Readers of our Comments section may have noticed a little “Tit for Tat” occurring over the last couple of days. this appears to be sour grapes on the part of a certain Berwick driver working from a certain Private Hire company. It seems there was something that put his nose out of joint on Thursday at the DFDS Terminal or the Albert Edward Dock, No the DFDS er! I mean the Albert Edward dock!
Well about half a dozen Hacks went to the Albert Edward Dock as they have probably done since 1648.There was a Cruise ship in and they were probably sniffing around for some work.They didn’t Tout or importune they merely sat there looking like Taxis for hire. Actually that’s what they were “Taxis for Hire” anybody in North Tyneside requiring a Taxi who comes across a North Tyneside Hackney Carriage, which is availble for Hire may Hire it. That’s a Hackney Carriage and like it or not that’s what they are for.
Now this commenter is being a bit mischevious and putting it about that what these Hackney carriages were doing was illegal. Not so Chum and I would stand in Court with you on that if you care to.
Not only that but his story is all over the place. He has put this incident at the DFDS Terminal when it was not. It was in an entirely different place,The Albert Edward Dock, where if he looks carefully he will find a Hackney Carriage stand, mind you we do have a bit of difficulty finding it ourselves, nevertheless it is there. Hackney Carriages can go there anytime they wish. On this occasion as there was a very big Ship there, with lots and lots of passengers on board, it was a knocking bet that there would be some Hacks in attendance. I must admit it was a bit annoying to see all the passengers kept in a line behind a 6 Foot fence by so called “Taxi Ambassadors” and a handful of Port of Tyne security officers. The passengers were let out as and when a Private Hire car was called over from the car park roughly 20 Feet away. When you keep people behind a fence until your cars can pick them up, i.e. not giving them the freedom to get anywhere near to the Taxi Rank which was provided for the passengers of large ships. I would hazard a guess that there may be something a Tad unlawful about that, it’s only a guess but a fair one, maybe there are some people in the Legal profession reading, I would invite them to comment.
The Laws pertaining to Taxis & Private Hire are many and complicated but I have a feeling they will become clearer as time goes by…..Keep watching!
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Last night,I had the dubious pleasure of speaking with a cockney chap who works for a private hire firm based in Whitley Bay.He was also under the impression that the so called “incident” occurred within the confines of the DFDS.
It seems to me that whoever has fed you this misinformation and encouraged you to spread it on this site has,in fact,made you look a wee bit foolish.
Also,can somebody please tell me how a “marshall” acting for and on behalf of a private hire operation,have the word TAXI on his high vis vest?
The Law:
Touting for hire car services
(1) Subject to the following provisions, it is an offence, in a public place, to solicit persons to hire vehicles to carry them as passengers.
(2) Subsection (1) above does not imply that the soliciting must refer to any particular vehicle nor is the mere display of a sign on a vehicle that the vehicle is for hire soliciting within that subsection.
(3) No offence is committed under this section where soliciting persons to hire licensed taxis is permitted by a scheme under section 10 of the [1985 c. 67.] Transport Act 1985 (schemes for shared taxis) whether or not supplemented by provision made under section 13 of that Act (modifications of the taxi code).
(4) It is a defence for the accused to show that he was soliciting for passengers for public service vehicles on behalf of the holder of a PSV operator’s licence for those vehicles whose authority he had at the time of the alleged offence.
(5) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.
(6) In this section—
“public place” includes any highway and any other premises or place to which at the material time the public have or are permitted to have access (whether on payment or otherwise);
and “public service vehicle” and “PSV operator’s licence” have the same meaning as in Part II of the [1981 c. 14.] Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981.
(7) In section 24(2) of the [1984 c. 60.] Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (arrestable offences), after the paragraph (i) inserted by section 155 of this Act there shall be inserted the following paragraph—
“(j) an offence under section 167 of the [1994 c. 33.] Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (touting for hire car services
If TA & Co want to see all the Hacks pushed out of town, then they must want more Cars at there Office, because the Hacks need to earn somewhere like everyone else, so if they loose there areas, then they will just work from a Office.
So think TA, more Cars at the Offices, more competition, is that what you want?????
A associate of mine used a EC Berwick car last night to go out, he was informed by the Driver that EC & BLT are the only proper Taxi firms in NT!, “Don’t use Central, they are not proper Drivers?”, Don’t use the f**king Hacks, they will rip you off!”, he was told by the Driver.
Can anyone elaborate where he gets this idea from??????
EC Driver please justify your comment as he stated that he views this site!!!!
A message for YT and a few others by the sound of it.
Life isn’t like a box of chocolates… It’s more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today… might burn your ass tomorrow!!
With referance to the incident at the DFDS site/Albert Edward Dock/TCQ
Ro-Ro Quay,call it what u like,I may have misinterpreted this wrong,but as far as I remember,having lived in and around Tyneside all my life….47 now..that area is a public road,so why was a `private hire car`,allbeit with a fancy plate from Berwick stuck to it,arguing with `hackney`drivers,about picking up anyway. A `Berwick plated` vehicle has no right to be there anyway…longer than the time to pick his passenger up and leave.
Also,was the vehicle displaying the plate on the outside of the vehicle or in the window as many are doing…..also an offense.
Personally,I would have blocked the `clown` in until at least some cars had picked up.
Also,as these `clowns` are putting these ideas into passengers heads,why not do some flyers as hand outs putting the public right about dodgy drivers…we tell people in the town nearly every day to beware of them.
Good luck with things down there…..I`m sure in time we will beet these clowns.
I agree with john dodds, the Newcastle boys have a bit more fight in them!, a lot of Newcastle Doblo’s have signs on the windows warning of out of town and bogus Berwick Hacks!
But just think come September if evrything goes right, their will be no more of these Bandits to fill up the Offices!
A new name for Berwick Taxi licensing come April 1st 2009…
Bandit Upon Tyne Borough Council, sounds better than Berwick Upon Tweed Borough Council!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just a little message to you Sam, i think you aimed your last post at the wrong people there, we are the ones who aren’t doing anything wrong so you and your little Berwick posse should take a leaf out of your own book and watch your own ass.
Well said John but there wasn’t just Berwick plated cars there it was also north tyne-side ph cars. They obviously think that they can do as they please but let me tell you they wont get away with it (guaranteed) there’s a lot of support from all directions ALL IN FAVOUR OF THE HACKS OF COURSE
Sam !”Never,under any circumstances,take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night!”.
TA I think it’s your turn to reply to some of these comments now.Or have you not got anything vaguely resembling the truth to say?
Scandinavians,in general,tend to be rather laid back but very efficient.So it was no surprise today,that 10 of them were not impressed with the service they received from a private hire company that operates vehicles at the DFDS terminal.
Having been dropped off in North Shields,they ordered vehicles to pick them up later and take them back to the terminal.When these vehicles failed to arrive at the agreed time,they had to take the three,nasty,horrible,evil,inefficient,black Hackney Carriages waiting at McDonalds.
Believe it or not,these very nice Scandinavian people were grateful and impressed with the service they received from those nasty,horrible, evil,inefficient,black Hackney Carriages.
But unfortunately,they were not very impressed with the service they received from the private hire people.The exact words were “This is not efficient service,it not happen in Norway.This company not last long!”
See you on Monday morning chaps,when the Boudica docks!
And finally,the question of the day;
If electricity comes from electrons,does morality come from morons?
JUST A LITTLE ISSUE THAT I HAVE WITH THIS SITE AND THIS GOES OUT TO ALL IF MARV PUTS IT ON………..
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FOLK ON HEAR “SPIT IT OUT”, LIKE THEY DID ABOUT CENTRAL WHEN THIS SITE FIRST STARTED. CENTRAL PARKED AT MCDONALDS, CENTRAL PH “JUST PICKED UP”, CENTRAL CARS BEING UNROADWORTHY ETC.
IT APPEARS TO ME AND ANYONE THAT LOOKS AT THIS SITE THAT ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE FRIGHTENED/TERRIFIED/NERVOUS TO MENTION ……..
EASTCOAST AND BLUELINE, YES CHAPS EASTCOAST AND BLUELINE AND EASTCOAST AND BLUELINE!
TERMS USED ARE….PRIVATE HIRE COMPANY THAT OPERATES AT THE DFDS TERMINAL, LARGE PRIVATE HIRE FIRM FROM WHITLEY BAY, LARGE OPERATOR FROM WALLSEND….THE LIST HAS BECOME ENDLESS OF TERMS RELATING TO THESE TWO “EASTCOAST AND BLUELINE”
I HOPE THAT IF A PROPER HACK OBSERVES MEMBERS OF EASTCOAST & BLUELINE UP TO NO GOOD, THEN TO NAME AND SHAME THE DRIVER AND INCIDENT ON HERE!
TONIGHTS WORDS OF WISDOM….
YOU CAN’T GET WRONG FOR THE TRUTH!
LIKE I STATED THIS IS AIMED AT US ALL AND I AM NOT LOOKING FOR ANOTHER HANDBAGS ABOUT CENTRAL, JUST A POINT I AM MAKING.
CODE BREAKING SESSION LISTED BELOW:
F**KING CENTRAL FLIMPING = CENTRAL
LARGE WHITLEY BAY OPERATOR = EASTCOAST
PH FIRMS THAT OPERATE FROM THE DFDS TERMINAL = EASTCOAST & BLUELINE
BANDIT = SOME IDIOT MASQUERADING AS A TAXI DRIVER
LANE 7 AT THE DFDS TERMINAL = BANDITVILLE
APRIL 1ST 2009 = NORTH TYNESIDE’S INDEPENDENCE DAY
with ref to DSDF, its down to years of poor service and drivers ripping off passengers that DFDS took the action of banning the hack drivers from their site. At this point BLT and Eastcost were asked to provide a professional service which they require for their customers. If anybody would like to challenge the legality of DFDS,BLT and Eastcosts actions feel free
I.S , How do you stand on the legality of Berwick vehicles working in Newcastle and North Tyneside?Or would you not wish to comment,due to court proceedings very soon?
I hardly think people would put have put up with “Poor Service” or Ripping Off” for more than thirty years, unless somebody came along with a satchel full of money. As for “Ripping off” that’s a bit strong mate. Can you show me a single prosecution for said “Ripping off” I think you are resorting to a bit of name calling there,If you are I.S. you should know that your chum is taking someone to Court for name calling! . Everytime I get a Fare from shields back to the boat, I ask the passengers for the same Fare they paid to come in to shields and I can tell you it varies between £5 and £8 . So please don’t talk about Ripping off. I have as much proof as you have that Drivers Rip off! That’s none at all mate! You got your Franchise so lay off calling Hacks Rip offs with no proof whatsoever! Nobody challenges your Legal right to carry out that which you have paid to do! Personally I wouldn’t work there if they paid me a retainer. Those boats have never been what they were cracked up to be. You can Crack on about “Professionalism” as much as you like and take all your fancy photo’s of drivers lined up etc. but at the end of the day the punter is getting exactly what they got before “A car that will take them where they want to go” The only difference is that they have to queue a bit longer. The best bit is that you are paying for it! Shrewd bit of business that.
Admin!
Our friends from the Boat also claimed the “Bike”, as you well know there has been a Motorcycle show on Beaconsfield this weekend.
I picked up two Blokes involved in this event from Whitley Bay on Saturday night and transported them along the Sea front, they were friendly and polite, when I stopped and charged them £4.80p, they asked “Is that the right fare mate?”, I paused thinking that they were going to complain, and then showed them the Table of charges for a Hack, one Guy stated that he had been warned not to get in a “Black Cab” in South Parade as he would be ripped off and taken the longest way!, both customers could’nt believe how low the fare was as one of them was a Hack driver himself in the Midlands.
I asked who had informed them of this and he replied……a —t–a-t driver who brought him into Whitley from a Pub in Tynemouth!
One of the Guys stated that the whole conversation with the PH driver was about “Rip off” Hacks lurking in the shadows of Whitley Bay.
Anyway they were both told only to use ????? to and from the show!
by the PH or Bandit driver!
I think all Hacks should donate a their North Tyneside Table of Charges for a Hack to our dominating comrades from the Coast and the Boat!, so they can learn and understand the difference between a PH and Hack!!!!
Anyway it’s September shortly HA HA HA!!!!!!!
Hopefully no more Bandits and extra revenue for the “Perfect two”
If the I.S on this site is the ‘real’ I.S from Wallsend,it would be very interesting to hear his views regarding the legality of Berwick plated vehicles operating in Newcastle and North Tyneside,and what he thinks the outcome of the pending judicial review will be.
Another Cruise Ship in the Royal Quays today!
I wonder if there was a Bandit festival at the Dock????
yt!
I dont think that was the real I.S as he would be able to spell “Eastcoast”, not Eastcost, unless he has’nt done one of those NVQ’s/BTEC’s in Taxi work!!
I don’t think any PH operator has any qualifications like Mr Cornetto has!
I think it’s just another TA & Co, sticking a dig on here and not coming back on!
I.S and his B*m Chum will just watch this site to see who says what?, and who does what?, so they can threaten them with legal action. They can afford to with 600 Mugs employed by them between them!!!
A Berwick Driver working from Central stopped for a Flag down on South Parade on Saturday night. He couldn’t have been driving for long as the Flagger was none other than Alan Newton,Taxi Licencing Enforcement officer for North Tyneside. I myself followed a BlueLine Berwick car back from Ashington,all the way to Whitley Bay where he promptly took a fare flagging outside Eden,and they say this doesn’t go on. My old mate Harry,one time NT Hack now Berwick was in court this week for Flimping. Don’t know what he got yet though.
jimmy1..Well done for mentioning the “B” word!
What about the “E” word that picked up 5 (FIVE) passengers on Saturday night at a certain Rugby Club?, it’s a pitty Mr N was’nt around to see that!, anyway I may be wrong if a Ford Mondeo Saloon Car is licensed for 5 people+ the driver!!!!!, by North Tyneside!
PS, I don’t think it was a flimp, it was probably a booking to be fair!
Who was the Berwick Central flimper??????
MUCH BETTER TO BE A BERWICK MUG BANDIT OR WOT EVER YOU LOT CALL THEM THAN A NTC HACK SUCMBAG IN A £200 FORD MONDRO SHED THAT STINKS OF SMOKE ON THE INSIDE AND THE OUT . YOU LOT ARE THE MUGS SITTING ON THE THE STREETS ALL DAY AND NIGHT FOR NEXT TO NOWT TO HEAR YOU ALL NO WONDER NO ONE WANTS TO GET IN YOUR CARS !!!!!!!! TAKE A LONG HARD LOOK AT YOURSELF .
That’s a bit Strong innit? Who rattled your cage? And if I make nowt who’s been payin me mortgage all these years and sendin me on Holiday? God! and here’s me thinkin I was doin alright. I’m depressed now,I wish you hadn’t come on here and said all those nasty things,I don’t know what i’m going to do?? please don’t be nasty like that anymore…..
Marv/Admin
If BIG SILVER is a proud member of the Dynamic Duo, then it looks as if he did’nt get a job of the Cruise Ship that was in port the other day!!!, that is why he is so angry!
OR is he getting stressed about obtaining a NT badge as the End is near!, I know two of our Bandits are now applying for there NT badge!
NTC should tell then to F**k off!…..”You have a Badge so use it”…In Berwick!
ANYWAY!
AS SOME OF YOU MAY WELL KNOW RUSSIA HAVE BEEN BOMBING THE HELL OUT OF GEORGIA!, YES, YOU ARE THINKING WHAT THE HELL IS CE GOING ON ABOUT NOW!
GEORGIA FORMERLY PART OF THE USSR HAS BEEN MONTHS AWAY FROM JOINING THE EU, UNTIL THEY STARTED A FIGHT WITH RUSSIA AND GOT THERE ASS KICKED.
STARTING TO GET MY DRIFT, EU?????
JUST THINK ALL THOSE GEORGIAN MALES COMING TO ENGLAND IN THE SEARCH FOR WORK!!! GET IT NOW!
JUST THINK ALL THOSE NICE EX SOVIETS COMING HERE AND DROPPING OFF AT THAT HISTORIC PLACE CALLED “BERWICK”, NOT SURE WHERE THAT IS, I THINK IT’S IN WALLSEND SOMEWHERE!, THEY WOULD PROBABLY ARRIVE IN A EASY JET PLANE AND OBTAIN A “EASY TAXI BADGE”!
I AM SURE TWO NICE LOCAL EMPLOYERS WOULD HELP THEM FIND WORK AND GIVE THEM A NICE FORD MONDEO, ONE OF THE EMPLOYERS WOULD GIVE THEM ACCOMODATION TOO!
Customer: Shiremoor please driver
Georgian Driver: Where -Siberia?
Customer: no man Shiremoor!
Georgian driver: not sure where that is, will have to put it in my SatNav!
Customer: Hurry up!
Georgian driver: sorry don’t know where that is….erh is it near Spittal by any chance?
Customer: Look man take me to Tynemouth instead!…it’s near the Sea
Georgian Driver: near the Black sea eh???
JUST THINK THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A REAL SCENARIO!..
One more thing, someone mentioned that Harry geezer on here the other day, I have seen him alive and well tonight driver a Premier 8 Seater big Bandit wagon!……..it was empty so he must have got a slap!
For the benefit of our `so called` Berwick Bandits who think they r so great,cheating the licensing system and charging what they like,from a Newcastle `scumbag` driver,that I was called on wednesday 13th,outside the Hotspur in the Haymarket,when 2 girls got into my cab,after I nearly took this chaps nose off his car by pulling infront of him.
Yes sir,you were right,the Police could have done me for careless driving….actually the charge would have been `dangerous driving…but we wont split hairs, telling my passengers I would charge about £30 to the Kensington Gdns estate,where in his legally licensed cab,berwick plate 17…,I wont embarrass him…the fare was only £12…..for his benefit,the fare clocked £10.40 on newcastle rates.
Just remember this my `friend`..You can con some of the people,some of the time,and some of the people all of the time,but you can`t con all of the people all of the time. Your day will dawn when people wake up and realise what `scumbags` to use your term you really are.
Along with your friends at certain private hirs companies in Wallsend and Wideopen areas,who are laughing all the way to their banks,at the sort of mugs you lot are for making them millionaires and would you believe…Chris Tarrent no where in site.
FAO. YT
Out of area Hackney carriages
I was recently asked to air my views and beliefs on the situation that faces us all, on the issue of ‘out of area’ Hackney Carriages working as private hire within Newcastle and beyond.
Many of you may think you know ALL about the situation, and what has gone on before, and how we are present position, and as one of the people accused of bringing this situation to light I take this opportunity to put my story forward.
After the high court decision in 2001 on cross border hiring of private hire vehicles, Blue Line were instructed by North Tyneside Council that we could no longer use Newcastle Hackney Carriages on our fleet, which we had done for as long as I can remember. This resulted in another high court decision the following year, and this time the decision went in our favour declaring Hackney Carriages could be used for private hire bookings’; and for those of you who can remember, for a short time we ourselves and some other drivers got cars plated in TYNEDALE, and, after proving the point resulting in the councils’ having to accept this could be done, drivers soon realised this was not worth the aggravation, and the point had simply been made.
The ruling sat in abeyance until 2006, when I requested North Tyneside Council to licence a driver of Polish nationality, who at the time of application held three badges from other councils within the UK; Plymouth, Penrith and Berwick. After several months and much playing for time by delayed or cancelled council meetings, North Tyneside in their wisdom requested that the enforcement team investigate all 28 EU countries and their criminal record procedures, (to which we still have no answer to some two years later). It was my belief that North Tyneside were simply reluctant to allow EU drivers to work as PH or Hackney drivers within North Tyneside, for what ever reason.
It was then that I chose to dig the ruling from the high court on hackneys working as private hire cars out of the cupboard, and exercise this ruling once again.
Since then many drivers have chose to do the same for various reasons of their own, be it for conditions set on cars or types of cars or the long waits for taxi tests because they only have one outlet we all must use, or in some cases simply because they are sick of being pushed around by the authorities they work for, or because working under costs dictated unfairly by the authority. For what ever their reason’s, drivers have chosen to move their businesses; in this case to Berwick Upon Tweed, which are accused
of many things, but what many people fail to understand is they must issue plates in accordance with the rules they are bound by as do all councils.
One thing we must all agree on is that the law need to be addressed, and in the words of Lord Justice Kennedy in 1999 after a case of cross border hiring’s; ‘the law needs to reflect the state of technology and not be 23 years behind it’
We are now in a situation of having an influx of cars being plated “OUT OF
AREAS†because of the obstructiveness of local authorities or their failing to give us the service we deserve and demand to run businesses!
Councils have indeed allowed this exact same function to operate at our proud international airport where people often arrive for the first time to see so many different plated cars from their respective areas. The band wagon of experts have yet to be critical of the driver’s who have sold and made a killing from their Newcastle Hackney plates only to then re-plate themselves in various areas at alleged cheaper prices but yet still work the airport within the Newcastle boundary, but I am told this is ok as its private land!! Well I am sorry it’s the principle in my eyes that counts, and these people are doing the same “alleged misdemeanour†as any “out of area carâ€.
Anyway, we are were all in the situation we are in for what ever reason and we can not change this fact, so it’s now down to the courts to settle the fight between Councils! And this in itself may not bring good news for some, as one possible outcome is that a Judge could rule that hackneys cannot work as Private Hire Cars! But this would mean even when you are in your own area!! So such practices as working a radio circuit or taking a booking off a mobile phone could be deemed illegal and a hackney could only conduct itself as a hackney and return to the nearest rank as is determined in the outdated law which the judge does not have the freedom to change only enforce as it is written, meaning you could be found to have no insurance when conducting these jobs, which councils will have to enforce and prosecute!! So please be careful what your wish for as asking questions of such out dated laws may bring bad news not good as many practices have been excepted rather than implemented by law!!
And if this situation were to become reality the hackneys that are wheelchair adapted would no longer be able to be reached by the disabled person by either phone or radio circuit, and would now have to be flag the in the street by the disabled people themselves.
“Now aren’t we getting stupid! But this could be reality!â€
Smaller offices who have to operate by means of diverting calls from the office to the driver in his car during such times of the early part of the mornings or through staff shortages or even those that may be in a rural area, actually break the law as it becomes the driver not the operator taking the booking in a car that may not even be in his own district!! This practice is carried out all over the country as it is needed for those smaller operations for cost effectiveness but it is breaking the law and passengers become uninsured!
Yet council after council do nothing about these situations and are fully aware of them being carried out.
“But stop panicking as this is not what this particular case will resolve, this is simply just about if a council is acting correct by issuing plates knowing that they are to work out the area they are licensed, and conducting private hire work. Oh isn’t that what the 7 or so councils have been doing at the airport for 20 years or more!â€
What we really need is for the Authorities around the country and the trade to go on mass and in force to the transport minister and insist something is done to bring our transport laws for Taxis and PH into the 20th century and allow us to prove ourselves as the true public transport system we are!!
Whilst many of you are blaming the Berwick cars for a reduction in trade and your takings can we all remember many of the Berwick badged drivers are ex Newcastle or North Tyneside etc badged drivers, who have moved across for
various reasons and it’s the driver of the car not the car or plate that maybe breaking the law and “FLIMPING†Those drivers are likely to be doing it regardless of the plated vehicle they drive as this is not a new problem, but sadly a very old problem. What we commonly need and have needed for many years is the enforcement we pay for to be out there enforcing!! I want my cars to work my radio circuit and cover my office work and you want your livings to be made!
We all have our place in this job Private hire should be working the radio circuits and pre bookings not working the streets as that for the hackneys!! But we all do have one common connection! We take people from A to B for hire and reward, and in a strange way we need to work together as an industry and not show people we are fighting against each other as we are.
I hope this letter is taken by you as a small clarification of a very long complex problem and not my total take on the situation.
“We just need modern realistic laws that allow our trades to operate efficiently. Be it as individuals or offices.â€