Enforcement Statistics Anomaly

Reading the enforcement statistics, for Newcastle upon Tyne, for the last quarter they do seem a bit weighted towards Hackney Carriages.

228 vehicles checked. 179 were Hackney Carriage Vehicles 33 were Private Hire 16 were ‘out of town’ plated vehicles.

Given all the ‘Hoo Ha’ about ‘out of towners’ over the last few years it would seem to be a kick in the teeth for the Hackney Carriage trade. It’s blatantly obvious that there has been a problem with these cars as there has been court cases as to the legality of them, countless meetings between various Local Authority licensing officers, much said in the press etc.etc., not least the underlying safety aspects, the potential dangers of spurious Taxis to the travelling public and still when carrying out their overt enforcement duties, licensing officers and the Police overly target legitimate licensed HC’s. On the face of it the enforcement statistics show a complete disregard for everything that has gone on before.

The Council would have had many more complaints about Private Hire than they did Hackney Carriages, albeit from HC’s complaining about PH and out of town plated vehicles, yet they obviously targeted HC’s, over this period, more than PH.

The Councils’ answer to this is: “we cannot be seen to target PH and not HC” or words to that effect. Granted but ‘Easy Target’ comes to mind. Big black cars parked all over town with large illuminated signs on top.

Some Comments on this subject:

“….I make it a 6-1 ratio of hacks being stopped against private hire.

What I would like to know is why this is when there are 780 hacks and over 1,000 private hire?

It seems to me that, when you ask for proper enforcement (which is licensing’s duty to the public), all you get is enforcement of those who asked!”

“……As soon as we ask for enforcement, the 1st reply is ‘the Hacks Will Be Targeted As Well’.

I Don’t Have an Issue with That.

What I Do Have an Issue With is From the Councils Own Figures, More Hacks Have Been Stopped than Any Other P/h, Out of Town Plates, etc.

What I would like to see is a Similar Amount of Vehicles from Each Area, Stopped and Checked.

The Figures Should Also Show which Licensed Area they Where From.

In Addition, Vehicles That Are Pretending to be Taxi’s (i.e. Top signs, No Plates, No Markings or Vehicles Cruising Slowly Past Ranks, Hoping to be Flagged Down), Should Also Be Targeted and Listed in These Figures……..”

“……….and one enforcement officer said, the private hire trade are harder to catch than you lot!

Really?

I could go to the jury’s right now and get at least 8 noda private hire (double at weekends), or the premier in on newbridge street and get a similar amount, how about Friday and Saturday nights, I wonder how many ace cars I could check outside the 3 mile, or Blueline on the fire station court, or abc cars anywhere round the Westgate road, Clayton street junction area, or a line up at the crofters, Gateshead central outside the travel lodge etc etc etc …

The hackney trade is in no doubt as to what’s going on!………”

“…….I have been a North Tyneside private hire driver for 8 years and have only been stop once by a joint exercise between Newcastle council, Police and HM Revenue & Customs by chance at 9.30 am when I wasn’t at work!……..”

“……the police can stop any car any where, and I agree with you on the council stopping any car in their area. The council probably do more enforcement in the hacks because you are sitting ducks waiting on a rank, it not right, but the council are lazy and its easy to say “we done 20 checks tonight” when they are all in one line…..”

“…….once again we have one sided enforcement!

once again sc (irc) 228 cars stopped 33 private hire 179 hacks, does that scream fairness to you!……”

“………why are the figures so 1 sided, why not aim to stop and check an EVEN proportion of hackney and private hire vehicles, are Newcastle licensing trying to send out some ulterior message!

Where are the figures of covert operations and intended prosecutions! Are these going on? a hack driver I know was flagged down, and then the person apologized and said they were after private hire, then why o why flagged a black car with taxi top sign and for hire sign on?……..

“…….those figures say nothing more than VICTIMIZATION of Newcastle Hackney Carriages!

I desk clerk at an office I know, has never seen enforcement come in and check over the cars…….”

“……..look at how unbalanced the figures are! Doesn’t enforcement even bother to go round to offices and check cars over……..”

“…….Licensing, Parking Control and Police Officers Should Be Targeting Them and NOT Intimidating the N/c Licensed H/c Trade.

CCTV is being used to Prosecute/Intimidate N/c H/c, when it should be targeting the ‘Pirates’…..”

“……..“They’ve also inspected 18 Private Hire Vehicles registered with Newcastle. Of the 18 vehicles inspected through “on street enforcement, 9 had issues that required our attention:-Of those examined: 4 vehicles were asked to move on”

What about the ones pulled over that were in perfect working order like mine where the copper said me reg plate was crooked…….”

“Whilst welcoming Northumberland County Councils stance on this new licensing regime, I make just 1 comment, will the Council enforce it`.
After all, you can have all the rules and regulations you like, BUT, if nobody bothers to enforce them, they are as much use as a chocolate fire guard.
I have no doubt that Northumberland CC may well attempt enforcement to start with, but will it be on going.
As for Newcastle CC, will they even bother, or just check our own `hacks`, as usual and still stick to the usual absurd argument that as `we don’t license them, we cant touch them`.”

All genuine comments from the comments section of this site, some comments from PH and some from HC.

Some of these comments have been spellchecked but  they are original in every other sense and have not been altered from their original meaning.

Tagged as: taxi enforcement, taxi licensing