140 Newcastle Hacks made a go-slow protest today through Newcastle to increase attention to the on-going saga of Berwick plated cars operating throughout Tyneside.
Newcastle hackney carriage drivers livelyhoods are being threatened by the use of cars licenced in Berwick-upon-Tweed. Which are working on Tyneside, supposedly as Private Hire through a So Called ‘Loophole’ in the licensing Laws.
They believe little is being done by Newcastle City Council who Licence the 760 legitimate hackney carriage drivers registered in the city.
The 30 minute protest, which took place during rush hour traffic today, Thursday 19 June 08, was routed through the city centre finishing up at Newcastle Civic Centre.
Newcastle Taxi drivers Takings are down over the last few months as more and more Berwick Licenced cars are issued to drivers from tyneside,some of whom have probably never even been to Berwick-upon Tweed, yet no one seems to care but the legitimate Taxi drivers who are affected the most by this ridiculous state of affairs. It could only happen in Britain!!
If these vehicles pick a passenger up from the street their insurance becomes invalid, this is illegal not to mention the safety of the passengers. This problem is not restricted to Newcastle City centre but North tyneside, Gateshead and South tyneside. There are a lot of these cars now and how many of them are carrying passengers illegally with invalid insurance throughout Tyneside. This has been going on for quite some time now Yet no one seems to be doing anything except the legitimate Taxi drivers who only want what they pay their licence fees for, to carry out their work, the work they have done faithfully in good times and bad for the fare paying passengers of Tyneside. Both passengers and drivers deserve better.
We have a Licencing dept. and enforcement officers who are supposed to protect the public from bogus Taxis and unfit cars, yet this has been going on and on with seemingly little being done about it.
These Berwick and other out of town licenced cars are only supposed to work as Private hire outside of their own operating area, I don’t agree with that anyway, but if this is so why do they not have to remove all visible signs of being a Taxi as per Section 48 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976
“not of such design and appearance as to lead any person to believe that the
vehicle is a Hackney Carriage;”
Our Licencing dept. in North Tyneside tells us “We are awaiting the outcome of a High Court judicial review against Berwick Borough Council brought about by Newcastle city council who are expecting to go to court later in the year.”
In the meantime they should be out there catching them. We sit in Whitley Bay every Weekend taking pictures and phoning the offices they work for asking if they are on bookings, most times the desk clerks tell us they are not. They are just flimping. why can’t enforcement do that, why can’t enforcement be on their tails at all times making it pointless for them to cruise around looking for our fares. Not just for us but for the public who risk being taken home in an uninsured car.
Which large private hire operator is it that says “DO YOU KNOW WHO’S TAKING YOU HOME” Ironically it could be the one that started all this!!!
Well Newcastle, North Tyneside Hacks are with you all the way, Between us we could block the coast road from Jesmond to Billy Mill.
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
can i just say,if we did this properly,not only could we block the coast rd,we could bring the whole of TYNESIDE to a standstill!Think about it!
berwick plated cars arent stealing any work cos theres none to steal!!the taxi trade is knackered thanks to the spineless people who have been in it for so long.nthca didnt challenge north tyneside council through the courts when they went agaist their own unmet demand survey and issued more plates for “wheelchair” vehicles.these vehicles are driven around as saloon vehicles with no intention of doing wheelchair work.a small minority do pick wheelchairs up but one private hire office adjacent to north shields metro allows drivers to recover the bookings!i have brought this to alan newtons attention and nothing has been done
in reply to allan “top cat”millers comments,would this be the same allan miller who was right hand man to bob sneddon(sned the ted)at nthca when the council went against the unmet demand survey?the same 2men that have worked from a north shields&wallsend based private hire office for approx 10years?!!! they really had the interests of the north tyneside hacks at heart!! tc goes on to have a go at the very same office which he pays rent to and runs about on mickey mouse rates and does so from 9am until 4am every fri&sat! what happened to the rapport you claimed you&sned had with council?over 200hacks now and no rank space at weekends and dont get me started on the mcdonalds rank with private hire cars!!!
this site has been a great idea with some very good valid points and i sincerly hope it grows & grows and are voices eventually get heard & it can pull all the Hackney trade together plus it might even inspire the private hire drivers to get together and stand up against the very rich office proprieters, how ever i see the annoms see fit to start pointing the fingers of who & what shudve been done in the past some who probely was on the sidelines any way , like i said on my first comment we need to go forward together to try and salvage whats left of our trade and not not side tracked into past faliures. we all know whats the real issues so lets stand together for once eh`
to the faceless annom i was right hand man no to body , never & for every one on the site my name TC derived from my first number plate TCk( for which the cortina i bought off was of Ally breadmore lush car as well …) which 20 years ago we had CB`s then & some person asked on north shields rank who do i follow & marvin kindley replied TC refering to my number plate as most did`nt know my name,then the name stuck just like guppys did ( gup), now due to me at the time being asked to stand in as chairmen of the NTHCA be cause the very fickle person at the time didnt get his own way i a blige`ent did so, ( because i believe we needed a voice ) now that same person is back in the same position he has not had to endure , a driver on the rank wanting to smash his head in to a pulp or had the indignaty to have filthy phone calls to himself & his wife like i have had` all because of tariff rise`s , and being in a position in the NTHCA because i was asked to ,thanks Mr spinless annom you know nothing about the trade , i have been in countless licensing commitee meetings when not only the council against you you have a certain mr Faddle representig major force`s with the funds to bury us , yet again mr annom you are hell bent on a character assisnation ive had it all but through it all im good for the trade ,i will fight for the trade i have a wealth of knowledge of the trade i wont let faceless spineless anomms let me walk away from the job i love ,i just hope any hack driver or proprieter will know where im comming from & back me as much as ill back the web site or all of you`s who want to be heard ,there`s no place for the people who have tried to make my life hell NOT SNEDDONS just becuase i enjoy my trade.Mr annom grow up.
“THE FIGHTBACK BEGINS”
Rumours are circulating fast!And one in particular which will make very interesting reading to all that view this site!
I have heard that a local Hack owner/driver,not short of a bob or two,who also has financial backing from a major player in Newcastle,is very close to opening a private hire office in Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Furthermore,he is going to use only North Tyneside or Newcastle Hacks.The fares are allegedly going to be 50p flag and 50p/mile thereafter,24 hours.
When I heard this rumour,I started to investigate
further,mainly to try and find out who was involved.
It was suggested by a number of people that the main man was a N.T Hack driver known on the streets as “Rich Micky”.
When I quizzed him about it,he would not confirm or deny it!
But what I can tell you is that I have arranged another meeting
with him,on Friday,so there could be more information forthcoming.
WATCH THIS SPACE!
Might I suggest, as debate seems to be getting more lively and interesting that users try out the Forum (Link top right on Homepage.
We might also learn to spell ourselves before we comment on other peoples spelling and grammar. As long as everyone can understand each other lets keep the debate about the Taxi trade without getting personal. I should just say as a North Tyne Hack of some 25 years,I have put a lot into this trade through good times and bad and like in any other industry I am apt to get a bit upset when people come along and take what I’ve been working for for all these years. I’m quite fond of saying “That if each time the licensing section took on a new member of staff,the rest of them took a drop in pay I’m sure the Council would be out on strike in the blink of an eye” That’s just my perspective of course. Happy debating!
This comment is for the admin.
I discovered this site in the early days and decided to write the FACTS not FICTION minutes of Council Meetings, and there Resolves, because I thought I could help to assist the admin on the site with truthful reporting to the visitors on this site.
I also thought that by writting the ACTS OF PARLIAMENT wording in relation to certain matters visitor would think this is a very good North Tyneside Hackney Carriage Taxi website.
I have never written anything that is not stated in Council Meeting Minutes, Information available on other Companies Websites, or in Acts of Parliament meaning I have stuck to the FACTS not FICTION at all times.
example:
7.5ton vehicles on South Parade, Whitley Bay.
North Tyneside Council Zoning Policy.
Out of Town Hackney Carriage Taxi FACTS.
The possible cost of Operating at a Whitley Bay Private Hire Office being around 88.3p a mile in my example.
all of the above postings had struct a nerve and action was being taken to address these things.
This weekend there appears to have been a noticable ammount of anonamous postings which are bringing the website into disaray and if we had a LEADER OF THE HOUSE like in Parliament ORDER ORDER would have been shouted.
Can I just suggest to you website admin, that ORDER is restored and all ANONOMOUS COMMENTS ARE NO LONGER POSTED, AND ALL CURRENT ANONOMOUS POSTINGS ARE REMOVED, BECAUSE IF A PERSON HAS NOT GOT THE CURRAGE TO POST THEIR NAME OR NICKNAME, THEN THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO A VOICE ON HERE.
THIS IS GOING TO BE MY LAST POSTING ON THIS SITE, AS I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH A WEBSITE THAT GOES ALL AROUND THE WORLD, SHOWING VIEWERS US, AS SILLY LITTLE FOOLS, WHO HAVE POSSIBLY RISEN TO THE PRIVATE HIRE SECTIONs BATE, WHO WANT THIS SITE DESTROYED, AS IT WAS STARTING TO AFFECT THERE PARKING ON THE PUBLIC HIGHWAY AND THE WAY THERE BUSINESS WORKED IN WHITLEY BAY.
IN FUTURE BOYS, THINK BEFORE YOU RISE TO THE BATE PLEASE.
GOOD BYE ALL.
Hello everyone!What an excellent site you have created here.We’ve been watching for weeks,and now think it’s time we contributed.
This is an appeal,countrywide,for anyone to come up here and get a car licensed as a Hackney Carriage.
It doesn’t matter who you are,male,female,black,white,brown,yellow.In fact,it’s easier if you’ve only been in Britain for a couple of days!We know of an office in North Tyneside that will let you work if you can’t speak English!They’ll just get you an interpreter!
You see,what we are trying to do,is break the World record for the number of taxis per residents of a borough.
We currently have one taxi for every two people on the electoral register.We need to get to two taxis for every one person!
So come on,lets go for it!Tell your family,friends,anyone.Just get here quick!We’ve only got till the end of the year!
I was conned into a Berwick Badge two years ago, I was informed by the Big Boys of North Tyneside that Berwick was the way forward!, and that most Hacks will sell their plates and replace them with Berwick plates.
In those days the there were only a few and we only had one Tariff on our Meter and believe me it was’nt much, so I personally would’nt flimp because it was not worth it, getting caught for a £1.50 fare would silly.
So generally at the time I was a disciplined driver, and no different to the NT hacks that work in the Town and the odd one or Two City Hacks that work in North Tyneside!, anyway I went back to my NT Badge!
But my issue with them is not just them flimpin, but it’s the amount!
At Central taxis in North Shields more and more of them are turning up!, I could’nt imagine how many their are eleswhere, the “new bunch” of them have no grasp of the rules/Law/practise.
One Derwentside car that is black in colour cruises the coast and town flimpin, you can’t blame the customer for flagging him over, as the Car is black, the top sign is lit and it has a round white door Crest on resembling North Tyneside’s, but in fact it’s Derwentside, the Driver is also quick enough to stick NT Hack rates on his Meter as soon as the cutomer gets in!.
A Berwick Driver at a neighbouring office informs other Berwick boys that it is legal to pick up providing it’s not at the Ranks, Foreign drivers believe him as he is a operator himself.
My point!
We can identify the culprits that have no respect for the Law and the properly licensed Drivers, we see them every weekend!, so instead of blocking roads, starting hate sites against one firm, threatening people, taking Photo’s of cars just picking up there BOOKINGS, why don’t we stick together and go and confront the main culprits personally, regardless of whether we are PH or Hackney!
Hackneys in North Tyneside are the minority, so they should include PH drivers in their quest to get rid of out of town Hacks, instead they are just wanting a War on two fronts!
Listen mate, you’ve made some good points in this comment but you have totally got the wrong idea about things. No roads are getting blocked, there are no hate sites,nobody wants to see prosecutions. we have said from the start this is all our problem, hacks and private hire. some of us here go back a long way with central and are not in the least bit falling out about anything. graeme kennedy is told beforehand about anything put on this site and I have personally said to him if you don’t like something I will remove it. On one occasion a private hire driver was parked at macdonalds and away shopping when a traffic warden came to put a ticket on his car. two of us phoned that driver to warn him.Myself and others have taxied here since as far back as the 70′s & 80′s there have been many times before when these kinds of issues arose and never did it end up with physical violence or vandalism to cars. I don’t know of anyone being threatened or anyones car being threatened. we all do the same job and your car is your livelyhood, only the lowest of the low would damage another mans livelyhood. If you have read our site you will have seen on one of the very first posts it was actually sausages who accused us of starting a war, we put him right on that saying “no one is at war with anyone and never will be” he replied saying he should’ve said “dispute” we said we are not in dispute either. We tell it like it is and you and anyone else is free to tell it your way. I have over 30 rants from various commenters which were not suitable for the website, which show who is and is not being sensible about this whole issue.
Admin!
OK I may have some wrong ideas, but you have as well!
Listen!, we can bicker, argue all day, Hacks (NT), Berwick (If they can find there way around a Keynoard) because one did’nt know how to get to Tynemouth, Central!, PH and CB gang.
THE REAL REASON WHY WE ARE ALL SCREWED, YES ALL OF US REGARDLESS OF OUR BADGE, RANK, ETHINICITY, AERIAL SIZE AND EMPLOYER………….
The Borough of North Tyneside!
Yesterday I was travelling along the Whitley Bay coastline, heading towards the Centre, from the Brierdene Pub onwards their is simply nothing left for us, No tourists walking around, the Spanish City site resembles a Bombed out Taleban base in Afghanistan, the Avenue Pub that once attracted a good mixture of folk remains boarded up, going further the Royal (Eden)…simply no one wants to go there any more that’s why they have that big scoreboard type thing up, then it’s South Parade, the place looks ropey, it only attracts Stag & Hen parties from afar, they don’t need us, they drink up and go upstairs to there Hotel room!, as for Deep it has to drag folk in by offering cheap drink, they are normally the young binge gang who don’t like the £2.40 start on our Meters because they have had a cheap night up until home time!.
As you may have be informed Heat (Idols) is not reopening it’s going to derelict like it’s neighbours Sly’s and Whisky Bends until they are turned into flats.
The Sands Club is M&S so where is our once good hunting ground?
There is nothing for the Taxi trade in Cullercoats, Monkseaton, Shiremoor, Killy etc, we just cling onto Tynemouth, but that too has shrunk over recent years.
We never and can’t hold major events, no one famous comes to the Ice Rink anymore so where is the Work in North Tyneside, I don’t see any Nightclubs in Preston Village!!!!!!!.
We are just like Chavs with nowt to do other than hang around a Metro station and fight, unfortunately we can’t drink cheap Cider!!!
So it’s fair to say this Council is a dead one, we don’t even have a proper Fish Quay festival anymore, the Pubs in Shields only open when they feel like it!
North Tyneside Council should be the one in the firing line!
Anyway on a different note Admin I am very surprised ALAN “THE RIDDLER” FIDLER has’nt had a long winded long word entry on here are you????????????????
Once again our council were out and about last night, that is whats very much needed down there [w bay] as it is proved time and time again when the council are out where all the little bandits [berwick plated cars] then? they are scared off thats where,we need the council to keep this up !!!!!!!!
AL
Where are all the little Bandits??
It’s the middle of the month, you see most of them on “pay weekends” (End of the month), they log off there office and hang around Pizza cottage, Tasty Turk and pretend to wait for someone outside of Jimmyz, but when they do it’s long past the Council’s bedtime!!!!!
So they are not scarred, it’s just like the NT hacks that work from offices, I find they stay on the office longer mid month and January!!!!!!!!
CENTRAL ENTHUSIAST, you should no kid youve worked all 3 [BERWICK,PRIVATE HIRE AND NT HACK] so you should be an expert by now, i wonder if youve ever been caught yourself ? maybe thats why your so bitter ! also i bet youve never spoke so much to anyone in your life since youve been on this site, lol
Admin would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest member.
Central Enthusiast has become one of the ‘Girls’ Admin will continue to block your more outrageous comments though!
Yes my enthusiastic little friend.Once your cover is blown,it’s either join the Cosa Nostra or wake up next to the horses head!
AL!
I have never hidden the fact that I have a Berwick Badge, I had one a long time before all these Foreign Drivers and Wagots did, but never flimped with it in NORTH TYNESIDE!, so I am not bitter!.
Anyway It’s a great honour to be a member of such a force as this!,
If you want my Photo in your Gallery of hate, then let me know and I will get a shave and clean the Car!!!!, I won’t do any nude shots, too fat at the moment!!!!!!!!
Come on central enthusiast there you go again, its not a gallery of hate, just a few shots to show the council what’s happening on our ranks when there not about. I think that i have to stress the point again about the photos of the p h on the ranks ~ the photos that we have in our gallery are purely and simply to show the council wot is happening on the ranks when they are not around, IE ~ when the council is out “rarely” then you don’t see any p h sitting on the ranks but when they go (hence the gallery) they persistently sit on the ranks, maybe because some drivers don’t actually no they aren’t supposed to be there, our aim is simply to generate some more work for the hacks, which believe me is hard to do, we don’t want to create any animosity with any p h even if some of them just wont take any notice of anyone other than themselves. So there we have it “again” all we want is work……………………
AL!(is that short for Allison?}.You’re not going to get any work sat on your backside,posting drivel on this website sweatheart!
You do have to take time off work now and then BOYO you should try it, it looks as though your the sad one kid you replied canny quick didnt you ????
Allison my dear,thats sort of my point!You can AFFORD to take plenty of time off and play tappaty tap on your keyboard!You make plenty of money!So STOP trying to say you don’t.All of you!
Anyway I’ve got to go now,to catch last orders.I’ll be getting a taxi later,and guess what? I’ll be doing a runner! Sweet dreams pet!
Yeah thats right BOYO you sound like youve had one too many allready you think we make “LOADSAMONEY” your sadly mistaken boy, make sure you dont forget to give johnny decker a knock on the way you sound as though your on the same wave length,anyway youve had your say and i think its time for us all to say goodbye to you (admin i think his times up now,dont you ?) bye bye ………..
Proffesional Runner!
Do you really think we earn loads in a Taxi?, if we did we would’nt have time to argue on a website!.
WHAT I SUGGEST IS THAT YOU GO TO THE COUNCIL OFFICES AT WALLACE GREEN BERWICK UPON TWEED, AND PROVIDING YOU HAVE’NT MURDERED OR RAPED SOMEONE IN THE LAST 7 WORKING DAYS, THEY WILL GLADLY GIVE YOU A BADGE, AND IF YOU DRIVE EVEN A ROBIN RELIANT WITH PIMPED OUT WINDOWS THEY WILL EVEN GIVE YOU A PLATE FOR IT!, DRIVE IT BACK TO NORTH TYNESIDE AND THE BIG THREE COMPANIES WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TAKE YOU ON!
WORK A WHOLE WEEK AND SEE FOR YOURSELF, YOU WILL PROBABLY END UP PUTTING A POSTING ON HERE!
“CAN ANYONE LEND ME £30 TO PAY MY RENT ON MONDAY?”
GO ON OFF YOU GO, DON’T BE SHY!
P.S. IF YOU GET BORED WITH NO WORK, DON’T GO TO MCDONALDS IN NORTH SHIELDS AS THESE LOT WILL GET YOU!!!!, AND ON TOP OF NOT MAKING A LIVING YOU WOULD END UP IN THERE GALLERY OF HORRORS!
AND!, IF YOU DECIDE TO FLIMP AND GET CAUGHT YOU COULD END UP PROSECUTED WITH A HEFTY FINE AND 8PTS ON YOUR LICENSE.
IT’S GREAT OUT THERE MAN, COME AND TRY IT!!!!!!!!!
THREE WEEKS IN A ROW I HAD TO BORROW MONEY OFF MY LASS TO PAY FOR A COMPANY CAR I WAS DRIVING BECAUSE I HAD NOT EARNED MUCH, SO I HOPE YOUR PARTNER IS GENEROUS IF YOU BECOME A DRIVER!
IF YOU READ MY POSTINGS, WHY DO THINK I GET MY BACK UP WITH THIS WEBSITE????, IT’S NOWT AGAINST THE LADS PERSONALLY, IT’S JUST BLOODY HARD OUT THERE, AND YOU DON’T WANT YOUR COLLEAGUES TRYING TO GET ONE OVER YOU AT THE SAME TIME!!!
IT’S NOT GOOD AT ALL, DO YOU KNOW THAT WEEKLY RENTAL OF A COMPANY CAR CAN RANGE FROM £247 – £283????, PLUS DIESEL, THAT’S AROUND £420 BEFORE YOU PAY TAX OR MAKE A WAGE!
AL,it’s not worth answering back to idiots like that.I find if you ignore them,they soon get bored and disappear.
Does anyone no of an office around the north tyneside area that doesnt actuall take on these “berwick bandits” ?
If you have a berwick taxi plate dose that make you a bandit or is that just a VERY silly thing to say ?????
AL!
I don’t think Silverline Taxis employ these dum dums(Berwick Hacks), but I may be wrong, never seen any from there!!!!!!
Just cause someone drives a Berwick plated car doesn’t make them a Dum! Dum! or a ‘Bandit’It’s true many of these Drivers take a Berwick licence for economic reasons and only a few bad apples are using them to Flimp.Every section of the trade has bad apples.
jimmy1
Why have’nt the out of town Hacks formed an alliance or actually bother to defend themselves????????????
They just sit there and take the hassle, whether we the NT folk are right or wrong!
It’s not the case of “Bad Apples”, it’s the case that the Berwick and Derwentside gang have flooded North Tyneside, making it hard for the Hacks and PH gang to make a living, not to mention the big operators are thriving on all these extra rents!
Probably because like i said,most of them would be private hire anyway and the few that are flimping are just that! a few!
Twenty-nine convictions for taxi and road traffic offences involving licensed and unlicensed drivers working in the Middlesbrough area. Eleven of these were insurance offences resulting in eight drivers being issued with penalty points and two being disqualified from driving.
Most of the prosecutions were against drivers and vehicle proprietors licensed in Northallerton who were caught Flimpin in Middlesbrough. I since heard that Middlesbrough took Northallerton to Court and won their case against out of town hacks working as Private Hire.Don’t know how true this is though.
Amazing! Enforcement officers seen at 3am this morning in Whitley Bay…. Shame they called Central Taxis earlier in the week to let them know they would be there! That’s a bit like Firing a shotgun before you sneak up on a Rabbit! No element of surprise there.
Central hack
“Shame they called Central Taxis earlier in the week”
a) I did’nt see any warning message on the Datahead this weekend!
b) Are Central the only firm that has Bandits and PH flimpin????
I don’t think so!
Central only has about 3-4 drivers that flimp in Whitley at the weekend, I don’t know what they do elsewhere though.
ANYWAY compared to how many Blueline, Eastcoast, Briardene, Preston and any Town Cars that fancy a fare after dropping off?????????
NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!!
Toomanytaxis.co.uk have a bandit /dumdum (as Berwick drivers have been labelled) in their midsts! The “whiter than white” North Tyne hacks have a driver who has used his car from Lansdowne and Gateshead Central offices. Is this not the same heanous crime than LEGITIMATE Berwick plated drivers are accused of? People in glasshouses etc…. I have been a driver for 14 years and have chose to licence with Berwick for the last 2. The reason was the increasing licensing costs of NT and also to be able to “try out” other areas before deciding where to ply my trade. I also retain my NT combined badge and take a pride in my work and vehicle. I have no problems with complying with the NT or Berwick licensing officers and have a good working relationship with both.
There has been an incident recently where a North Tyne PH driver has been shouted at as his car was parked 6 foot behind the Oxford Street rank in W/B, threatened and abused by Nt Hack, yet they seem to approve and think no offence is commited by obstructing a Bus Stop outside Woolworths, or even parking 18 cars on a Thursday night in South Parade where the rank is for 8/9 cars? Is it really going to portray the proffesional image you claim where drivers are being threatened and intimidated by “your” hacks?
Your latest “smile your on camera” scheme has been a brainwave. Currently an official complaint is being considered regarding the NT Hacks “illegally” using the Woolworths bus stop and over occupying the South Parade rank. As NT council say this is not there problem, it will be passed on to Northumbria Police who have the various CCTV system and their disposal. After speaking to a senior loacl officer, we have been assured that they will enforce any parking violations observed. SMILE!!!!!!!!!!
The real problems in the taxi trade are the councils for over licensing and operators for over filling private hire offices with vehicles. Dont forget, the number of HC are restricted but PH are not!! We are all working harder and longer for a slice of an ever decreasing market, lets be honest, there is good and bad on all sides, North Tyne HC & PH, Newcastle, Berwick, and Derwentside, unfortunately it is always the examples of improper, illegal practice that ruin reputations within the trade, and also give the public the impression that all taxi drivers are unproffesional and often illegal cowboys.
SURELY IT IS IN THE INTERSETS OF ALL SIDES TO RID THE TRADE OF UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT. WHETHER IT IS FLIMPING ON AN INDUSTRAIAL SCALE OR TRYING TO “BACK-FARE” FROM ANOTHER AREA! TIMES ARE HARD, £6 A GALLON DIESEL AND EVER INCREASING COSTS, I AM SIMPLY TRYING TO MAKE *AN HONEST* LIVING BERWICK PLATED OR NOT!
If you see any Berwick plated vehicle acting in an illegal manner, contact dbw@berwick-upon-tweed.gov.uk.
TA or CE, if you took the time to read and inwardly digest the posts & comments on this site you would no doubt find we have said everything that you have just said.:not all Berwick plated cars are flimpers, not all private hire are flimpers,I believe we have mentioned the congestion on South parade (Too Many Taxis)RE. shouting at a Private Hire. The poor dear! got shouted at by a nasty Hack, Can he not shout back? The bus stop at woolworths:we are permitted to use that from 10pm,leaving space for buses & from 11pm we can use the full bay.It has been permitted since long before your 14 years. CCTV has already been utilised by parking control in and around Whitley Bay with a degree of success.Catching both the Private Hire sector and the Hackney trade for double parking. I would urge anyone coming here to comment to read the site and not just react to spurious tales of surly hacks and photographic mafia etc. We are all in this together the numbers of Hacks & Private Hire are increasing and this is bad for us all! By the Way I suspect that TA is non other than the world famous Central Enthusiast who was the one and only commenter on this site to refer to a Berwick Hack as a “DumDum†which must be really hurtful!
TA, you say that you obtained your Berwick licence so you could try other areas.I’m sure Observers of this site would be very interested to hear of your experiences working as a Berwick driver solely within that borough.
Todays words of wisdom;
A closed mouth gathers no foot!
“Let’s Get Something Straight”
There are 805 Private Hire in North Tyneside of which probably less than 5% of that number actively Flimp and by that I don’t mean dropping off on the Broadway and taking a fare that happens to be there. I mean actively flimp! Coming out of the house with the sole intention of pretending to be a Hack and working the streets. Likewise the Berwick plates, not everyone who has a Berwick plated car becomes a serial Flimper. So for all those who comment on this site, berating the nasty, Evil Hacks for just looking after their livelihood. Read the site. It is not a one sided vendetta against anyone who is not a Hack but it is a place to bring attention to those that through Greed would tarnish the good name of most honest hard working Private Hire drivers.
For those that would say “there has always been flimping” I agree but it never made a dent in anyone’s takings before. Now, when times are hard for all of us you cannot turn a blind eye. If you are a Flimper and you are taking my work I’m going to talk about you on here and all those nasty little comments that keep coming in are ‘you’ biting back. The few who would steal work off the street after putting in a full shift at your office, after making your wage you want to come out and take some of mine, whilst the decent drivers you work with are at home with their families relaxing. Whilst you make a career out of taking what’s not yours. I know a lot of Private Hire drivers and they are good decent blokes, they don’t want to be Tarred by your brush! So keep coming here and make your nasty little comments (some of which cannot be approved) and you are just proving that it is only a Minority and not the Majority.
I have spoke to Mr Newton regarding the “rank” at Woolworths in Whitley Bay, it has never been a registered hackney stand. His response to complaints is alont the lines of “its been an informal rank” for a long time. Note the word INFORMAL, there are no marks designating it as a hackney stand, it is not published in the councils listings as a stand, you know the law! How many Health and Safety issues are raised by taxis plying for hire there causing passengers on buses to be dropped of between vehicles? By his lack of enforcement Mr N is leaving himself and his employers open to any claim of dereliction of duty, or worse!
With regards the NT hack intimidating a NT PH lets get one thing clear. The Hack driver involved is a particularly obnoxious character in a D5 (not yourself but you know who!) who chose to rant at a 62 year old driver, is this viewed as acceptable? The driver wasnt parked on a rank or in anyway that could be construed as plying for hire (PS This driver is also not adverse to working cross border!). Unfortunately it seems that this site has turned into a place for people to simply air their propaganda and not an open and frank exchange of views on matters that affect al our trade and ultimatrely earnings!
May I take this opportunity to ensure that I am not and never will be a “central enthusiast”, worked there…..enough said!
TA. I respect your opinion. Can you not see that we are engaging in open & frank dialogue, though your comment about the alleged incident at Oxford street could be construed as ‘Propaganda’.
However the mere fact that anyone can come here and state their views and or grievances would indeed be testament to the fact that this an open and frank site. Whether people come here with the intention of slagging each other off or to discuss legitimate problems within the trade as a whole, they are all permitted to say their piece…as you have been. Is that fair comment or not?
I fail to see how Hacks over ranking on South Parade or parking at Woolworths bus stop might impinge on ‘your’ ability to make a living. Any complaints we may have are about just that. If you have a complaint about any Hack Illegally taking work off you then air it here. But any complaints you have which don’t directly affect ‘your’ right to earn a living just sounds like someone spitting the dummy out.
Marvyn with a Y, I can assure you I am not TA, so if you want I will come back into the discussion, I still lurk in the forum!
Anyway I already addressed that point of NT Hacks working out of Town, TA is late.
I used the term Dum Dum, because the Driver is sitting there in a Taxi, insured as a Taxi, may have a livery on saying “Taxi”, a lit top sign with “Taxi” on it and after all that they can’t pick up!, if they play the game properly of course!!!!
Sorry I am back!
Reading TA’s comments prove my point, you guys are in denial about your own bad practice, Marvyn my mate please accept in all gangs, associations, groups and Mobs you get “Bad Apples”, you have got some unfortunately!
I respect that you are trying to address the problems within the trade, I even side you on the Bandits flimpin, but please look around you, some of your members live in “Glass Houses”, or they are just hypocrites.
Woolworth’s in Whitley Bay!
If I get a job from there via the office then I will pick up regardless of what I am driving, so TA just barge in and Barge out the Hacks have a unused Rank next to Fitzgeralds to use!. Woolly’s is a Bus Stop!!!
TA!
Can I assume that you are a Foxy-Hunter??
If so, a lot of your Bandits are flimpin and that needs addressing, I am hit more hard than the “Men in Black” who operate this site, I pay £283 per week for a Hack from Central and expect only to compete with the CB Mob for customers, Not Berwick bandits!!!!!
For the benefit of yt, I have worked Berwick and Wooler areas on a few occassions as I have family in Nortuhberland. Wooler is ok, only two resident taxis live in that area meaning trade from Riverside Holiday Park can be quite good. I have been in Berwick 4 or 5 times when attending to licensing matters and its poor! Main rank on main street holds 3 cars, train station 8. There you go, I have worked the hack, maybe unlike other drivers who choose to licence at Berwick.
Todays words of wisdom (benefit of yt)
Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit!
admin, this is not spitting out the dummy, merely responding to a question which was worded as to require this seemingly childish (but I assure you true and honest) response!
TA
Please accept my apologies if I came across as sarcastic. Generally speaking,I don’t do sarcasm.
I have,in fact,worked as a licensed Hackney Carriage and private hire driver in areas other than North Tyneside and am genuinely interested to hear what goes on elsewhere.
This website was originally set up by a colleague of mine to fuel serious debate about the good and bad of the trade.But in saying that,there is always a little room,in any walk of life,for some light-hearted banter.
Todays words of wisdom;
Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it!