All Entries in the "Licensing" Category

Council limits number of taxis:South Tyneside

TAXI drivers in South Tyneside are unlikely to have more competition as cabbies face up to a large drop in trade.

South Tyneside Council is likely to peg taxi numbers in the borough at 239 today after hearing that customer numbers have fallen significantly in the last decade……..

Newcastle Council take six taxi drivers off city roads

SIX taxi drivers have been suspended amid concerns about the risk they pose to the public.

Newcastle City Council has taken four of the cabbies off the roads after receiving information from police about alleged criminal activity….

Pink Ladies loses taxi licence appeal

PINK Ladies have likened the company’s battle for women’s rights to the work of suffragette Emily Pankurst. Andrea Winders, co-director of the non-profit making business, said the staff feel a little like the woman’s activist after fighting for the rights of women in an ‘archaic legal framework’………

Government ‘minded’ to amend sec 16 and allow unrestricted numbers of taxi WAVs

Following a Lords debate on the government’s flagship Equality Bill it has become clear that in restricted areas that don’t have a 100% WAV taxi fleet, an unlimited amount of new WAV plates will have to be issued on demand. The current law that allows councils to restrict will no-longer apply to applicants that produce a WAV for plating.

Amendments relating to PH WAV provision were withdrawn following government concern that it ‘would be incredibly burdensome to the private hire industry‘.

Labour Peer proposes amendment to scrap (in part) sec 16 of the 1985 Transport Act

A late amendment to the 2010 Equality Bill was added by Baroness Wilkins on Tuesday 19th January 2010. This amendment, if enacted, could end the discretion that local licensing authorities have in restricting the number of hackney carriages they license.

Limit on Basildon taxis?

Basildon Council is considering calls for a limit on the number of Hackney Carriage taxis in the district from the Basildon Taxi and Private Hire Forum.

Drug dealers and sex offenders , criminals given taxi driver licences

………………………..Criminals with convictions for offences including indecent assault and drug dealing are knowingly being granted taxi driver licences……………………..

TAXI firm criticised for hiking prices during the bad weather

Angry customers have hit out at Portsmouth cab firm AquaCars for charging time-and-a-half to ferry passengers around in the treacherous conditions. Managers decided to increase fees on Tuesday night when the snow first hit in a bid to entice more drivers to work.

Comment of The WeeK

Unfortunately this is still just the tip of the iceberg and proves once again that there is very strong justification for proper enforcement on the ranks between the hours of 12.00 a.m. and 6.00 a.m.

Private Hire To Remove Roof Signs

Private Hire firms in Gloucester have hit out at new Government legislation to remove roof lights from private hire vehicles.

Taxi crowding ‘risking lives’

This Story sounds familiar….well it would seeing as most Councils are singing from the same Hymn sheet. “Keep issuing Plates…….No you can’t have anymore Ranks……Enforcement??”

North Tyneside Council swoop on illegal pick-ups

Magistrates have fined drivers of two private hire vehicles that picked up test customers in a North Tyneside Council clampdown.

Under national legislation private hire vehicles cannot ply for hire or stand at a taxi rank to attract business. They can only take customers who have booked in advance through the driver’s licensed operator.

This differs from the rules for taxis, who under their Hackney Carriage Licence can be hailed in the street and pick up customers from a taxi rank.

North Tyneside Licensing Forum 2nd Meet.

The second meeting of the North Tyneside Hackney carriage & Private Hire Licensing forum took place today. There were several items on the agenda but time and chatterboxes were against us. We managed to talk for nearly two and a half hours on the subject of enforcement, encompassing insurance checks, vehicle checks, Taxi marshalls & traffic congestion on South parade, whitley bay………

Improving Access to Taxis Consultation Report

Consultation analysis report

This report provides an analysis of responses to each of the 19 questions posed in the consultation document, Improving Access to Taxis in February 2009. Key themes are identified in the report and key issues are summarised.

Views sought on new taxi policy

People are being consulted over the establishment of new rules for taxi regulation in County Durham.