The Northumberland Hackney Carriage Intended Use Policy has been agreed in principle by Northumberland’s licensing and regulatory committee. The policy should ensure that Hackney Carriage licences are only to be granted to drivers who intend to use them predominantly within the county (be sure DW will have feedback on this) The policy will not be endorsed by the full council until early 2010. Committee chairman Councillor Edward Heslop said: “I am pleased the policy has been agreed in principle, but also the committee has recognised the need to take more time to look at some of the issues involved to ensure the policy is fair,transparent and workable.” See the Policy below:
Northumberland County Council
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Hackney Carriage Intended Use Policy
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Development and Regulatory Services
Public Protection
May 2009
Introduction
1. Northumberland County Council (the Council) has a duty to carry out the licensing functions relating to Hackney Carriage Drivers and Vehicles as set out within legislation listed below:
• Town and Police Clauses Act 1847 (TPCA 1847)
• Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 (LGMPA 1976)
• Transport Act 1985 (TA 1985)
2. The purpose of this policy is to set out how the Council will deal with the licensing and renewal of hackney carriage vehicle licences and other related matters following the re-organisation of local government in Northumberland and the recent High Court judgment – Newcastle City Council v Berwick upon Tweed [2008] EWHC 2369 (Admin)..
3 For clarification, a hackney carriage is what most people would call a ‘taxi’. Its main features are: it carries passengers in return for payment; it may advertise itself to be for hire and be hailed in a street in the area of the council with which it is licensed; or it may be hired from a taxi-rank in the area of the council with which it is licensed. It is to be distinguished from a private hire vehicle (often referred to as a ‘minicab’), which also carries passengers for reward, but must be pre-booked with a private hire operator – it cannot be hailed in the street, or hired from a rank.
4. A hackney carriage may only ply for hire within the area of the relevant licensing authority. That is, the authority to which application was made for its licence, and which granted the licence. Within Northumberland, a consequence of local government re-organisation is the creation of six hackney carriage “zones”, which for the purposes of hackney carriage licensing, retain and replicate on the basis of the previous administrative areas of the former six district councils (Alnwick, Berwick, Blyth, Castle Morpeth, Tynedale and Wansbeck) of Northumberland the role of the original licensing authority. However, a hackney carriage in respect of which a hackney carriage licence is in force is specifically exempted from the private hire vehicles licensing requirement, and may accordingly be pre-booked to pick up and carry passengers for reward either within or outside the area of the relevant licensing authority.
5. The recent High Court judgment, has provided guidance as to the proper approach to be taken by a licensing authority when considering an application made to it for a hackney carriage licence by someone who does not intend to ply for hire in the area of the authority, but only applies to be granted such a licence in order to take advantage (elsewhere) of the statutory exemption from the requirements of private hire vehicle licensing. The following principles may be stated as established by the judgment in that case –
a. The scheme of the legislation is to provide a local control over hackney carriages and their drivers, for the protection of the public. This implies that in general the licensing system should operate in such a way that the authority licensing hackney carriages is the authority for the area in which those vehicles are principally used
b. A licensing authority is obliged to have regard to whether an applicant for a licence intends that the hackney carriage if licensed will be used to ply for hire within the area of that authority. It would be a lawful exercise of the authority’s discretion to refuse to grant a licence to an applicant who does not so intend.
c. A licensing authority is also obliged to have regard to whether an applicant for a licence intends that the hackney carriage will be used (either entirely or predominantly) for private hire remotely from the area of that authority. It would be a lawful exercise of the authority’s discretion to refuse to grant a licence to an applicant who does so intend.
d. It is generally desirable therefore that a licensing authority should only licence hackney carriages which it is intended will ply for hire within the area of that authority and should refuse licences to hackney carriages that do not intend to ply for hire, to a material extent, in the area.
e. While it would not necessarily be unlawful per se to grant a licence to a proprietor who intends that the hackney carriage shall only be used remotely from the area of the licensing authority, it will rarely be rational for an authority to do so. It follows that it is only in wholly exceptional circumstances that a licence is likely to be granted where the proprietor intends that the hackney carriage shall only be used remotely from the area of the licensing authority.
f. The discretion whether to grant or refuse remains with the licensing authority; and whilst it must not be exercised so as to frustrate the purpose of the legislation, “there will be proprietors who wish to use their vehicles in a number of different authorities’ areas and in that case no doubt there will be flexibility in the exercising of the discretion”.
6. The Council when considering new applications for hackney carriage proprietors licences, more commonly referred to as hackney carriage vehicle licences, will determine those applications in accordance with the above principles and the overall conclusions contained within the Approved Judgment handed down by the High Court on the 5th November 2008. To than end:
(i) Applicants for new licences will be expected to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Council a bona fide intention to ply to a material extent for hire within the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone under the terms of the licence for which application is being made. All applicants will be required to complete and submit a “Request for information – intended usage of a hackney carriage” form ((Appendix A)
(ii) There will be a presumption that applicants who do not intend to predominantly, or entirely ply for hire within the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone will not be granted a hackney carriage licence authorising them to do so.
(iii) The presumption mentioned in (ii) is capable of being rebutted in exceptional circumstances. Whilst it is neither possible nor prudent to draw up a list of what might amount to exceptional circumstances, an applicant who claims that exceptional circumstances exist will be expected to be able to satisfy the Council that a licence can be granted without frustrating the purposes of the legislation and/or compromising public safety.
(iv) In all cases, when considering applications for hackney carriage proprietors licences, the Council will place public safety above all other considerations
7. In light of the above, the Council has approved the following policies
• Applications for the renewal of a hackney carriage licence – Policy HC2
• Transfer of ownership – Policy HC3
• Change of vehicle – Policy HC4
8. For the avoidance of doubt, the individual policies will only apply to those areas where the Council, when carrying out the licensing function, is able to exercise discretion. In all other instances, the requirements of the individual relevant statutory provisions will be applied.
The Policies
Applications for the renewal of a hackney carriage licence – Policy HC1
(i) Section 41 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, provides that a hackney carriage licence shall only be in force for one year. Section 60 of Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1976 introduces the concept of “renewal” and gives the Council the power to refuse to renew a licence on both specific grounds and for any reasonable cause.
(ii) Applicants seeking to renew a licence will be required to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Council that they have a bona fide intention to ply to a material extent for hire within the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone under the terms of the licence for which application is being made. All applicants will be required to complete and submit “Request for information – intended usage of a hackney carriage” form.
(iii) There will be a presumption that applicants who do not intend to predominantly, or entirely ply for hire within the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone will not be granted a hackney carriage licence authorising them to continue to do so. Each application will be decided on its merits, however; and the presumption will be rebuttable in exceptional circumstances. Whilst it is neither possible nor prudent to draw up a list of what might amount to exceptional circumstances, an applicant who claims that exceptional circumstances exist will be expected to be able to satisfy the Council that a licence can be granted without frustrating the purposes of the legislation and/or compromising public safety.
(iv) The Council will determine each application on its merits, but the Council will place public safety above all other considerations.
Reasons for Policy HC1
1 The decision of the High Court in Newcastle City Council v Berwick upon Tweed Council [2008] EWHC 2369 (Admin) requires the Council to introduce policy to determine the way applications for the grant and renewal of hackney carriage licences are considered.
2. There will inevitably be a large number of licensees who have been granted licences prior to the High Court judgment, and who now earn their livings or have built up businesses in reliance on those licences. The Council recognises that there is potential that those licensees may not have their licences renewed, if the basis on which their licenses were originally granted to them were to be changed so as to disentitle them to renewal. Notwithstanding, the Council believes it has a duty to:
• Balance the human rights of both applicants and the public with the need to protect public safety through a system of local control.
• Balance the rights of individuals to seek licences and employment whether in Northumberland or otherwise.
