What effect will the outcome have on the local Hackney Carriage trade?
Well, realistically, it shouldn’t have any effect either way. The only organisations it should affect are the large private hire offices and the Local Authority.
If Newcastle City Council wins, then all the “out of town” vehicles will be expelled and it will be a case of ‘as you were Ladies and Gentlemen’.
However, if Berwick win the case, then the affects will only be felt by the offices and the Council.
Eventually, (it may take a couple of years), all private hire vehicles will get their selves licensed in Berwick or maybe Derwentside, because it’s cheaper.
There are currently around 800 private hire vehicles licensed by North Tyneside Council and maybe 100 ’out of town’ vehicles. The larger offices will have to put a stop on how many dataheads they give out. Let’s face it, there’s not enough work now for the amount of cars out there!
We are currently heading towards full blown recession. And don’t be conned into thinking that there will be a major turnaround sooner or later! The Taxi and private hire trade has been in decline for years. Any upturns you experience will be very short-lived and will not affect said decline.
Now we get to the Council. When all the private hire vehicles give their plates back and go to Berwick, then how can the licensing department exist as it does now? They will lose 80% of their licensed vehicles.
Now some might say: “okay, what they’ll do is increase the fees for the 205 Hackney Carriages, to compensate.”
But the powers that be couldn’t be seen to be doing that. Most licensing and policy decisions are made by elected Councillors in committee. And they like to be re-elected, so they don’t make unpopular decisions which affect a lot of constituents.
What they will do is cut the workforce within the licensing department by 80%.Yes, job losses, that’s also unpopular, but maybe the lesser of two evils.
I hope this article will fuel some SENSIBLE debate.
Todays words of wisdom:
If you think nobody cares whether you’re dead or alive, try missing a couple of mortgage payments!
Thank you
The One, The Only, THE YORKSHIRE TERRIER
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
re words of wisdom:-
The early bird may get the worm… but the 2nd mouse gets the cheese from the trap!
Unfortunately I think Berwick may just scrape a victory against Newcastle on the grounds that Berwick Council will no longer exist come the 1st April.
If so then what will happen on the 1st April?
So we then have Northumberland Hacks roaming around, do you think that this unified council will introduce any extra stringent requirements for a Taxi badge?…….NO!
Lets face it, Northumberland Council will be huge and you could’nt expect any applicant to the trade to know every single place in Northumberland, so a Locality Test is off the menu, can you imagine a question like.. “Describe the shortest route from the Melton Constable pub in Seaton Sluice to Coach & Horses 32 Priestpopple HEXHAM?, unreal, if a Driver was going get jobs like that then we would all move over the Border!, or if a Driver knows every street in the New Northumberland and the name of every Pub, then he would have a bloody good memory, and would be best suited going off to University rather than Driving a Bandit mobile!!!!!!!!!
So September and April 09 will probably be the most interesting times ever for the Taxi trade in the North of England.
The decline in the economy could also hit us from other ways, people are short of cash and may see Taxi driving as a second income!, like the weekend bandits that drive the infamous Doblo’s.
Im not sure if I have posted this in the correct section, but here goes!
I would just like to voice a concern regarding an “incident” which occured at The Port of Tyne terminal yesterday. A group of NT hacks decided that they would perform a protest at the terminal entrance by parking their vehicles in such a manner to obstruct any LEGITIMATE vehicle allowed to work there from picking up fares. As I am sure you are aware the terminal contract is serviced by EC and BL. The terminal is manned by a visible marshall or steward who once approached by a customer will then log details of their journey and show them to the next car in line. Unfortunately, a hack decided to attempt to prevent a vehicle who had picked up a fare from moving away. When the EC driver “asked him to move…ahem” the HC driver then told him that he had his plate number and would report him to NT council for “flimpin”! Handbags were then swung etc!
The director of the terminal and several security guards intervened and told the HC driver and his “amigos” that they were trespassing and if they didnt leave, the exit gates would bve locked and police and council called.
Whether Hacks like it or not, EC and BL now operate the terminal area, maybe we bought the rights or the HC lost it, who knows! It is private land and the NT and BUT council have watched how it is operated and agree it complies with all legal requirements. Surely you must accept this, agree with the principal or not! The director of the terminal was thoroughly disgusted with the conduct of the HC and has noted all plate numbers etc and has arranged a meeting with NT council, armed with CCTV footage and witness statements. This is surely an embarrassment for HC drivers, the Terminal is operated legally and all they have done is to bring a possibility of disciplinary action from council, private action for trespassing and look like a bunch of mob handed desperados!
Please dont turn this current situation into a war between operators and HCs, you are quickly going to lose face and speed up the downturn in your trade. We are trying to make a living just like you, I am aware that you dont like operators or drivers but they can co-exist with HCs. All I can assure you of is, due to the actions of a few, you have GUARANTEED that HCs will never again service DFDS terminal!
TA I think ‘You’ are swinging your Handbag a little prematurely. There was no “protest” Hackney Carriages did what they always do. That is: we go where the work is. On this occasion it happened to be on a Public Highway at the Albert Edward dock. Indeed Several Hacks did take Fares, which is what we do! I would be the first to apologise if a HC blocked anyone from making their legitimate living.I am unaware of any such incident and view this as a Slur on the Hackney Carriage trade. We are, as HC’s obliged to make our services available wherever & whenever members of the Public are seeking Taxi services. I wonder if the CCTV footage shows just how the operation goes down there. i.e. passengers detained behind a six foot fence until a PH car could be brought forward.
I believe there was more friction at the ferry terminal today involving a local bus company. I think you must all accept the fact that whether you pay lots of money or not, The Public still has a choice. If they think your service is “Tip Top” then you will do well and have no reason to keep them behind a fence. I believe the original deal at the ferry terminal was that there would be a freefone facility and cars would arrive when called and I do have some knowledge of “the original deal”. Eye contact, calling out to people, taking people by the arm, steering people away from any car that is not one of yours is a bit naughty! If I drop off down there and someone wants to hire my HC then they shall. I have had people led away from my car by the arm! That too is a bit naughty.
As it has been stated on this site before there is no “War” and neither will there be. Everytime “War†has been mentioned it has been by a Private Hire or Berwick Driver, Never a Hack. As for being aware that we don’t like you. That’s a really silly and immature thing to say, you cannot generalise that we “Don’t like you” Also you cannot possibly know what any of the HC’s think about this situation but I will tell you, Very Little! As I said at the beginning we go where the work is. If we get work we get it, if we don’t we don’t.
If you want to “Service the DFDS Terminal” then do it without bending the Law and without this little attempt at Denigrating what you think is your opposition. We are not your opposition we are just Hackney Carriages doing what we do!
Admin!
It’s a real pity that DFDS have’nt seized the chance to use the former Tuxedo Boat site!, then we would’nt have put up with all the Bandits in North Shields!, when I was at one of the big two, none of the Drivers would work in Shields because of the clientel, but because of the “Boat”, they are all lurking around North Shields.
Like I have said before, I have been chased from the Boat by Bandits, but it will not happen again!
TIP!
Carry the customers luggage by hand to the Royal Quays pub, then take them from there!!!!!!!!!…..If it’s a nice day.
OR get some leaflets printed and hand them out to customers going to the Terminal, highlighting the legality of out of town Taxis, stick your personal numbers on so they can call you, get the dreaded “C” word involved too!!!
Todays words of wisdom to our comrades from Wallsend and Whitley Bay
“If you can’t win, Don’t play!”
Marvyn, point taken about my last entry you did’nt put on, just checked my e-mail yesterday…Sorry!
As you refer to my “handbag swinging” is it true or is it not, that the Terminal area IS private land? Therefore if the Port of Tyne choose to prohibit the HC from the enclosed Terminal area would this be obeyed? It is obvious that you werent one of the vehicles as your “passengers detained behind a six foot fence” is complete rubbish! Have a look! There is a meeting point inside and a single 3 foot high post with the words “taxi pick up point” on.
The operation is monitored by the Port stafff and is regularly visited by BUT and NT councils, they would love to find any illegal practice going on but as we are still working they have obviously found all to be in order!
If Hc think very little of this situation, please explain why they chose to attend a private area. It rose that much attention on the particular day, Fergus (port manager) told the HCs if they didnt leave he would lock all exit gates and police and Mr N would be called! Please be assured there are going to be repercussions of the incident and it will very quickly be known to all exactly what transpired.
“If you can’t win, Don’t play!â€
Intersting comment, at the minute we are “playing” at DFDS and are winning! Port Authority advise us that passengers numbers are healthy and with the current cruise ship season in full swing, we dont have time to sent a group of drivers on a voiceless protest regarding work we have lost!
We are nobodys opposition, simply office cars working for companies with the foresight to source work!!
Can I just clarify a few points raised regarding the so called “incident” in the PUBLIC CAR PARK adjacent to the dock, as I was there.(Plate 009,in case the camera failed to pick it up as I left with a 10 Dollar fare).
Indeed, the law defines an area deemed to be a public place.Read it.
A North Tyneside Hackney Carriage CAN pick up a fare within the DFDS compound,if it is there having just dropped off.The Port Of Tyne Authority and DFDS could,if they so wished,ban Hackney Carriages from
entering.But I don’t think our Norwegian friends would be very happy being dropped off at the gate,1/4 mile from the terminal.
Making “eye contact” with prospective customers constitutes “touting”.
Finally a question.How is a marshall, acting for and on behalf of a private hire operation allowed to have the word TAXI on his high visibility vest?
Reply to TA: I don’t know what you are referring to but anything that could be remotely described as an incident last Thursday occured at the Albert Edward dock adjacent to the earl of zetland.This is what I think admin was referring to in his comment. I myself have not heard of any incidents at the DFDS terminal. Reading your comments it seems you are describing the incident at Albert Edward but switching the location to DFDS! Were you even there? or are you making your comments on gossip & hearsay? I think you are just trying to make trouble as nobody on the Ranks has said anything about this and I’m sure it would be common knowledge if anything on the scale of what you are describing had happened.Are you engaging in Misinformation to cause mischief?,I’m not being funny but from where I’m sitting it looks like that to me.
All the best: Mark
TA You are talking absolute rubbish! the incident,if anyone could call it that was not where you say. It was at the Albert Edward dock next to the cruise ship. There are no gates there to lock. I agree with the previous commenter. You are a bit of a stirrer I think!
If another big operator got his finger out of his nose and seized the DFDS contract, none of the Bandits would be in Shields because they are frightened of North Shields after dark and it’s Characters that lurk in the shadows, if the Boat was still controlled by the Hacks, the PH boys, girls and Bandits would rather pick up little Miss Daisy from Beaumont Park estate for a £1.50p fare than work in SHIELDS!.
PS I think TA is a bigger problem than me!
At least you know who I am!!!!!
Newcastle council now know the revenue they generate is under threat because of “Berwick and Derwentside plates”. Enforcement regardless of short term cost must be “Enforced” If not, a crime against a passenger in one of these “taxis” opens a serious liability. Take note.
TA, Lets get one thing straight here, the “incident” which you refer to at the Albert Edward dock not the DFDS was simply a few hacks who went to legitimately work the cruise ship, as they are quite entitled to do or there wouldn’t be a rank for Taxis there,would there?
let me explain : taxi marshals from blue line/east coast were herding the passengers at the gate and then guiding them one by one to the next PH in line. Now surely that is wrong if not illegal, correct me if I’m wrong but do PH not have to be booked through a phone call to their office and then the office gives the job out through the plotters and then the PH car is sent from the office to pick the job up …that’s the way PH are supposed to operate are they not! So i ask you TA did that happen ? the answer is simply no , that’s why the hacks had the hump mate. By the way the security guards or the director of the terminal did not ask or threaten the hacks with the police or the council i know as i was there, we the hacks were actually waiting for the council to arrive as it was the hacks who phoned the council in the first place but to no avail as usual, why ? the mind boggles!
newcastle council are still not doing the job of enforcing the city and stopping these berwick plates taking work, and putting passengers at risk to bogus cabs! it about time something is done before the drivers of the city take it into there own hands!
Berwick council are 100% confident that they have interpreted the law correctly.Thats why they continue to issue licences.Throw the towel in now boys and join us in the land of plenty!After September it wont be worth having any kind of plate issued in Toon or Killy.
Bandit Master!
“join us in the land of plenty”, plenty of what????
All the offices are flooded with you lot, so there is no work!
If you are employed by the “Perfect two”, then you will get your 5 minutes of fame a couple of mornings a week masquerading as a real Taxi driver picking up from the BOAT!, but I am sure that will come to a end when passengers become sick (not sea), of so called “Taxi Drivers” slumped over there Dashboard playing with SatNavs to guide them out of the Royal Quays!
I am sure customers will start wandering where the proper Taxis are that know where they are going and are licensed by NT Council!
The only land of plenty that I know is Halfords!!!!, I bet there SatNav sales have gone up since the Bandits arrived in town!, When Newcastle win in September, it won’t be Berwick appealing it will be Halfords taking the Toon to court for lost revenue and the Taxi equipment stockists that sell those silly Bandit Upon Tyne top signs for £85.00 a time!
I hope the “Toon and Killy”, block your applications for six months at least when Berwick become “no more”.
If Berwick win in September and opt out of the unified Council, one thing is for sure that will get you good…..Rising Sea levels, you horrible lot like to lurk around the Waters edge, ie the Boats, so the next big Iceberg that collapses into the sea, might just wash away your Mondeo!, you may be saved if your Top sign stays lit!!!!!
Here’s a message for yt,or is it yorkshire t??t,or terrier,or whatever.And you as well Stephen FKA CE.
If you tell the truth,you dont have to remember anything!
There are two theories to arguing with women.Neither works!
Good judgement comes from bad experience,and most sf that comes from bad judgement!
Before you criticise someone,you should walk a mile in their shoes.That way,when you criticise them,you’re a mile away and you have their shoes!
YOU SEE LITTLE YT,YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN DISH OUT THE WORDS OF WISDOM!!!
Bandit Master! (Bandit Upon Tweed Master)
Can we assume that you are employed by one of the “Perfect two”???
You sound like you are!
You wrote; “Before you criticise someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes”, do your shoes come with a SatNav like your car by any chance????
Anyway never mind Shoes, lets talk about Specs, you need a pair so you can take a good look around and see the mess the Bandits have have caused within the trade.
Last night a Bandit beeped me, because he could get out of a disabled parking bay with his SALOON CAR outside a “Place of interest”, the Place was host to a wedding a party, 8-9 of the guests outside smoking said to me “why is one of those illegal bogus Taxis beeping at you?, you see Bandit Master, people are starting to take notice of what is happening within the Taxi trade.
Bandit Master, “Place of interest” is a term used on the North Tyneside Locality Test sheet!
Tonights words of wisdom…………
“What goes up(The A1), must come down!
I would just like to say to whom it may concern that these so called Bandits of Berwick or any other name you wish to call them are well within ther rights to work as Private Hire from which ever office they like also as for “Flimping” in North Tynside & Newcastle i would say if you have 100% proof that the Bandits have actually commited this act then fair enough banged to rights but only if you have concrete evidence not some snap shot taken on a moblie phone or digital camera
nutty professor, are you for real mate or have you been asleep this last couple of months ? have you not been informed off any of your mates{if you have any} how many illegal flimpin bandits have been caught recently and who have and are still appearing in court due to their greed, ie: “FLIMPIN”, and yes some of them they were caught off the man himself, Mr Alan Newton and co so is that concrete enough for you or “BANGED TO RIGHTS” as you say. ADIOS AMIGOS, going to look in the bottom of a nice cold bottle of San Miguel for some sanity!!!
Ambushed Thursday teatime in Mexico by Bandits!…..I wish!
No, I dropped off a couple of the Royal Quays Pub staff tonight and as I cleared my Meter, the Datahead went BEEEEEEEEEEEEP!, Oh I thought the Royal Quays shops I bet or the JBB, Wrong!, it was none other than the….wait for it….THE BOAT!
Off I went towards the entrance to the Boat car park, it was virtually empty, I headed down the Drop off lane, out the corner of my Eye I noticed a Silver Taxi start up and follow me down to the Terminal, I stopped and did a “Ring back”, Knock, Knock on the Window and I looked around and it was the Driver of the SILVER Taxi!,
What yee deeing here mate?, asked the driver from the Silver Taxi, errh I have a Booking I said, lets see then he said, why I asked?, cos yee lot and the Rip off squad are not allowed down here!, I said to this Neaderthal that I have a booking and do not wish to justify myself anymore!
The Neaderthal stated that he did’nt care and asked me to move on or he would report me to the cooonsil, I said go for it mate!, just then my Customer turned up, the Neaderthal said to them, he will rip you off yee kna, the Customer was sharp with him and stated he will always use Central and has never been happy with the service offered from the company that the Neaderthal was from.
Do you think the Boat gang have a Watchman to see if any proper Drivers dare to go down the Boat, OR with all the money these operators have they may have invested in a Military Radar that picks up signals from black Cars!!!!
The Car in question was licensed by a place called “Berwick”, not sure where that is, the Driver must have started at the particular company during a standards amnesty!
So that was my afternoon visit to Banditville!
Dear mr A hack thankyou for your words of wisdom its just a shame that the so called Man himself AKA Mr Newton & co haven’t quite taken the same interest in where the NT hack ranks are and where NT HD seem to think they are in a nutshell anywhere they like I wasn’t aware that outside DEEP or from the traffic lights at the top of park ave to the BUS STOP at woolworths or infact outside CUSHTY capital aka Eden but then again what do I know but correct me if i’m wrong i was under the impression that where a post with a sign placed on top saying TAXI RANK would therefore be the acutal Rank as I said before what do I know
It has been mentioned on this site before, That The Council,the police & the bus companies are all agreed that Hackney carriages may park at woolies after 10pm as long as they leave space for buses. There is a Taxi Rank at Eden but you will have noticed that it is always full of privately parked cars. Not every Rank has a cube, I think you will find, if you are at all interested, that the majority of Ranks do not have a cube.
Dear nutty professor
It appears that concerns have been raised about where Hacks park at weekends, it’s just ashame your concerns are about 20 years out of date….that I know of!
When I was young free & single, I would stagger to Woolies on a Saturday night every week for a Taxi home, it was always busy in those days so I had time to snog, eat my Garlic bread, handbags with a Scot etc, this was back in 1991/1992!, even 1993 when Whitley road was closed off between Woolworths and the Ship, Taxis still ranked up at Woolies.
The Rank today accross the road from Eden (Royal) is always littered with Bandits so you (The Hack)have to park on the same side as Eden, how many PH & bandits also weave into the Que outside of Deep?
ANYWAY!
You want Alan Newton & Co to sort out where the Hacks park then?, well what about you lot!, is the Marine Garage in Whitley Bay a Bandit depot??, Motorists can’t get down the Back lane of North/South parade for PH and Bandit wagons, is lane 7 at the DFDS terminal a Rank?, I have never seen a blue Box saying “Taxi”, residents in Cauldwell Avenue, West Monkseaton are sick of PH and Bandits sitting in the GP surgery Car Park during the night!, are the double Yellow lines outside the Tasty Turk shop a Bandit rank?, the NORTH TYNESIDE TAXI RANK outside of Whitley Bay Metro is always full of PH and Bandits….so whats your problem Professor?, are you like TA & Co who want to see the hacks run out of town???, if so they will not get far, probably just to a Office that will result in more competition for YOU!!!!!
nutty professor!, if you work for the “Big Two”, then it’s you and the rest of the Bandits that think you are in a nutshell!
OH dear it seems i have hit a nerve if the handbags are out then here we go first i do not and have not parked up at marine garage and why would you use a back lane is that because you can’t get down south parade for all the hacks that seem to think the rank go’s all the way up the street as for the DFDS I wouldn’t know I’ve never been then there is always Tyne mouth on a Sunday just refresh my memory as I’m getting on a bit how many TAXIS does the sign at the rank state may rank up I don’t think it stretches down to the priory and last but not least if you have a problem with the TWO car rank opposite EDEN that seems to be full of PRIVATE cars not even BANDIT cars then I would suggest you have a word in MR NEWTONS ear
You hit no nerve Mr.nutty. This site is a word in Mr.Newtons ear and your comments are exactly what this site is about. Why does nobody get it yet, There are TooManyTaxis! that’s why South Parade is full,thats why Tynemouth is full and woolies etc,etc, Why do people keep coming here to have a go at each other? When it’s the Council and the operators who are causing this.
When they can’t possibly fit any more hacks in they will just issue more and more Private Hire Plates or Berwick plates or Costa Del Sol Plates. It’s pointless keep attacking each other. The Hack Trade was Cattle Trucked a long time ago and now the Private Hire trade is going the same way, you just don’t see it yet, but when you do you will no doubt blame the Hacks!
Well it seems that there is someone out there who is actually sensible yes i would totaly agree with you the council are to blame but what or when will something be done to stop this madness I have been doing this for what seems a lifetime and i’m sure there are some out there that have been doing it longer if the council and operators can’t see that the trade is just about on it’s knees sooner or later there will be no point in driving a taxi to try and make a living i’m sure that everyone that does this job for a living and not just to make there beer money let alone have to try and make ends meet like keeping a roof over there family’s head would I hope agree
I worked for a neighbouring Council for four years, and believe me Local Authorities don’t refuse revenue!, many Departments within a Council are over Budget every year, SO blaming NT Council will get us nowhere, they are probably rubbing their hands as we type about the forth coming revenue from the “Ex Bandits”, Yes!, I know four Bandits who have applied for their NT Badge already and that’s just at Central!.
The main problem is the “Big Two”, they offer new company Cars, assistance obtaining your Badge, good Standards, and one of them is based in a nice area that attracts decent clientel, this is appealing to new Drivers, foreign drivers, as well as experienced ones too, both Operators take on drivers in the mass and this is causing the problem of “Too many Taxis”, the big two tendered and won the infamous “Boat”, rumour has it that the “Big two” are after the Airport!…..”Planes, Trains & Berwick Automobiles eh?”, they are obtaining these contracts to retain their Army of Drivers, however these extra contracts are not full-time, so that results in all these extra Cars littering the streets, so flimpin goes on and streets become conjested with all these PH & Bandits sitting around doing nowt!, so this is when all the “tit for tat” goes on between Hacks, Cars from the big two and Bandits!
The “Big Two” are simply pushing everyone to one side, Hacks, small operators and even the “also rans” (The C Word), what NT Council should do is limit the number of Cars at each office, and it’s fair to say that a established office should have no more than 100 cars, this will stop all this greed amongst owners and will slash their finances so they can’t go around tendering for contracts, buying out small operators, P***ing about with out of town plates, renting out dozens of company cars at silly pounds per week!
Honestly chaps!, the Council should limit the number of Cars at each rank and this would make a significant change within the trade, this idea is probably the only way forward at the moment, as Shrewd Hack states that it’s no point having a go at each other, and I agree!
Being a operator should be about providing a good service to the public, looking after your Staff on the road and in the office and making a steady living for yourself!……….NOT JUST FOR BECOMING A MILLIONAIRE BY TAKING DRIVERS ON IN THE DOZENS SO THEY CAN SIT ALL DAY LOOKING AT A BLANK DATAHEAD!!!!!!, while you rake in £25,000 a week!