighbouring areas for the Hackney Carriage trade itself to request a variation on the basis that the charge for their service is principally a commercial consideration.

“The council, of course, must also consider the likely effect any increase may have on the travelling public.” 

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/business/a-fair-fare-taxi-prices-set-to-rise-in-south-tyneside-1-7297977
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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Hundreds of taxi-drivers working for Uber and other online cab-hailing companies protested in Delhi on Monday, saying the government's latest crackdown on their business had disrupted operations.

With the Delhi government determined to step up pressure on the companies after they defied a state-wide ban for six months, police officers have been using the taxi-hailing apps to book vehicles and impound them as they arrive.

"The police are treating us like terrorists," said Sakil Ahmad Khan, 42, whose car was impounded last week. Without a job, he said, he did not know how he would repay a 500,000-rupee loan he had taken on his car.

The taxi companies were banned in December, after a driver contracted with Uber was charged with raping a woman passenger in a case that sparked national uproar and highlighted the absence of screening of drivers by the U.S.-based company.

Uber resumed operations in January even though the ban remained in place.

Police have impounded more than 600 cars belonging to their drivers since the Delhi government last week rejected licence applications from the taxi-hailing companies, saying they had not complied with the ban.

The taxi companies must comply with the law, said Muktesh Chander, Delhi's special commissioner of police.

"They are arrogant and don't want to run by the law," he added. "If they think the law is unreasonable, they can challenge the law."

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/delhi-uber-drivers-protest-government-121203528.html
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A STONE cabbie is more than £1,200 out of pocket after being caught illegally plying for hire.

K Cabs driver Philip Lockley was caught during a joint operation run by Staffordshire Police and Stafford Borough Council.

Cannock magistrates heard on Wednesday that Lockley, 58, of Newcastle Road, Stone, agreed to take undercover police and borough council officers to the Darlaston Inn in Stone. He was also convicted of not having insurance.

The officers were in Station Road, Stone when they asked the driver of a vehicle displaying the K Cabs logo to take them to the pub. They were told it would be a £5 fare.

http://www.staffordshirenewsletter.co.uk/Stone-taxi-driver-pays-hefty-fare-illegally/story-26657258-detail/story.html
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A Southport man denied carrying out a sex attack on a woman who thought his car was a taxi.

Ian Grassick, 59, of Staveley Road, is accused of sexually assaulting a 30-year-old woman after she got in the back of a vehicle she thought was a cab.

The woman and her friend got into the car after leaving the Fox and Goose pub on Cable Street in the resort at about 2.05am on Wednesday, February 4.

She was allegedly assaulted after the friend had been dropped off at her home.

Grassick appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, where he pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. A two-day trial was fixed for July 20.

Grassick was released on conditional bail, not to approach his alleged victim and to abide by the terms of a curfew.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/southport-man-appears-court-accused-9410715