3. The existing legislative provisions relating to the licensing of private hire vehicles, drivers and operators (LGMPA 1976) do not permit a licensing authority to restrict the number of licences that may be granted. It is therefore possible for an applicant seeking a licence who intends to use a vehicle for private hire remotely from the area of the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone to seek a licence from the relevant licensing authority.
4. The High Court was not asked to consider the position on the renewal of licences already granted, and did not do so. Moreover, the Declaration made by the Court identified a discretion to refuse in the given circumstances, not an obligation to do so.
5. In light of the above, the Council considers that there may be applications for renewal in which it may be appropriate to consider exceptional circumstances when it may not be right, or consistent with an existing licensee’s legitimate expectations, to determine the application by reference to criteria that are wholly different from those pertaining at the time of the first application and grant. In considering those expectations, the Council is aware that judicial review and high court proceedings were known to the trade in advance of the High Court judgment being handed down on the 5 November 2008.
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6. The Council will determine each application on its merits, but the Council will place public safety above all other considerations
Notification of the ‘transfer’ of hackney carriage licences
7. No statutory provision is made for the transfer of hackney carriage licences. What are commonly regarded as transfers of licences, however, regularly take place – as when a proprietor replaces a licensed vehicle, or when the “ownership” of a licensed vehicle changes, and the new owner wishes to continue to operate the vehicle as a hackney carriage under the terms of the existing licence. . In the latter situation Section 49 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 requires that the proprietor of the licensed vehicle who “transfers” his interest to another must, within 14 days of the transfer, give written notice to the Council of the name and address of the transferee of the hackney carriage. The Council has no power to refuse to register the new proprietor: see R v Weymouth Borough Council, ex p Teletax (Weymouth) Ltd [1947] KB 583.
8. Policies have been adopted to address each of the above-mentioned situations.
Transfer of ownership – Policy HC2
(i) The transferee of a licensed hackney carriage will be requested to inform the Council under the provisions of Section 73 of the LGMPA 1976 whether he has a bona fide intention to use the vehicle to ply to a material extent for hire within the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone.
(ii) The Council, where there is a failure to provide the requested information, will give serious consideration to exercising its powers of suspension of the licence under section 60 of the LGMPA 1976 Act until such information is forthcoming.
(iii) Transferees of existing licences will be expected to have a bona fide intention to ply to a material extent for hire within the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone under the terms of the licence in respect of the vehicle being transferred.
(iv) Where the transferee of a licensed hackney carriage is found not to intend to predominantly, or entirely ply for hire within the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone, there will be a presumption (either at renewal or earlier) that the suspension or revocation of the licence under section 60 of the 1976 Act may follow. All information requested following a transfer will be considered on its merits, however; and the presumption will be rebuttable in exceptional circumstances. Whilst it is neither possible nor prudent to draw up a list of what might amount to exceptional circumstances, an applicant who claims that exceptional circumstances exist will be expected to be able to satisfy the Council that it would not frustrate the purposes of the legislation or compromise public safety if the licence were renewed (or if were not suspended or revoked as the case may be).
Reasons for Policy HC2
9. The Weymouth decision requires the Council to register the name of the new proprietor of the vehicle. It seems to the Council also to open up an obvious route to circumvent the recent decision of the High Court, unless precautionary steps are taken. This policy is intended to put the Council in a position to respond responsibly to the transfer of a Berwick hackney carriage into the name of someone who operates outside the Borough or (more importantly) remotely from it.
10. The Council has a duty to:
• Balance the human rights of both applicants and the public with the need to protect public safety through a system of local control.
Change of vehicle – Policy HC3
(i) Applicants seeking the grant of hackney carriage licence for a vehicle intended to replace another licensed vehicle will be asked to inform the Council of any material change to the intended use of that hackney carriage vehicle licence from that which was expressed to the Council (if any was) when application was made for the licence sought to be replaced. There will be a presumption that applicants who no longer intend to ply either predominantly or entirely within the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone will not have the new hackney carriage licence granted.
(ii) Each application will be decided on its merits, however; and the presumption will be rebuttable in exceptional circumstances. Whilst it is neither possible nor prudent to draw up a list of what might amount to exceptional circumstances, an applicant who claims that exceptional circumstances exist will be expected to be able to satisfy the Council that a licence can be granted without frustrating the purposes of the legislation and/or compromising public safety.
Reasons for Policy HC3
11. It is assumed that if the proprietor has a legal entitlement to hold a licence that, unless there has been a change in his intentions with regard to plying to a material extent for hire within the relevant hackney carriage licensing zone, there should be no reason why he should not be granted a licence for a replacement vehicle.
12. An applicant who obtained his first licence on the expressed intention of plying for hire within the relevant zone, and who on application to replace that vehicle with another discloses that he no longer so intends, effectively engages the presumption against grant that is mentioned in the earlier policies. That presumption, however, admits of exceptions in the usual way; and the fundamental principle that each application will be determined on its merits will apply.
Download:Hackney Carriage Intended Use Policy
LICENSING AND REGULATORY COMMITTEE
5th June2009
REPORT OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND ENFORCEMENT MANAGER
Hackney Carriage – Intended Use Policy
1. SYNOPSIS
Under the provisions of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 Northumberland County Council are responsible for the granting of “hackney carriage proprietors licences” which are more commonly referred to as a hackney carriage vehicle licences.
A recent High Court judgment (Newcastle City Council v Berwick upon Tweed {2008} EWHC 2369 (Admin)) demonstrates the need for licensing authorities to establish the “intended use” of a vehicle as part of the decision making process when considering an application for the grant or renewal of a hackney carriage licence.
The Regulatory Committee are asked to give consideration to the attached policy and are recommended to endorse its adoption by the Council when it meets on the 1st July 2009.
2. IMPLICATIONS (include references to budget and policy framework)
Policy: The proposal advocates the introduction of a new Northumberland wide policy.
Financial and
Value for money There is a risk that the proposed policy or decisions made there under, may be subject to legal challenge and thereby expose the council to financial risk. Should the policy not be progressed, there is a similar risk that the council may be subject to legal challenge if, following the recent High Court Judgment, the council were to continue to grant licences to proprietors of hackney carriages who did not intend to a material extent to operate the vehicle within the zone to which the licence relates.
Personnel: None
Property: None
Crime and Disorder: The proposed policy seeks to ensure that licences and the operation of hackney carriages can be monitored through a system of local control.
Equalities: None
Customer Considerations The proposed policy seeks to ensure that licences and the operation of hackney carriages can be monitored through a system of local control.
3. RISK ASSESSMENT (include references to which of the 4 levels of risk apply and any matrix, Workshop, Panel meetings)
Not appropriate
4. CONSULTATIONS
Following publication of the High Court judgment on the 5th November 2008, Berwick upon Tweed Borough Council elected to develop an intended use policy. As part of this process, extensive consultation was undertaken with the trade, trade organisations and local licensing authorities. Whilst a draft policy was produced and revised following the consultation exercise, a final policy was not adopted prior to the abolition of the Council on the 31st March 2009. The revised policy is attached as Appendix A and consultation responses at Appendix B.
No additional consultation has been undertaken. The proposed policy has been developed as a response to the High Court Judgment and seeks to set out how the Council will, where it is permitted to do so when carrying out its statutory duties, exercise discretion so as to ensure local control of licensed hackney carriages and protection of the public which must be uppermost when undertaking the licensing duties.
5. RECOMMENDATIONS
The Regulatory Committee is recommended to:
Endorse the attached Northumberland County Council Hackney Carriage Intended Use Policy (Appendix C) and recommend adoption of the policy by the Council.
6. BACKGROUND (include options, reasons and effect on performance)
Under the provisions of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, Section 37, councils are responsible for the granting of hackney carriage proprietors licences which must, subject to very few exceptions, be driven by a person who holds a hackney carriage drivers licence. The issuing authority for both licences should be the council in the area in which the proprietor of the vehicle intends to undertake his business by either plying for hire or waiting at a taxi rank located within the administrative area of the council.
In addition to operating in the manner described above, a hackney carriage may undertake work on a pre-booked basis either within or outside of the administrative area of the licensing authority, which is not subject to any additional controls or licences.
Under the provisions of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, a further licensing regime is provided for work which is undertaken solely on a pre-booked basis. This requires that any person who wishes to operate a private hire vehicle must hold three licences, each of which must be granted by the same licensing authority. The licences in question are an operators’ licence, a private hire vehicle licence and a private hire driver’s licence. Those businesses that operate on the basis of private hire are not permitted at any time to ply for hire or wait at a taxi rank.
This therefore creates a situation where a hackney carriage may be used to fulfil a pre-booked hiring even though the hackney carriage in question may be licensed in a different area. Where this happens, the authority in whose area the hiring takes place has no automatic enforcement powers over those vehicles, which in turn are unlikely to be subject to the same conditions as that authority.
Prior to the 5th November 2008, Berwick upon Tweed Borough Council had taken the view that they were unable to refuse to issue licences to hackney carriage proprietors unless either the vehicle or the driver were unfit. The outcome of this approach and as a consequence of local licensing arrangements was that over a period from April 2006 to August 2008 the number of licences increased from 46 to 672.
Newcastle City Council, concerned at the number of hackney carriages licensed by Berwick that were being used within their area to fulfil private hire bookings, challenged the view of Berwick via judicial review.
This matter was subject to a hearing in the High Court before Mr Christopher Symons QC on the 15th, 16th, 17th of September and the 5th November 2008. The overall conclusion of the court in response to Newcastle City Councils’ claim was:
(i) In the proper exercise of its statutory discretion under section 37 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 a licensing authority is obliged to have regard (a) to whether the applicant intends that the hackney carriage if licensed will be used to ply for hire within the area of that authority, and (b) whether the applicant intends that the hackney carriage will be used (either entirely or predominantly) for private hire remotely from the area of that authority.
(ii) A licensing authority may in the proper exercise of its discretion under the said section 37 refuse to grant a licence in respect of a hackney carriage that is intended to be used to ply for hire within its area and/or is intended to be used (either entirely or predominantly) for private hire remotely from the area of that authority.
(iii) In determining whether to grant a licence under the said section 37 a licensing authority may require an applicant to submit information pursuant to section 57 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 in order to ascertain the intended usage of the vehicle.
A copy of the Approved Judgment is attached as Appendix D
In dealing with the claim of Newcastle City Council, the Court concentrated on the granting of new licences and did not specifically comment upon the renewal of licences. A proprietor’s licence in accordance with Section 43 of the Town Police Clauses Act it is stated “shall be in force for one year only from the day of the date of such licence or until the next general licensing meeting”. The Act makes no reference to the “renewal” of licences and therefore it was expected that each licence shall be granted as a new licence.
The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 Section 60 makes reference, notwithstanding the provisions of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, that a district council may suspend or revoke, or refuse to renew a vehicle licence on both specific grounds and for any other reasonable cause.
Whilst the High Court Judgment makes no reference to the renewal of licences, it would seem appropriate to apply the same overall approach when dealing with such applications so as to provide a system of local control and protection of the public.
Furthermore, the policy as drafted whilst recognising that the basis on which the original hackney carriage proprietors licence were granted, may in the future, under the terms of the policy be subject to different considerations does, where exceptional circumstances exist enable the council to consider and grant licences where it would be appropriate to do so.
7. BACKGROUND PAPERS
Appendix A – Berwick Revised Policy
Appendix B – Berwick – Response to consultation
Appendix C – Draft Northumberland Hackney Carriage Intended Use Policy
Appendix D – Newcastle City Council v Berwick upon Tweed {2008} EWHC 2369
(Admin)
Town Police Clauses Act 1847
Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976
Transport Act 1985
8. CONTACT OFFICER(S)
This report has been prepared by:
Mr Philip Soderquest, Public Safety and Enforcement Manager
For further information please contact Mr Philip Soderquest – 01434 652458 Philip.Soderquest@northumberland.gov.uk
Download:REPORT OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND ENFORCEMENT MANAGER
{ 87 comments… read them below or add one }
can i just ask as to why we still have a number of berwick plated vehicles running around, some with expired dates, and some with no expiry date whatsoever.
why have these guys not got northumberland plates?
if they are appealing to keep there plates, who is dealing with them and when is there likely to be a verdict.
who are responsible for these berwick plates left now that berwick no longer exists?
are these the guys that David calims may live in berwick caravan park?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol, Newcastle Hackney plates dont have expiry dates on them!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks, The difference is that Newcastle City Council still exists you muppet.
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 but Ian they used to and it still says on the berwick plate expiry date and then they is just a blank space nx to it
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks,
Sorry Ian, for using your reply attachment.
This comment is not to protect Ian Shanks, but if you know the history of the Hackney Carriage Licence Plate, the origin, was that the Plate was issued without an Expiry Date, and it is just in more resent years that more information and the Expiry date have been added along with the Registration Number, Make and Model, then the Colour.
You will find these things were added because Vehicles were operating without a Valid Certificate of Compliance, or MOT, that were a condition of Licence with the Council, as this made it easier to establish if the COC, or MOT had expired at a glance to other Drivers and the Public.
(A level of Self-Enforcement by the Council)
Sorry for maybe not giving you the answer you maybe wanted Andy Warhol, but it is lawful to have a Plate affixed to the rear of the vehicle and possibly the front of the vehicle with the number of passengers it may carry with the fleet number within the Local Council Area.
Example; to carry 4 passengers Plate Number 001
Thanks
Dave Walls
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@David Walls, Did you know that Blu Tack sales have tripled since the pirates discovered that they could get away with sticking their plate in the back window?
Did you also know that the pirates takings have tripled since they discovered that could pick up non-booked fares off the streets of Newcastle every night.
You probably don’t know either that I hate being parked behind a bus at traffic lights they just spew out so much shi* from their exhausts.
No thanks,
Ollie Beak
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Ollie Beak,
Hello Ollie,
I am sorry you do not like to be told the facts relating to why North Tyneside adopted adding all the extra information to a Plate, but you will find if you click on the link Town Police Clauses Act 1847 on this site and read Section 51 and Section 52, you will find I am not talking shite as you put it, and I was only trying to be informative of why some Councils do, and some Councils dont, put expiry dates on Plates, and nothing more.
Sorry if I offended you Ollie.
Thanks
Dave Walls
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade@ian shanks,
ian, i wasnt having a go!
i was asking why SOME have EXPIRED DATES, and SOME have NO DATES. Is there a difference between the 2, if so what?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol,
Andy,
I think I addressed this point a month ago on this very site, just after plates had expired at the end of September.
However, the additional point you raise regarding the use of “Berwick plates”, rather than “Northumberland plates for the Berwick zone” is a new one.
As I understand it (and it is only an understanding), Northumberland have continued to issue Berwick plates for those hackney carriages in respect of which they claim not to have determined an application for renewal.
Those that have Northumberland plates have had their licence granted on new or renewal application.
I speculate that this has an element of “reputational risk management” to it. If the plates were now all Northumberland plates, the complaints would be about the “Northumberland Bandits” (unless someone came up with a better name for them), which would be damaging to Northumberland’s reputation. By continuing to use Berwick plates, the focus remains on the now defunct council of Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council. Quite clever really!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@David Wilson,
thank you David, do you or ian have any idea WHEN the Northumberland Council (as i assume thats whos responsible for them) will determine whether they can or cannot stay.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage TradeHello David Wilson
I am not getting at you, but I have thought of some names for the Northumberland Bandits!
