Here goes the Evening Chronicle again, a splendid bit of journalism. In this present economic climate the last thing we need is headlines like this. The pictures of these ‘Death Traps’ showed a Taxi with a missing driver’s door window, 1 tyre scrubbed at the edges and a silencer box with some corrosion. These are jobs that need to be attended to I will agree but ‘Death Traps’….Highly emotive language when the Government is trying to get people spending again to kick start the economy and our newspapers, as usual overstate things, possibly scaring people from using Taxis, that’s good for our economy isn’t it? Over many years I have seen lots of these articles in the papers, yet I have yet to witness a car load of passengers wiped out because of a ‘Death Trap’ Taxi!
There are better stories out there! Go and find them. There are bigger problems in the Taxi trade as a whole. Like a total lack of enforcement which allows perverts and known rapists to prowl the streets posing as Taxi drivers. Now that is scary. Use your journalistic powers to find out why there is no enforcement, or investigate why Berwick plated cars are still being issued and driven around Tyneside after an expensive Court case that should have put paid to this practice. ‘The Death Trap Taxi’ story is a well worn story that just gets repeated every 3 years or so and is no more than a few MOT failures when all comes to all. So give us a break and give us a helping hand for a change and look for the real injustices that are going on in the Taxi Trade, right under your nose! Almost everyone is a Taxi user, even journalists what would you do without us? We are for the most part taken for granted. If every Taxi/Private Hire were removed from service for just one weekend there would be mayhem but maybe we wouldn’t be taken for granted for a while. The Taxi trade might be large on Tyneside but it is a shadow of it’s former self. Headlines like the Chronicles, court cases, flashy advertising from big companies all paint a picture of a Taxi trade kept in check, professionalism etc,etc. But the reality is: a mish mash of different licences, drivers who cannot be police checked, drivers who don’t know their way around….This was not the case 20 or so years ago. Of course we had the odd baldy tyre then and the odd dodgy driver but these things were sorted out immediately by enforcement. Now they are not, OK they’ve had a blitz and the Chronicle got its headline but there are problems that never get sorted out because nobody can be bothered. There are cars parking on Taxi Ranks, all over Tyneside, that are not Taxis. What are the implications of this? If anyone can park on a Taxi Rank and the public expect a Taxi Rank to have licensed Taxis on it…There are dangers here I think but enforcement in Newcastle & North Tyneside know about this and do nothing! Why? They can put a so called ‘Death Trap’ off the road once every now and again but can they ensure the public that a Mugger, rapist, murderer is not lying in wait on a Taxi Rank?
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
It makes you wonder if these checks by the police & licensing have only come about to save face with councillor shipley.Funny The meeting is tomorrow.Or is that just the way I think.They said its been on going for 4 weeks.Yet most drivers I spoke to think its only been going on for 2 weeks.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
it will be the council feeding the chronicle stories to make it look like they are working! Has anybody off her done a bit of digging and came up with FACTS (that can be proven)about the lack of enforcement or lack of ranks and then went to the Chronicle? they would cover the story, but not if its just hear say.
Send off some FOI request about hours worked by enforcement officers and prove they are not about outside of office hours and get them in the papers!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@SC, one surefire proof of no enforcement is the mountain of photos sent in by drivers, of cars parked on ranks,cars with no plates etc. are these not enforcement issues. Re: flimping how can anyone here prove that unless we use Ian Shanks as evidence in the fact that he has openly stated that he has sacked drivers for flimping.Enforcement should be doing the job of ‘Enforcement’ it should not be left up to drivers and/or operators to do their job for them!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Admin, your right, it should not be up to the drivers or operators to do the job of the enforcement officers, but as its the drivers and operators that are paying their wages, it is up to the drivers and operators to hold them accountable.
You cant prove flimping with a freedom of information request (other then requesting number of drivers caught or warned with in a set period) but what you can do is make specific requests as to how many hours were worked by enforcement officers after 6pm on Friday to 11pm or Sunday or ask for a breakdown of hours worked across a month, then you can prove that they are not
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
If the council or anyone from the media or press is either listening or reading this,i`ll make them an offer,here IN PRINT.
It will cost you absolutly NOTHING,come out around town in MY cab,on friday or saturday night,with me,and i`ll show you what we mean is going on in Newcastle,and why we are so `pissed off`,by the lack of enforcement. I have a Doblo,licensed by Newcastle and can take 4 passengers,or 1 wheelchair and a passenger,so all are catered for.
Any media,press,or any other official,see it for yourselves first hand.
Admin has my email,and if anyone wants to take me up on the offer,ill give admin my number,and they can give it to you.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@john dodds,
Well said mate , i would also be willing to do the same ,although iam private hire i observe week in and week out blatant flimping the same cars in the same spots keep pulling away full and its beyond coincidence that every job they recieve on there data has the same pick up point !!!!
If I notice it and john dodds notices it how the f**k do the police and enforcement miss it ?????????
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Am133
private hire drivers need to also realize that these flimpers can, and do pinch their fares leaving them on “NO JOBS” !! so you need them on board not just HACKS !!!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Ian shanks, I agree, its very easy for a customer to ask a car from the company they have booked with if they are for X going to (insert long distance destination) for the driver just to say yes and take them. The customer will think they are in the right car (unless they use an office with text back)
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Were all the cars stopped and checked Newcastle cars ???
i thought they had higher standards than that ! but again this shows/proves no enforcement is being made even on their own cars !
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Ian shanks, several Ace cars were stopped last weekend and the weekend before,some were sent to test centre,i got pulled at cradlewell but they let me go after checking the car.
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@Ace Car,
My point was that Newcastle boast such high standards, yet their own licenced cars, be it PH or HACKS are in shocking states on the streets as proved by the news article !!
This is showing that they are not carrying out any enforcement or checks other than the one they do in the test station. Then they have the nerve to criticize Berwick !!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Ian shanks, you have asked why Ace car has the nerve to criticize berwick yet I have never seen any berwick enforcement in Newcastle city centre at night only during the day on the out skirts of the city. And lets be honest there’s probably more berwick plates in newcastle city centre on a weekend than there is in berwick.
You have also said that Newcastle boasts high standards and YES I agree some newcastle cars and drivers are S**T but if newcastle don’t have such high standards then why do drivers prefer to go out of town. The standards at newcastle do grinde on drivers but it helps keep (or did help keep) the number of drivers down as alot of the out of town chaps would stuggle with locality tests and correct me if I’m wrong but i don’t think an Astra would pass as a Taxi concidering its the size of a shoe in the back. I myself have never had a problem with Newcastle during tests or when pulled by enforcement as I keep on top of my car.
I would love to see enforcement from every borough out on the streets everyday for the next 6 months taking no shit and pulling everyone that way it would weed out the flimprs, cherry pickers, rogue taxis ad dangerous cars(it may cause problems with parking coz there’s a few borough involved)
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Ian shanks, shut your mouth fool. your the biggest culprit for plating up coal sheds and throwing in stevey wonder as the driver, POLSKI!!!TELL ME POSSSSTTTTTTTT CODDE. Its you that has ruined the taxi trade by flooding the trade with clueless half wits who only know their way thru the channel tunnel hinged to a juggernaut.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@MB 27, maybe you do keep a clean and well maintained car but at the end of the day it was proven in the recent purge that not many newcastle owners followed your stance!
As for the astras etc,this is why all the councils should be unified in vehicle dimensions as there is too much difference….i.e galaxy has to have seats removed in north tyneside but is okay in newcastle?.
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P.S I meant owners and drivers not looking after their cars.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@smudger,
I totaly agree mate the councils should be unified in vehicle dimensions as the vehicles being used are getting smaller and a vehicle that can be used as a Taxi or PH should be used by all council. But you’ve got to be honest how is four big blokes going to squeeze into an astra then get up byker bank with having to push it. Theres probably more power in the jet wash at westerhope.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
This old chestnut of standard size vehicles will go on and on for years to come, but I do have a very valid point to ask here, DO YOU REALLY WANT THIS AFTER ASKING YOURSELF THE QUESTIONS BELOW?????
1. Why does a vehicle that is to be used as a form of Public Transport whether it be Private Hire or Hackney Carriage need to have dark tinted windows as the passengers are not bloody celebrities, all they are doing is using more easily available 24 hour Public Transport and nothing more, after all you do not see the Vehicle Operational Services Authority (VOSA) allowing its standards for Public Service Vehicles to have blacked out windows as standard do you!!!!
2. The Ford Galaxy and other type vehicles who do not have unobstructed access from the four doors is a basic requirement for being Licensed as a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire vehicle and pushing or pulling a lever to allow access to the rear of the vehicle once one of the four doors has been opened means it is not unobstructed to access the rear set of seats and VOSA do not allow Public Transport vehicles to have seats that must moved to enable passengers to board a Public Transport vehicle.
3.Basically the vehicle you purchase to do Public Transport Service with is a Licensed vehicle bought to do a specific job and not the same as a PERSONAL VEHICLE BOUGHT FOR PERSONAL PLEASURE.
This means unblocked entrances to a passenger seats in the vehicles also being a standard requirement set by VOSA for all Public Transport vehicles and there should therefore be an approved list written by VOSA of there standards for Passenger Carriage Vehicles with upto 9 seats and should your vehicle meet what ever standards VOSA impose on PASSENGER CARRIAGE VEHICLES approved by VOSA and this would mean with the exception of the windscreen, all other windows should be Public Transport Specification meaning you can clearly see all the passengers in the vehicle whether it be day or night from outside the vehicle as we have nothing to hide do we?
CONCLUSION!!!!
TO HAVE A VOSA POLICY FOR ONLY LICENSED HACKNEY CARRIAGE OR PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLES WITH UPTO 9 SEATS OR LESS, THAT WOULD THEN BE FOLLOWED BY EVERY COUNCIL IN THE COUNTRY STANDARDIZING THE SALOON TYPE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS FOR INTERIOR SIZE BEING A MINIMUM STANDARD POLICY, WINDOWS EXCEPT WINDSCREEN BEING STANARDIZED CLEAR/LIGHT TINT (NOT BLACKED OUT) POLICY, CLEAR ACCESS TO ALL SEATS FROM BOTH OF THE REAR ENTRY TWO SIDE DOORS BEING STANDARDIZED POLICY, A MINIMUM BOOT SIZE FOR LUGGAGE BEING STANDARDIZED POLICY AND FINALLY TO ENCOURAGE VEHICLE RENEWAL POLUTION LEVELS FROM ENGINES AFTER ALL WE ARE PUBLIC TRANSPORT POLICY!!!!
HOW MANY REALLY WANT THIS TO HAPPEN, GOOD LUCK!!!!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Reference to half the Article “Rogue Cabbies”
As most of you know I can be a sad Git!, and today I have been told a rumour, I STRESS RUMOUR!, but will make my comment in case it becomes true.
If any of you folk read any News on the BBC Website, you will know their is often a “Timeline section”, in which lists the events, significant days and incidents leading up to a crime or War that has happened on that day, so you get the picture!!
Click on some things related to the War in Afghanistan and you may read that Old School Taliban were once on our side and were funded to carry out Military Action on the Soviets during the occupation by Russia in Afghanistan in the 80′s.
So America and the West Created a Monster!, that they are finding hard to kill now!
If this Taxi related rumour is True, at least 6 North Tyneside Taxi Offices have just created a Monster, that they can’t kill either, I hear and stress HEAR that a bunch of foreign Drivers, both NT and Berwick are starting up a Taxi Office in the heartland of one of the big operators in North Tyneside, I saw this coming if it’s true, loads of Asians are self sufficient people and will do their own business, so when the Taxi offices are saying “come on down the price is right”…£100, £103, £108 a week that is, did they really think these Guys would stay their employees forever?????…..NO!
Regards
Stephen
PS The term I used “Monster”, was not a reference to any ethnic minority, it was related to yet more competition and more Drivers, just before the PC Brigade come out to play!
Thank You and Goodnight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@john dodds: What’s really funny here is Newcastle hacks think they have the right to pick up anywhere in the northeast!, because I see them hacking Gateshead, Whitley, everywhere lol.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade