@ Transport Manager I like the way you talk about Blue Line being a Private Hire operation, most of his cars are out of town hacks, which are now illegal in North Tyneside as well as Newcastle, so as you pointed out about section 55/56 wont matter much soon, simply beacuse his NT License WILL be revoked! And yes as you say the only ones making any real cash at Blueline are the owners, i think his little credit card scam that you talked about is a great idea.. for Blue Line. His latest money making scheme is if he catches one of his drivers without a uniform on they get disabled for 24 hours.. fair enough you might think… But he also fines the driver £100.. yes you read that correctly ONE HUNDRED POUNDS. How he keeps his drivers Ill never know.

Now call me whatever names you like as everyone does, but I have to say as a Businessman Ian Shanks is very clever, as the MITH continues that Blueline are cheaper than a Street Rank Taxi, but are they really, because when you examine all the factors I am going to enlighten you to, you decide?

Blueline attracts all these so called Self-Employed Drivers, many of which firstly Rent a vehicle off Blueline, then pay Insurance for the Vehicle to Blueline, then pay £110 a week Finders Fee for work to Blueline, Ian (Blueline) then tells every Driver who pays them £110 you must do as I say & not as you want to, Ian (Blueline) sets the Rate of Charge to the Passenger & the Driver cannot charge his own Rate of Charge, Ian (Blueline) then tell the Drivers they cannot have a rise because of the current Economic Climate, but then introduces a Fare Pay System that Rewards Blueline more Revenue as a Charge for the Service not the Driver, oh yes and does Blueline not now Charge all Drivers who do Credit Work that must go into some sort of Blueline Bank Account a Commission to access the Drivers own Revenue that is already done at a discount rate reducing the total amount the Driver actually receives for doing the work in the first place?

Now in the terms and conditions at the HMRC, just how are Drivers who Control none of the Elements of Self-Employment, Self-Employed at Blueline?

The only person getting a Rise here & just about every time a Rise is wanted by a Driver is Ian Shanks or Blueline the Company, if you want to be technical about it, but here is the thing?

when you add all these extra hidden charges to the Passenger, who uses Blueline, is it not cheaper for a Customer to simply get into a Hackney Carriage TAXI Vehicle, not a Pre-Booked in Advance Blueline Private Hire Vehicle, because with all these hidden charges Tarriff 1 between 0700 until 2200 hours does not seem all that bad to me, and the small enhanced Tariff 2 from 2200 hours to 0700 hours for an Immediate Vehicle on time every time with a Friendly Driver, who charges the same clear to see Flat Rate of Charge to the Passenger in every North Tyneside Taxi for the first 2 passengers, then 40p a passenger above 2 passengers, meaning £1.60p start on Tariff 1 or £2.40 start on Tariff 2, if there are only 2 Passengers travelling?

BECAUSE WHEN ALL THE HIDDEN CHARGES TO A PASSENGERS MOBILE PHONE BILL ARE ADDED TO THE PASSENGERS FARE FOR TEXT BACK AND FARE PAY THIS INCREASES THE CHEAP BLUELINE PRIVATE HIRE TO PROBABLY A RATE THAT IS GREATER THAN THE North Tyneside Hackney Carriage STREET RANK Taxi CHARGE!!!!!!

Just some food for thought before you use a Blueline Private Hire Vehicle, because every Passenger is a;
Blueline,
North Tyneside,
Section 55,
Operator Licence Passenger, at all times?
Why! because,
Section 56 (1) confirms the Liability cannot be Transferred to the Vehicle or Driver!!!
Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

These are the facts Passengers need to remember!!!!