1./ Northumberland Numpties
2./ Caravan Park Cabs
3./ Hill Billy’s United
4./ Northumblueline Taxis
5./ It’s in Hand Hacks (Northumberlands famous words)
6./ Northumpoland Hackney Carriages
7./ “The Liqueurs”
8./ David’s former Devils
Or generally I am too dodgy to get a proper Badge!!!!!!!!
A refreshing change from “Berwick Bandits”
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade@Andy Warhol, was behind a 59 plate phoenix mini bus at the weekend with a berwick plate in the usual place the back window how can it have a new plate from a council that does not exist anymore as it must be a new plate as its a brand new mini bus ???
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Have you noticed that every time Shanksy opens his mouth without being told what to say by David Wilson he always comes across like a complete nugget?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Jabber The Hut, I just cleared in Berwick and I swear I’ve just seen David Wilson coming out of a caravan with his shorts around his ankles. Call me naive but that must mean he’s on his way to an outside toilet.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
No mate that’s why they’re having difficulty finding a virgin for that Nativity play, there’s hardly a driver left who hasn’t been shafted by him.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
A comment by david wilson “out of the 750 berwick plated vehicles licensed only 4 were ever issued with suspension notices due to poor maintenance when given a roadside check by berwick enforcement officers” utter twaddle not once have i ever clapped eyes on that man checking vehicles in north tyneside/newcastle/south tyneside/ or any other borough they work and judging by the state of half the vehicles that were mot’d by “authorised test stations” i find that very hard if not impossible to swallow having worked on some of these vehicles in my line of work.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
If you’re going to quote me, please quote me accurately!
What I said was that over a 12-month period, only four section 68 suspension notices were issued in relation to unroadworthy vehicles. As that was a discussion about “enforcement”, my statement related only to suspensions issued as a result of enforcement.
When referring to unroadworthiness, I was (and am) referring to a vehicle not meeting MOT standards.
I would like to say how many section 68 suspension notices were issued as a result of vehicles failing the annual test, but I’d only be guessing. What I can say is that the figure was small and represented only a very small percentage of the vehicles tested. Again, that is not to say that there were not issues relating to non-compliance with conditions of licence, but they were not routinely dealt with by a section 68 suspension notice.
A failure to correctly display a plate or roof sign, to carry a fire extinguisher or to comply with some other condition of licence was generally dealt with in another way.
At the end of the day, so far as “enforcement” was concerned, I was endeavouring to ensure, so far as reasonably possible, that: (i) vehicles were roadworthy, (ii) vehicles were being driven by appropriately licensed, fit and proper people, and (iii) that vehicles and drivers complied with the conditions of their licences. To my mind, they ranked in that order of importance in the “enforcement” context. Other criteria apply to licensing.
Coincidentally, I never said I did the checks and, as a matter of fact, probably only did so on two or three occasions in 12 months. The checks were generally undertaken by one of my two licensing officers, together with an authorised MOT tester.
It is a fact that checks were undertaken in Berwick and Northumberland, at Newcastle Airport, and in Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Stockton / Middlesbrough, Darlington and Newton Aycliffe. In don’t think we ever ventured into Gateshead or Sunderland for enforcement purposes; and I admit we never went to mid-Wales or to East Riding.
We did, however, also check vehicles at proprietors’ homes. As a result of one such check, a section 68 suspension notice was issued.
As our enforcement was “high vis”, it was seen by many people. The fact that you nevr saw it does not mean it didn’t happen! I think you’ll find that North Tyneside Council liked Berwick’s “hig vis enforcement vehicle” so much that they introduced their own!
I regret we never managed more than one day’s enforcement a week, for three out of every four or five weeks, but that is what we managed.
On occasions, joint operations were undertaken with the police, VOSA and HM Customs & Excise.
Until today, I have always said I didn’t know which approach to ensuring compliance was best: regular interim tests or frequent (but irregular) high visibility, random roadside testing. In view of the results disclosed by North Tyneside today, I can only conclude that frequent random roadside tests seem to produce the highest levels of compliance.
Ultimately, however, what is really important is that there is compliance, not how it is achieved.
Finally, I’ll accept there hasn’t been any (or any significant) enforcement undertaken by Northumberland since it became responsible for taxi licensing on 1 April 2009. As I left the Council on 17 April 2009, that failure is not down to me!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
I am chuffed to bits that on a dead night tonight (Monday), I witnessed a NORTHUMBERLAND Hackney Carriage Flimp in Tynemouth!!, just next to Kinder Castle Nursery, a young Couple flagged the Flimper down, and off he went, don’t know what Office he was from!
It was a nice change to see a BLUE and white plate opposed to the legendary GREEN and white plates.
On a serious note the little buggers are still at it!!!!!
David Wilson!
Not only has there been no enforcement since April by Hill Billy Councils united, but when we report your kn*ckers (the Caravan Park Cabs)) they are still using the words “it’s in hand”, so who do we shout at there then?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@E.Coast community Theatre,
Councils always need evidence, but often witnesses, whether they be members of the public or the trade, don’t want to provide written statements or, if necessary, give evidence before a council committee or a court.
If you are prepared to give evidence, I’d recommend that you make a written note of what happened as soon as you can. Not only should you record what you saw, but where you were at the time. Sign, date and time the making of your note, because that helps to demonstrate that you made the note whilst the facts were fresh in your memory.
Contact the council by telephone or email. If by telephone, confirm your report by email or letter and provide a copy of your note of what you saw.
If the council doesn’t deal with it, make a complaint about that to a manager and, if necessary, invoke the council’s formal complaints procedure.
Even if you are not prepared to give a written witness statement, inform the council of what you saw. They will really struggle to take any action in relation to what you saw, although they could try, but such “soft information” or “intelligence” should assist them in targetting that individual in any “test purchasing” operation that is conducted.
If its an out of town vehilce, hackney or private hire, report the matter to the council for the area in which the “flimping” occurred, because they have the power to prosecute.
Finally, and by no means least, report what you saw to the operator, because if what you saw was flimping (rather than someone picking up a booked fare), reputable operators will take their own action. That in itself is not a solution, because the driver may well just go to another operator, but that should send out a message that such actions “will not be tolerated”.
I am reluctant to publicise contact details of officers of various councils, but should anyone need them for a specific matter, I am prepared to provide them on an individual basis, so long as they are not to be publicised without the officer’s permission.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@David Wilson, why would you need permission to give contact details for licensing officers? is this not public information anyway?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@SC,
To the extent that not all contact details are publicly available on council websites and / or “customer care staff” may not be allowed to give out direct dial numbers or email addresses, not all details will be in the public domain.
Whther they should be is, of course, a different matter!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
No one answered a single question, that i posed in the first post.
why not? afterall we have berwick plate owners and ‘experts’ present here, why dont they answer the following:
can i just ask as to why we still have a number of berwick plated vehicles running around, some with expired dates, and some with no expiry date whatsoever.
why have these guys not got northumberland plates?
if they are appealing to keep there plates, who is dealing with them and when is there likely to be a verdict.
who are responsible for these berwick plates left now that berwick no longer exists?
are these the guys that David calims may live in berwick caravan park?
Again ian, its not having a go, its wanting to know what the present situation is.
also i’ve been beaten to it, but just WHO is responsible for the actions and enforcement of these ‘berwick’ vehicles?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol,
Andy,
I answered most of these questions at 2.45pm today, in response to your original questions.
For completeness, I’ll answer all here:
1) See my response to your earlier post.
2) As for expired plates, I can only speculate as to what the position may be – they may have expired, meaning they’re being used illegally; or they may have applied to renew and haven’t yet been issued with a “new Berwick plate without an expiry date”, but are entitled to continue to trade as they have applied to renew.
3) See my response to your earlier post.
4) No-one is appealing against any decision, because Northumberland says no decisions have been made. At the meeting of Northumberland’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee on 19 October 2009, Phil Soderquest, Public Safety and Enforcement Manager, said that for logistical reasons, the Council was going to renew all applications outstanding from November last year, but refuse to determine renewal applications from November 2009 until the intended use policy had been adopted.
5) Northumberland County Council is the licensing authority. See my response to your earlier post with regard to “reputational risk management” and why it might suit Northumberland to leave the perception of this as still being a Berwick issue.
6) I never said Berwick Caravan Park. As it happens, I can’t think of a single driver who has a caravan there. I said within the Borough; and I said only a few – off the top of my head, I can think of three! I guess the answer to your question is “no”.
7) Northumberland County Council is the licensing authority – and they alone have the power of suspension and revocation of licences. The council for the area in which any criminal offence is committed may prosecute, as may the police. Northumberland may (or may not) have the power to prosecute, depending upon the offence and the statutory provisions under which a prosecution is brought.
I appreciate everyone’s desire to know what’s happening; and whilst I’m prepared to shed as much light as I can on what I know, I am not the Council.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Since this great Website has started we have shouted at each other, called each other names, Legal Action has been even threatened, all because of one topic “Berwick”.
Now if I were a Bandit I would have now migrated to a proper Council, not because I respected the “proper Drivers”, if i did that I would not be a Bandit in the first place!, NO!, I would have done it because of all the uncertainty around the issue.
So as a North Tyneside Driver, I can only think the worst that the Drivers who are still at Berwick are unsuitable for NT or Newcastle Council, does anyone agree???
Why is there still Bandits at large???
Newcastle’s test cannot be hard when you look at those Ethnic Drivers at the Central Station, they can’t speak the Lingo at all in some cases, if they can pass anyone can!
NT’s is multiple choice, an experienced Bandit working in NT should be able to do it!
I think a lot of Bandits are undesirables!!!, that’s why they have given themselves and the trade a bad name!
All North Tyneside and Newcastle drivers should get their “heads together” to think of a way to oust them before they slip into Blue and White Plates!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@E.Coast community Theatre Once again people fail to understand how the out of town plates came about.
There was no incentive to go to Tynedale(which was the first) then Eden District Council, and now Berwick. even thous tynedale still have many plates working out the area.
The majority of drivers already hold North Tyneside or Newcastle badges and were driven towards going out of area because of poor service and obstuctiness of local councils who opertate a “do it our way or no way” policy and do not listen to the requests and needs of the trade.
So maybe if the local authoritys were more reasonable drivers would not have been “driven” towards other options. YOUR PROBLEM IS THE WAY THE COUNCILS RULES US.
let us not forget that this is not a new problem and we have had “bandits” as you call it working at newcastle airport for the last twenty years, and ooops that does include north tyneside “bandits” as you call it working outside there area….
the public in reality don’t know the difference between a private hire and a hack so i would suggest those who are bad mouthinng these drivers are in fact giving the whole trade a bad name and scaring the public into fearing everyone
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks, This has to be the main contender for the bullsh*t statement of the year.
I have copied it below verbatim:
“The majority of drivers already hold North Tyneside or Newcastle badges and were driven towards going out of area because of poor service and obstuctiness of local councils.”
You are talking about more than 1,000 drivers (not including those who share these plates as well).
Both the public and the legitimate drivers are right to be scared and so they should be, you and your pal have effectively created a nightmare for us. When I say ‘us’ here I am talking about the people who have to monitor the majority of these individuals and I don’t mind telling you on this site it is costing millions of pounds to do it.
You will be privy to the forthcoming custodial sentences and I can assure you it won’t be for eating chocolate liqueurs.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks, So, according to you Mr. Shanks, the reality is the public don’t know the difference between a private hire and a hack. When in fact the REALITY is that it is actually your private hire drivers who clearly don’t know the difference between a private hire plate and a hackney carriage plate do they?
This is the real reason why you have 8,000 calls going unanswered.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks,
Morning Ian,
Well what I am about to say may well shock and suprise you, because when you mention Newcastle Airport I do understand in a certain way your dislike for the situation up there, but I am going to say a couple of things, that will ruffle the Jedi Council up there at the Airport.
Firstly Ian, when in around 1968 Newcastle Airport, that was then in Northumberland, one has to remember, because it was not until around 1975 that old Northumberland, as it was then, as anything North of the Tyne was Northumberland, and anything South of the Tyne was Durham, but after 1975 the former Northumberland Region that had a stake in the Airport had to transfer its Hackney Carriage Licence Plates to the New North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Newcastle, Gateshead and certian Zones still in Northumberland like Tynedale, Castle Morpeth, Blyth, Wansbeck, I stand to be corrected about whether Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed held any rights to Newcastle Airport, as it was part of the “Tyne and Wear Agreement” that a certain number of Hackney Carriage Proprietors, who were at the time working, the still being developed Newcastle Airport at the time in 1975, and those Council Licensed Hackney Carriage Proprietors who were giving a service to the Airport, because their was no “Metro or Bus Service” as such, Servicing the Airport at that time, because it was so rural in its position within Castle Morpeth, now Newcastle has the Boundary apparently.
Since then though the Jedi Knights and Golden Ones, who were up there organised themselves as an Association (That I do not have a problem with doing that) to give a good service to the Airport, but where things have gone a little off course shall we say, is because of the greed of the Jedi Knights and Golden Ones, who sudden thought right I can cash in my original Hackney Carriage Licence that I am allowed to work Newcastle Airport with and get a Hackney Carriage Licence from Castle Morpeth, Tynedale etc and still work at the Airport, and this is where any person who goes to the Airport, if they sell the original Hackney Carriage Licence they got up to the Airport with, should no longer be allowed to be a Jedi Knight or Golden One,at the Airport as they have sold there right to be there, as it is now “Outside” there Licensing Authority Area.
Furthermore Ian, I would also say when it was a Hackney Carriage Only without a Telephone Booking System, that now has totally changed the situation from a Hackney Carriage Operation of “Hail and Ride ” Plying for Hire with a Hackney Carriage on Private Land with the Rank, it ceased to be in my mind a Hackney Carriage Operation and became a “Private Hire Operation” with Hackney Carriages.
This fact is, some of the Jedi Knights and Golden Ones, at the Airport currently are just fattening up there pension plan with the “Permit Fee Charge” they recieve back when they retire, some of the New Jedi Knights and Golden Ones have the belief that they do not want an Office Radio in there vehicles for return work, as they believe they are not proper Hackney Carriages if they go down that path and they could save themselves a fortune in reduced weekly payments.
Times are hard even at the Airport.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
By the way Mr Shanks!
I do have a problem with the Golden Boys at the Airport, why should I and your Boys & Girls only have 5 minutes to drop off, why can’t we take people to to the door???
Once again proper drivers dictated to by interlopers, as most of them Airport crew are Bandits (Berwick, Timbuktu whatever).
Rumours spread last year that you and your Pal were after it, I did’nt agree with your “Boat exploits”, but would have enjoyed watching them ar*eholes at the Airport removed, because they are the only Taxis around here that have not been disturbed by this mess that we are in!!!
Yes they may be down a little this year, because less folk have gone on holiday, but at least they are not competing with 100′s of interlopers who are stealing there work!
When I and your lads take someone to the Airport, we should be allowed to drop them off at the Door, especially if they are elderly, but because of Golden Angels, we have to throw people out in a Car park that is rammed full of Mini Buses racing out before the 5 mins is up!.
Regards
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@E.Coast community Theatre,
Alass I fear the age of the “Terrorist Attack” will never allow anyone or anything close to the “Inner Security Area” at “Newcastle Airport” anymore.
