Call Sign August 2007 - Page 17 - THREAT OF A ONE-TIER TAXI SYSTEM?

The New Northern Ireland Assembly is examining a Taxi Bill that aims to establish a one-tier licensing system across the region. The Bill will merge Hackney Carriages with Private Hire Vehicles potentially destroying the livelihoods of 450 Hackney Carriage drivers by allowing 2,000 Private Hire cars to pick up on the street in Belfast. Taxis traditionally in the UK can be hailed on the streets and at a rank, whilst Private Hire Vehicles must be pre-booked and cannot tout for business or use taxi ranks. Three weeks ago, the Belfast City cab trade were allowed by authorities to protest outside Stormont. A group of over 200 drivers turned out to protest against the proposed Taxi Bill. The Minister of the Environment, Arlene Foster, realising this was an important issue agreed to talk to the T&G representatives who had organised the protest and has now agreed that they should be allowed to give evidence to the Environment Committee, who are looking at the details of the Bill. Northern Ireland is the only taxi	THREAT OF A ONE-TIER TAXI SYSTEM? London Taxi Board ask: Is this the future for London?
	licensing area that until recently was run by the UK Government. The re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont has meant that the new Assembly now governs this licensing district. Prior to the re-establishment of the Assembly, policy officials at the Department of Environment (DoE) decided that it would cease to differentiate between Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles, effectively combining the two very different services. Should the Bill be implemented, not only are individual Hackney Carriage drivers having their livelihoods threatened by Private Hire operators taking their work away, but they are also going to be required to be a ‘taxi operator’. This would mean every fare will have to be recorded by every driver and a record kept of the name of the passenger and pick up and drop off point. Fines for not doing this will run to thousands of pounds if this requirement is not adhered to! If the UK’s mainland taxi industry thinks this is an ‘across the water’ issue and	why should they worry about it, well, perhaps they should think again? UK licensing regulators have indicated they have wanted to simplify licensing conditions and to them a one-tier system would in theory make sense! There has already been talk in Scotland about the simplicity of having a one-tier system and should the controversial Northern Ireland legislation be approved, it would not be too difficult for Scotland to follow suit. This could then happen in England and Wales and in particular in London, which is renowned for having the finest taxi system in the world. The London Taxi Board, currently under the Chairmanship of Brian Rice, is extremely concerned by these developments and is currently actively involved in assisting the licensed taxi trade in Northern Ireland in ensuring that this misguided element, of what is otherwise a not unreasonable review of taxi legislation, never reaches the statute book.

TAXIS BECOMING LESS RECOGNISABLE?

Taxiwise sends out a warning…

Taxis are becoming less recognisable as the choice of vehicle for use as a cab becomes more diverse, according to leading taxi safety campaigners, Taxiwise. The organisation believes that if passengers are not clear on what type of vehicle can be licensed as a taxi and what can’t, they are more likely to fall prey to an unlicensed rogue cab driver.
   It has renewed its call for a nationwide standard for the type of vehicle that can be used as a cab, so everyone knows what they are getting into and councils across the country have the same rules.
   The comments came after the recent Private Hire and Taxi Exhibition 2007, held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, which showcased the latest vehicles that can be used in the taxi trade. These ranged from Far Eastern rickshaws to huge van conversions.
   Taxiwise spokesperson, Celeste Clarke, told Call Sign: "The variety of vehicles on offer is quite staggering and the standard is generally high on the surface – but they are doing nothing to help public safety. There are different rules in each council area and while some of these vehicles could be licensed as Hackney carriages in one area to pick up people off the street, they might be banned in a neighbouring area or be only for use as private hire in another." She continued: "There needs to be a nationwide standard – in both quality and recognisability – that all vehicles have to match up to. Only then can the risk of a member of the public inadvertently getting into an unlicensed cab be minimised. A prime example is London. The only vehicle which meets the strict guidelines on quality, safety and accessibility is the traditional London-style taxi. Therefore, anyone jumping into a London cab in London can be as sure as possible that it is properly licensed to operate as a Hackney carriage, picking people up off ranks and being hailed on the street. If another type of vehicle stops to pick them up without being booked in advance, it would be doing so illegally and should not be taken."
   Ms Clarke ended by saying: "Having such strict guidelines across the country would make it very difficult for rogue drivers to operate. While the models on show in Coventry were very impressive, there was only one model that looked like a taxi – the traditional London-style cab. It served to highlight the difficulties passengers face every day in recognising what is a taxi and what is not."
   To learn more about Taxiwise, visit www.taxiwise.com

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