Going to be careful how I put this, but remember the Airline Pilots who did there training to be able to fly those planes on 9/11 America, well we now have British Intelliegence worried that a Hackney Carriage, Private Hire, PCV and LGV Driver should not have total security clearance for major transport links within the “Inner Security Area”.
Just a line of thought, as to why the Jedi Knights and Golden Ones will remain within the “Inner Security Area” for as long as they have the Contract for Newcastle Airport, and I do think it should always remain a “Hail and Ride” Rank situation and never be put out to tender to a “Private Hire Company”, but the Jedi Knights and Golden Ones need to decide if they are “Hail and Ride” or “Pre-Booked in Advance” at the Newcastle Airport, and therefore drop there stupid advertising for new work outside Newcastle Airport, after all, there charges reflect returning back to the Airport empty.
Thanks
Dave Walls
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@E.Coast community Theatre,
Hello East Coast Community Theatre,
Well I cannot say to much at the moment, but watch this space, because North Tyneside may decide to do something to assist ridding us of the “Out of Town” Hackney Carriages with Northumberland stalling with there decision to “Provisionally Adopt” the New Northumberland Hackney Carriage Policy until the Zones and Capped Blyth and Wansbeck Regions has been decided.
There is a way to Control and Enforce Vehicle and Drivers Licences within North Tyneside you know, but not many know what it is, but to pinch Paul Daniels catchphrase “Your going to like this, not a lot mind” subject to Council Approval from the Elected Councillors of North Tyneside Approval.
Thanks
Dave Walls
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks, why weren’t the other 3,000, or so, of us driven out?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Admin, i have explained many times in the past Admim, about vehicle standards etc some drivers have used this route to become licensed with such a vehicles one council will not accept.for example Newcastle license the new Hyundai I800 multi seat vehicle, but North Tyneside say its unfit so if i require this type of vehicle i am left with little chioce as i have restraints of my geographical location.Who in North Tyneside is a qualified vehicle inspector ?should they not warn Newcastle they now license a unfit vehicle?should Hyundai not be tipped off that they have cocked up and made a vehicle that hinders public safety the point being is councils have some responsibility for this. If drivers were happy with the service of there local authority they would never have jumped ship in the first place. We must accept that many of these drivers are not new to the trade and have been licensed elsewhere for many a year in some cases but have choose to go this route for a variety of reasons best known to them as the example above is only one.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian.shanks,
Hello Ian,
Why is it you keep coming up with all these excuses about vehicle specifications etc, when we all know it had nothing to do with Vehicle Specifications really, after the Councillors of North Tyneside on 29th September 2006 decided to upset you, when they did not let you put a Foreign Driver in one of your North Tyneside Vehicles.
Ian, the Blueline Newsletters confirm, that you had checked it all out and it was cheaper, and all legal, to Licence a Hackney Carriage in Berwick-upon-Tweed, was the boast back in 2006. I am not looking to have an arguement with you Ian, as you are just trying to twist the facts again for a debate, but the debate will take place on 7th December 2009 at the next Licensing Forum.
What is it now for a Berwick/Northumberland Plate £205 plus the Mot at say £54 making it £259 for the Vehicle, then the Drivers Licence/Badge for Northumberland, meaning it is not so cheap now, meaning North Tyneside at £236 for an under 4 year old vehicle, meaning we are currently cheaper than Berwick unless the Vehicle is over 4 years old and then North Tyneside are £15 more expensive, but our Fees and Charges are under Review for North Tyneside and Objections for the proposals are being written as we speak, but we dont want to give The Pink Panther Productions of Drayfuss(Ken Wilson), Inspector Clouseau(Trevor Torpy) and Kato(Alan Newton)to much advanced warning of the problems, they have with the “Fees and Charges” that will allow them the time to come up with excuses, to get them off the hook.
Personally I wish they would just admit, they do not know what they are doing and so maybe Ian we are not to far apart on things.
Thanks
Dave Walls
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@David Walls, i did say it was one of the reasons !! i was trying to portray one of the reasons some other drivers that had been badged locally may have chose to go elsewhere.
Its just one of many i had, but you are correct, the polish driver was the start followed by the refusal to license 7 Ford titanium mondeos.
For me, its was never about the money it was about the councils unwillingness to listen to reasonable requests and adapt to the needs of the trade.
I felt that Ford Titanium’s were perfectly fit for the use as taxis, they think drivers should not be trusted behind slightly smoked glass! Several months and meetings were held about the polish driver so noone can say i did not try that avenue as my first and prefered option. But we are now going around in circles.
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 am really glad you admit it was never about the money.
The cynics out there have got you pegged as a proper greedy bastar*. So as a gesture of goodwill maybe you should donate all the money you made to Alcoholics Anonymous (to help rehabilitate your staff) and this would also set a good example to David Wilson who might follow suit.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade@ian.shanks, If you,for example, wanted to plate a Ford Tourneo, in North Tyneside I’m sure Ford would be only too happy to take up the case and prove that NT, or whoever, were wrong about their vehicle and that it would make a fine Taxi. and it would be a lot cheaper and less messy than what we have had for the last couple of years. I tend to think that what we have gone through is more about pissing the Council off and making as big a mess as possible in the hope that it would become too expensive for Councils to keep fighting and eventually just open the trade up. Even if I am wrong it’s a likely scenario.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Admin, think it depends who u r if they will plate your car/mini bus they is a newly plated silver ford transit mini bus at crown with tinned windows plated 4 north tyneside how ???? and u have jane bells galaxy with heavy tinned windows that has been plated for a long time ????
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
mr shanks,when diesel topped 129 per litre you were interviewed on radio and you said and i quote ” the taxi business is no longer an attractive business to be in ” may i ask you your stance now as further down the line business is even worse. yet you seem to pretend that all in the garden is rosy ..
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@jonny x, certainly the price of fuel did and still does concern me but as we speak we ourselves have flourished since our adds on radio etc comparing us to metro fares and when travelling in groups we become more cost affective.Also the fact are the only door to door 24 hour service offering that extra security
i can not speak for individuals, or drivers working for offices which do not promote themselves well.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian.shanks, THERE IS ONLY ONE PERSON THAT HAS FLOURISHED HERE 9 hrs for 66 quid less juice WHAT A JOKE
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
I thought you Guys made £1000-£1400 per week?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@blueline driver, can you prove that ? or are you one of those drivers who comes out for a hour,then in rush hour runs the wife to work, maybe a couple more jobs before popping past the “bookies” after the fish and chip shio and twenty tabs, squeeze in a couple of jobs before your on your way to get the wife after her day at work, a few more jobs then goes home for the evening convinced that a full 9 hours graft has been done and forgets his deduction of twenty tabs, fish and chips, and the 2.30 at haydock? or can you prove you done a striaght 9 hours without the above? and are you saying its the norm ?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks, That’s a hell of a lot of stop offs he should just make do with a box of chocolate liqueurs like the rest of us.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade@ian shanks,Well mr Shanks my wife has her own car I do not gamble and after having my 2 slices of toast @ 7.30am I had nowt to eat till i had my tea in the house @ 5.00 pm.I played the system waitde were i droped off and that was the end result.I CANT AFFORD FISH AND CHIPS ON THE WAGES IM ON1
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage TradeHas anyone seen the New TV Ad for Nintendo?
It’s advertising the “Brain Training Game” for the DS Console, it stars Ant & Dec and two London Cabbies!
You would have thought two Geordie Stars may have used our Lads, but there again does Ant & Dec want Southerners thinking they are from Berwick, Poland, Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Berwick Caravan park!!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@E.Coast community Theatre,
I and the venue to film the advert could have been at the “NEW SPORTS DIRECT STADIUM” of ST JAMES`S since we want to be Associated with CRAP!
Tongue and Cheek. PMSL
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Yes Dave!
Talking about the New Sports Direct Stadium, don’t you think Mike Ashley would have made a great Taxi firm Operator?, now who could Dennis Wise be? hmmmmm, a “W” in the surname already!
Get him to your Coffee Morning! (Forum)
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@E.Coast community Theatre, Has anyone seen the two London cabbies, are they proper cabbies? You know what I mean, ones that do this for the fluffy bunny.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@blueline driver,Where do I sign? I only took 30 quid today!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Admin, I`ve been @ blueline for 9 years now and its getting worse than ever now. Today I have been talking to a few longterm blueline drivers ( cos there was nowt else to do ) and there is a lot of discontent amongst the boys.Talk of trying elswere~special drivers getting jobs to the south coast and phone calls to the chosen ones amounts to accusations of FEEDING.As the despather(watcher) says THE COMPUTER IS ON AUTOMATIC ANY GRIEVENCES SEE MANAGEMENT is the regulatory reply off the drones you just have to grin and bare it or GET YA KIT OOT!!!!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@blueline driver, Well blueline driver if you think thats bad you should try our office not mentioning any names but i did nearly 5 hours constant today after my school run i got 2 jobs from the office and 1 from the rank i made a total of £15.20 i didnt even have enough to put in for fuel!!!! its getting the same everywhere not just blueline mate its everywhere!!!!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
The office I work from in Wallsend turned away over £170 of jobs last Sunday due to the lack of drivers, it is the same at weekends. Rent much lower as well. The jobs were there but no one to do them.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Northumberland hack, Not many would argue with you on here mate,you have the same problem as us! The only difference is you havn’t got a website about it. As far as I know there is no outright animosity toward Northumberland drivers and we all know the difference between a bona fide N’land hack and one that is working here as PH. Some of us even know these drivers personally and get along with them, we would just like to see an end to the mess as you put it. It’s a waiting game, we have waited for a long time and now we wait for N’land Council to agree the Policy early next year,then we will wait again whilst all the drivers lodge their appeals. We’re used to waiting but I assure you that while we wait we are not going to the trouble of collecting bucket loads of Cowshit to drop on N’land Taxis in the dead of night. What’s yer problem anyway? coming here having a go! Nobody here is interested in you unless you work from Blueline or East Coast or any other NT or N’cle office. Like I said before we both have the same problem and when your Council get’s it’s act together maybe every area will settle down to using it’s own Taxis.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@John Smith, Name it John… You only get 1 free advert!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Top and bottom of it is? If your plater at berwick you should work the area of berwick. If your plated Newcastle you should work newcastle. And polish drivers who have just come to the country could not possibly have an idea of the area they are working. I am afraid it is al about the money Mr Blueline.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
I want to become a taxi driver in North Tyneside/Newcastle What is the easiest way to obtain a licence?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Mr Money Bags,
Buy a dads taxi sticker from Halfords stick it in ya window and go nuts !!!
Thats how many get in to the trade now
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
COME TO BLUELINE WE NEED ANOTHER 300 DRIVERS TO REACH THE 1000 MARK !!!!!!!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Mr Money Bags, Dear Mr. Bags,
I would give your ambitions close scrutiny if I was you.
If you are as financially secure as your name would suggest might I offer you a suitable alternative and propose that you sink all your reserves into trying to find the magical formula to change base metal into gold.
If you still want to know the quickest way to obtain a licence, then may I recommend cosmic wishing, an ancient art practised by mere mortals and taxi drivers through the years.
You simply wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, when you wish upon a star, your dreams will all come true (hold on a second while I just inject). Now where was I, moneybags my arse**** you ***s taking little ****er don’t you think we know that you are one of the three operators gloating at us poor divers who keep you in the lap of luxury.
So you can shove your licence where the sun don’t shine sweetheart.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
to get your badge in Newcastle,you must demonstrate a total lack of understanding of English,I`m told Swahelie,or Tongan is good, a total lack of local knowledge of newcastle and surrounding areas,although knowing to stop on the quayside before you fall into the Tyne is good…don`t want wet customers….do we.
Ability to enter adresses into satnav`s incorrectly is usefull,or looking for MOD sites on satnav`s is usefull.
Also the lack of knowledge that in the UK we drive on the LEFT, NOT the bloody right,is essential,especially on the coast road,so travelling west on the eastbound carriageway will lead to an advanced motorists certificate.
After attaining these qualifications,you then need 2 packet tops from rice krispies or crunchy nut cornflakes,an expired passport,out of date visa,and maybe proof of deportation to uk from siberia,and of course £76 sterling,or equivalent in US dollars,and your home and dry…you can then be a member of the Newcastle taxi trade.
If the Council consider this post `racist`, maybe they should try to order the `public` not to be racist,as I know many drivers having comments made to us of a racist nature,and do the council do anything…..DO THEY SHITE.
Our trade/business is going below the level of the gutter and all because this Council dont give a F….. as long as we continue to pay the license fees.
The slogan `who is taking you home tonight`,is a BLOODY good one…..who IS taking people home tonight….not even MR Shanks knows the answer to that one…do you Ian.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Mr Money Bags,You can find the Phone numbers of Local Taxi Licensing offices on the following page: http://www.toomanytaxis.com/complaints/
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Admin, I am angry and appalled that you have allowed actual drug taking in the middle of a comment.
What next?
They’ll be giving taxi licenses to people who have never sat a locality test and can’t speak a word of bloody English, like cockneys, mackems and smoggies etc.
Churchill would turn in his grave.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
In quick reply to the above comment,they`ll be giving………..smoggies etc……what do you think IS happening,no offence to mackems and smoggies,(i have no interest in footy practices),but we do have drivers who cannot `sprecken english,or kan du tala engelska`. and your dead right,poor old Winston probably has turned in his grave,several times at what is going on now.
As there is no need to speak english in Newcastle now,ill just say tacka dig, bra natt.
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 is your problem mate you keep harping on about drivers who cannot speak English?
You need to take a chill pill and leave these sort of problems to the people you pay your licence fee to. It is entirely their responsibility to determine whether a driver is a fit and proper person to hold a badge so maybe you should direct your complaints to them.
For your information whether a driver can speak English or not is of no particular benefit or protection to the public. Osama Bin Laden himself speaks both Arabic and English and some of the most potentially dangerous people in this city speak our native tongue to a higher standard than you.
Take my advice and stop concerning yourself about issues that are beyond your control and put your dummy back in.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Hackney Carriage Driver, Hear! Hear! John Dodds what do you think you are achieving with your patter, you make no sense, you just bring the tone of things down. Put pen to paper and tell it to someone who wants to listen,this site is not the place for your bigoted views.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Thank you very much for your advice, I was actually thinking if buying maybe 10-20 brand new mondeo type vehicles, training potential new taxis drivers to gain a licence and hiring these cars to them long term, I’ll put them all on at Blueline as they ae the best!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Mr Money bags if your are a genine person and not someone who simply wants to re ignite some comments to this site there is many operators out there who would be interested in talking to you.
Blue Line is soon to open its new Newcastle Office and will soon be recruiting cars for this office if you are interestd.
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’m not opening an office in Newcastle, that’s total cr*p. Everybody nose that I don’t even have enuff work for the blokes that alreddy work for me. I’m trying my hardest to keep the Polish economy going so they don’t end up like the Greeks.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@the real ian shanks,You are just being silly now I’m the real ian shanks and I am opening an office in Newcastle. I might not be the brightest operator in the pack but I am the richest and money speaks all langwages including Polish. So if you don’ t believe me you can asl the mare of Poland who will vowch for me.
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 know wot you’re all thinking that i’m an imposter because ian would be too mean to keep anything that didn’t drive a taxi and pay rent.
Truth is i am employed as a guard dog in case somebody comes along and wants to take my boss’es taxi firm off him. Makes no odds to me though becoz i will be away like shi* off a shovel if anybody norty comes down our garden path.
don’t anyone tell ian that i told you all this and i’m not giving anybody my real name on this site.
shanksy’s dog.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks, Is this defenitly going to happening. If so when as i have been wanting to work for blueline for a while but i have newcastle plate. And i am not to sure of the test.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@davie, we have recieved our Newcastle license on friday 30th. We hope to be up and running in a few weeks. Thanks
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
where is your new newcastle office going to be Ian? hope it all goes well .
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@hacking jacket, does it matter where the office is ?? but thanks for your good wishes !
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks, it was only a simple question i never meant anything by it ,but to many people (including walk in customers or passing trade ) i suppose the whereabouts of the office is vital .
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
No, I am the real Ian Shanks. You are all very silly people! Oh, no, I can’t be the real Ian Shanks. No grammar or spelling mistakes, and no lies. I apologise!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
STOP PRESS… READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Sitting in my taxi on Tuesday and somebody knocks on the window. I roll the window down and instead of a passenger I get a load of political rhetoric from a Scouser of all people. Now I was happy to listen to him but by the same token, I thought he should have listened to me and answered any questions I wanted to ask. Instead, as soon as I began to talk, a form was shoved through the window and I was told “just sign this”. I took the form and rolled the window back up.
When I got time I read the form, it was from the union UNITE who have only now decided to jump on the bandwagon and tell us something we already know which is about the problem of ‘cross border hiring’. I wondered if anyone else has been given this form to sign because what they seem to be saying is that the Union is going to start a petition for a change in the law. They also have an additional agenda which wasn’t made apparent and that is they are also campaigning for a ‘one tier’ system for the taxi trade. Why don’t they ask the drivers first whether they are in agreement with this and then explain what level of tariff everybody should be operating on?
The way things are at the moment is that the private hire operators are making a killing undercutting the Hackney Carriage Trade. So with a one tier system do they expect the Hackney’s to lower their tariff to that of private hire or for the private hire to increase their tariff so it’s all the same?
Why it is that meddling Unions always think they know what is best for the taxi trade without ever taking the time to talk to the drivers at the grass roots level?
Lady Eleanor
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
taxi and private hire mots and interum tests are there for a reason the passengers safety yet certain councils only testing once a year on older cars is a big joke for passenger safety just to save a few quid and been able to test there own cars is a liscence to a accident to happen the normal mot stations for normal cars have been known to be dodgy for years whos to say it wont happen with these taxi non council run mot stations
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@John Smith: then let other offices have the work instead of certain drivers hacking the a**e off the place
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol, We believe the next meeting about the policy is to be held sometime late spring early summer 2010!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Andy Warhol,
Your guess might be as good as mine, but this is a combination of what I know and what I guess. I’ll try to make clear what is fact and what is guess!
Fact: At the meeting of Licensing and Regulatory Committee on 19 October 2009, the draft policy was approved in principle, but is not to be adopted and implemented until they have determined linked and associated policies.
Fact: Phil Soderquest, Public Safety and Enforcement Manager, stated that officers were working on the harmonisation of application criteria and licence conditions across the six zones, which he hopes, following consultation, will be presented to the Meeting of Council in April 2010. There will be “grandfather rights” or some form of “transitional arrangements” for those currently licensed, so full harmonisation may take several years.
Fact: Councillors recognised that if they were to determine applications now, they might refuse licences, which they would have granted, if Northumberland had abolished the zones, because there are vehicles that predominantly work in Northumberland, but not in the Berwick zone.
Fact: Councillors, sitting as the Licensing and Regulatory Committee, want to consider and decide whether to retain or abolish the zones, before adopting the intended use policy.
Fact: As part of deciding on the future of zones, the Council is going to have to decide whether to retain the capped numbers in the Blyth and Wansbeck zones and / or whether to restrict numbers for all zones or the single area, if they abolish the zones. If they wish to retain / introduce a cap on numbers, that is going to be a time consuming and expesnive process.
Opinion: I doubt any progress before June next year, but more likely not before October or even later next year!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@David Walls, Hello Mr. Walls,
Why are you quoting the Town Police Clauses Act to me? In my comment to you there is no mention of anything to do with the expiry dates on taxi plates.
Furthermore, I would be the last person to say you were talking shi* (the last person in the queue that is).
Thank you for your interest.
Mr. Beak
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@E.Coast community Theatre, Other relevant names for the Northumberland Bandits:
• Wilson’s Wanderers
• Shanksy’s Shafters
• The Time Travellers (based on the time it takes them to get from Berwick caravan park)
• Davie’s Dumpsters
• Northumberland Nomads
• Corrupt Councils Cabs
Here’s a thought – Northumberland Council are prepared to issue licence plates to these ‘nomads’ in the full knowledge that Berwick council no longer exists and therefore by definition adequate enforcement cannot be applied. Are they breaching their own licensing rules and regulations for the sake of profit?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
I have read this forum with great interest. The first thing that comes to mind is that you all must be making to much money as taxi drivers, due to the amount of time you,s have to express yourselves on this site. I totally believe that you,s are all wasted as taxi drivers, I think you should all become solicitors as many of you,s already think you are on reading your comments. I am reading comments here constantly about blueline and the Berwick situation I think you refer to them as Berwick bandits. This is how I see it some of you solicitors on here have decided that the Berwick plates are going to be swapped for Northumberland plates? I notice on the forum that some of you,s have even started to invent names for these Northumberland plates, but consider this were not on here winging about other companies in our area flipping our work because it doesn’t happen very often as one guy up here woke up to find his taxi was filled with cow’s shit from a slurry tank overnight another one had all three of his cars severely damaged .So im lead to believe and now it seems Tyneside and possibility Newcastle are declaring war on the Northumberland drivers because in fairness you won’t know if the Northumberland car your following down the road was a Berwick car before or infeat it has always been a Northumberland taxi for many many years. Another thing to be considered I personally have had my Northumberland hackney plate for 15 years and at times it has been very hard to make a living because my local area cramlington, Blyth has been flooded by north Tyneside plates both hack and private hire. Crown Taxis, Borderline Taxis, Alpha Taxis and Blueline who we consider all to be bandits all working on a daily basis in our area in fact there businesses are built round the Blyth valley area, they even advertise in our local paper cheap fares for instance Blyth to Wansbeck hospital £8.00. When we can charge £12.00 because obviously were on higher tariffs. The general opion in Northumberland is the quicker blueline or someone else gets up here and opens an office the better then we will be able to come into your patch and steal your work, because your north Tyneside council have told us on many occasions that none of these company’s above are breaking the laws and are entitled advertise and work where they like as all bookings come through the telephone. As you probably agree what’s good for one is good for the other . This is just my opion im not a solicitor or as educated as you guy’s on here but look at the big picture it’s a right mess. You would do far better if you joined the fight and lobbied your own Council to speed things up because the situation that started in Berwick is what is causing Hacks from all areas to work as PH in other areas. No doubt one of our resident solicitors will pounce on this comment and go into finer detail, But you and me speak English mate and we understand each other…Don’t we?
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
B&M Bargains in Wallsend sell Irish Cream Liqueurs for 89p a Box, “blueline driver” should look on the bright side, he can afford 60 Boxes of Liqueurs, a Kebab, and a 50p each way on the 3.30!!!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@blueline driver,I am glad you said all that on this site because you are the living proof of the consequences of a very greedy Operator.
This is the reason that his drivers are flimping in Newcastle night after night and ruining our livelihoods.
The equation is simple: ‘too many drivers – not enough office work’
The man you pay your bit to has the cheek to say the reason that the Hackney Carriage drivers cannot make a living is because they are not competitive in the modern market place. If we could get all his cra* out of our city we would make a decent living.
As a private hire driver you would also make a decent living if he would get rid of all his ‘mickey mouse’ drivers and show that he cares about public safety as well as his properly licensed work force.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade