The promised meeting,with Lib.Dem. Leader of Newcastle-u-Tyne Council,took place today.
The Delegation of Taxi drivers met with Councillor John Shipley and Taxi Licensing officers to discuss the following points:
1. The Illegal Plying for Hire in Newcastle by Private Hire and Hackney Carriages from all Regions.
2. The Deliberate and Drastic Reduction of Rank Spaces throughout the City which has resulted in approximately 75 Rank Spaces for 780 Hackney Vehicles.
3. The New Threat of Prosecution by New Parking Control Officers (Blue Hats) and Council Controlled CCTV to anyone not sat on a Legal Rank Space
A member of the delegation said later “The meeting went very well and we now feel at last we are being listened to,we now feel we have a meaningful rapport with the Council on matters Taxi related”
At the suggestion of Mr. Shipley more meetings are planned for the future. It would seem that Mr.Shipley was unaware of the scale of Taxi related problems within the City and has vowed to look closer at the points brought up.
There is to be a meeting of the Taxi trade on Tuesday 17th March 2009, at the Newcastle Labour club to discuss the points raised and the Councils reaction to said points. It is in your interests to attend. See you all There!
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
I am eagerly awaiting the drivers meeting. This whole situation is a damn farce. Black cabs being given tickets for picking up outside the busiest pubs in town, causing the hacks to not pick up there, and guess what….Good old NODA private hire cars flimping the jobs from there.. It all seems a bit convenient to me. We get charged for trying to do our job effectively while the largest private hire company set up there own ranks all over town – behind the law courts, stowell street to mention a couple, and the police are getting rid of the hacks on Collingwood St and leaving it for the private hire to get all the jobs.. Does this seem right to you? We’ve got to stick togeather or it will not be worth coming to work at all!!
@R.Swipe, It seems to me that NODA are the least of the Newcastle hackney trades worries at the moment. I’ve had a newcastle hack badge since 1998 but have worked private hire for the last few years. The cars you mention are unlikely to be flimping, simply working NODA’s zone system. Behind the law courts = East quayside zone where theres at least 6 restaurants we service and Stowell St = Gallowgate, lots of chineese retaurants. GPS plotting means if you don’t sit there, no work! I sit in these places but I never flimp a job and most drivers I know wouldn’t either, it’s simply not worth getting caught and prosecuted as some drivers were recently, and by the way we get moved by the police too!
I’m not stupid and know some cars will pick up flimps but come on why worry about drivers simply doing their job in Newcastle plated vehicles when theres cars running around from every licencing authority under the sun, with or with out radios, blatently picking up anyone, just look at the top of the Bigg Market on a Staurday night.
I feel sorry for the Hacks at the moment and am pleased I’m not still driving one, but I saw this coming. You should have stuck together at the very beginning and chased the very first Berwick/ Derwentside cars out of the town. I fear things are too bad now and have passed the point of no return.
@L79, can’t just turn a blind eye to what noda do r.swipe. As for the noda rank behind law courts haha there are 6 restaurants in that area with 2 hack ranks, one outside the eye on the tyne, that a hack can never get on because there are always cars parked there, and a 3 car rank outside the law courts with very little passing trade from those restaurants now. However before noda started ranking there we did have quite a bit of work off the law courts but since noda&metro became one there cars are all over that small area. I can understand that they have contracts for these places but we have seen a big drop in our pick ups and because noda cars being there they are just adding too the problem not helping it!
@cabieme, I can only speak for my self, but when I park behind the law courts I’m not there I’m not there to flimp. I’ve sent people over to the hacks as theres quite often a big queue of cars opposite Eye on the Tyne waiting to get on the law court rank, I’d rather do a booked job from one of the restaurants than flimp, theres no need as these restaurants are quite busy. The point I was trying to make is that the private hire don’t have much option but to sit there if they want work, it’s a busy zone because of the restaurants but GPS plotting means you have to be in the zone to get the work! As for passing trade from the restaurants, they have always used private hire for their customers, it’s just that Metro used to do it and they could sit outside the office and then drive down when there was a job, sadly things don’t work that way any more.
If you think I’m stealing your work I’m not! I used to drive a hack and can see how hard it is now. Your welcome to come and park up next to me behind the law courts and take any passing trade, no problem at all. I think you will be supprised how little there is, I’ve been approached about twice this year, and turned them away I might add! Trade is falling off generally due to the economic climate. Maybe it is that there is less work, rather than someone stealing your jobs.
@R.Swipe,
It’s nice to see someone mention NODA, I have seen three of their PH Cars flimp in North Tyneside over the last two weekends!, mostly in the Wallsend area, one at the Rising Sun Pub, one at the Klub and one at the Garage.
I think they need that Geezer with his Hi Vis Jacket on that likes to disrupt genuine Bookings from the Central, to go and keep a eye on their own Cars!!
Regards
Stephen
Did any of the delegation happen to bring up the issue of boy racers clogging up the city centre using bus lanes and parking prity much were they want
I’VE HAD A BRAIN FART. BEST PROTEST IN THE WORLD.
The legitamate North tyneside ph/hack drivers and the newcastle ph/hack drivers are pritty much all in agreement that yes the credit crunch has affected our takings but the influx and ever inreasing amount of out of town cars takes the p**s.
So why don’t we all chip in a few quid and open a PH office called TOO MANY TAXIS in berwick using CB’s as radio’s and we could offer fares for a quid anywere within berwick.
We can have us PH lads working the desk and the hacks working as PH cars.
YES we will all be slighly out of pocket but we would only have to work one day a week as we could rotate drivers and DC’s.
The fares collected would cover fuel and some of the runnng costs and the DC,s would work for nowt until we get or point across( one day a week for a few hours).
NOW HERE COME THE FUN STUFF
how long do you think it will take the berwick lads and lasses to kick off with berwick council when people phone TOO MANY TAXIS for cheaper fares and their takings take a massive plunge.
How long do you think it would then take the council to possibly RE-THINK their policys on cars working out of town and taking what we are saying with more than a pinch of salt.
Then how much extra work would the police in berwick had to deal with when theres a load of out of town cars parked in their borough clogging up their town centre and parking on their ranks. I think they would want words with the councils to get it stopped.
And then when were finished their we can tour the other F*****G boroughs and F**K with their livings until all the councils agree that OUT OF TOWN PLATES aren’t a good idea.
Not wanting to name names but I’ve heard that a particular NORTH TYNESIDE ( not Newcastle )office is awaiting delivery of another 20 berwick plates and has drivers waiting. Don’t know if it is true but if it is Could the office please kick me in the left testicle as my right testicle can’t take any more abuse.
Cheers MB 27
mb you must realise the folk in berwick have a village mentality & a council with even a smaller one, the would`d use any car from out of town other then there own for a taxi its a town with a massive chip on there shoulders you would do best by telling your passengers not to holiday there & give as much bad publicty as you can,they think its hillarious that its cost the tax payer down here a lot of money for a pathetic meaningless judgement,leaving rich office proprieters rubbing there hands, and a small minded council with extra mney in there coffers,
to mb buye a shop all have taxis or car wash you are sad man berwick is go no were mb go stand on the a one tell all
@l90, 1st of April mate,work ur Berwick plate into the ground,get ur moneys worth then buy an A to Z for Northumberland…
@Micky P,
1st april means sweet bugger all,the hacks in all seven of the district councils,berwick included,will stay exactly the same as they are until january 2010
@ 190
Sorry but I’m abit confused with your comment. Are you saying that I should buy a shop or a car wash because if you are can i say that I don’t want to buy a shop or car wash. If I did I would probably be on another site and not on TOO MANY TAXIS.(the clue is in the name)
You have also said ‘stand on the a one tell all’. Do you meen A1 coz that would be dangerous I might get nocked over LOL.
And as for being a SAD MAN and as you say ‘berwick is go no were’ Berwick will go somewhere. Into the history books again because berwicks borders have moved more times than the LA’s policys on Taxis.
I take it from your comment that you are a out of town driver more than likley berwick. If so If you head up the A1 pass STANNINGTON, ALNWICK, FENWICK AND SCREMERSTON keep going for a few more miles and you will come to BERWICK-UPON-TWEED find yourself a nice rank space and please don’t come back.
Then I would be a Happy man.
Many thanks MB 27
mb i going to work at airport can you yes i am out town and i have a house berwick as well and are you nvq bet not you will shit your self when you have to do it when all newcastle ph/ and hacks got to do it many thank to you l90
@l90,
who says all drivers HAVE to do this course eh?
the course only runs till 2010!
newcastle city licencing have never mentioned having to do this course, the only people who want to convince us that we HAVE to do this NVQ, is those who are making money out of it!
i’ve just got back off a jaunt in edinburgh.
just let me tell you what i saw and seen.
they have no boy racers clogging up the areas where the bars are, or private hire for that matter. the way the council have done this is to bar private hire from using bus lanes, only local hackney taxis are allowed to use these, and in doing so the private hire and boy racers cannot get near the main bars and clubs!
the private hire driver was telling me that the busses have cameras that record the details in front, the police, enforcement or they could be shopped up by a hackney driver, he told me that no private hire drivers broke the rule as it was rigoursly enforced!
3 year ago i was up there and it was mayhem! something so simple has fixed a problem.
so why not ask the council to maybe look at the same, only allowing busses hacks and emetrgency vehicles to use bus lanes? and then enforce it!
@l90, Kiss my arse
@ 190
actual I’ve already wiped my arse and done the NVQ.
And I don’t want to work the Airport if I did I would have put my name down 5 years ago when I PASSED MY LOCALITY TEST yes thats right once upon a time you had to sit a test. Could you pass one or would you strugle to spell your street name???
@MB 27, I too have took a locality test and PASSED the Nvq i bet some of these Berwick plated tossers could’nt spell NVQ !
@190, did you win ur berwick badge in the village fete then ?
went to the meeting last night, dont want to say too much as theres other meetings in the pipeline, but all in all i went away feeling good that maybe we are now getting listened too. i guess only time will tell.
once again well done to the lads who are putting in so much hard work.
why are all the hacks going on about berwick bages when we all no who is to blame for the fall of the taxi trade its the people the council leave alone because they shout its racist to say out to me get a grip lads and get them out
@bris67,
totally disagree, lack of enforcement of the out of town and private hire cars that flimp every weekend in mass is ruining the hackney trade! why the enforcement dont do the job i dont know, but the evidence as to how bad it is was for all to see for the following 3 weeks after the sting!
it needs to be regular, once a month at least, otherwise the rot builds up, word gets round that the council are not bothered and before long you have scenarions that we have seen where out of towners pull onto the front of a rank to pick up!
lack of working rank space AND parking enforcement are now CONTRIBUTING to this.
it has nothing to do with a private hire driving being from benwell or beijing, if they are not making the money they need at the office, they will look to the towns and citys for there wages!
and no one give me the auld they work all hours, i know countless white english lads that do the same, if your circumstances demand that then thats what you gotta do!
@bris67,
yes some of the staff at the council are clueless in regards to the real issues of the trade but before the influx of the out of town plates the trade moaned about the weather and argued over the colour of shite but we stood together on anything big and could make money doing the job.
If any one is to blame In my eyes its Mr Ian Shanks and the shite he talks about move the trade into the twentyth century bollocks when everyone knows that with out berwick and cross boarder hiring his office would be no were near the size it is and his revenue would be halfed hence the reason he will continue to shaft us all.
If you read the comments regarding polish drivers that still haven’t booking there flight here yet!! Yes thats right they aren’t even in the f***ing country you will also see why the man is killing the trade and the laws regarding out of town hackneys needs stopped before every f***er in the U.N. has a berwick badge.
Investor in passenger safty HA HA HA
Investor in Berwick council and his personal wealth more like!!!!!!
Just come back after one year away from the hacks i find it totaly unacceptable what is happening in our trade,Mr shanks wants his big fat greedy arse put in to place, what a disspicable horible corrupt man he is , When we get our town back i hope it destroys you.just want to say you can go on website and speak to your local mps and they will get in touch, so everyone should email them all your concerns if we all do this everyday they will soon listen!
@geordie boy, Funny you should mention emails mate I did send an email this morning regarding blt, out of town plates and the recruitment of drivers not even in the country.
I’m not going to say too much but any one with any passion for the trade should do the same.
I sent my email to:
Berwick council on dbw@berwick-uopn-tweed.gov.uk
North tyneside counil on taxilicensing@northtyneside.gov.uk
S.P.Savage newcastle council on phep@newcastle.gov.uk
Trading standards on trading.standards@northtyneside.gov.uk
Evening chronicle on ec.news@ncjmedia.co.uk and ec.letters@njcmedia.co.uk
Please do feel free to do the same as somebody somewhere must be prepared to listen.
If any one has any other suggestions of who I can email please let me know
Many thank MB 27
Its time to stop the car park arguments and do something about it !!!! before the only pick up we will be doing will be are giro !!!!
L79,
total rubbish
“GPS plotting means you have to be in the zone to get the work! ”
if you ALL sat outside the zone, a job would still go to the first driver! why should you park up on grey street etc etc … back in the ‘old’ days you had to drive to your job, whats the difference, clear the city streets of empty PH waiting for jobs and make them park outside only enetering ONCE they have taken a booking, isnt thats how its supposed to work anyway!
@Andy Warhol, True, but if I sat outside the zone other cars would just go in and I wouldn’t get a job all night! I’d rather park up somewhere quiet with no hassle from police etc but it’s not going to happon. Also there are hacks working for Noda so they would be in the zone and the private hire wouldn’t get any work at all.
@L79, Hi,your right there are hacks working for NODA,I`m 1 of them,I have the same data in that you have,and I have mine on auto plot which they all used to be.
The computer knows where each car is via the GPS link,that little box on the roof,work goes to the nearest car first,then if no cars close,it goes to the zones,and finally to the bid screen.
I know there are cars driving out to up coming jobs and parking up for them,personally as I have told both Suli and Chris Lamb,as far as i am concerned,I rank on my normal rank,if I get a job,all well and good,if not…tuff luck.
I have never tried to feed myself jobs,by plotting into areas where im not,or parking up waiting for the job,unless the desk clerk has given me the option when i drop off.
In 25 yrs in the trade,i have not lined myself up for jobs and wont do that now…..it used to be called stealing work from your collegues…its accepted now to do so….im old skool according to management. Well I`ll stay old skool then….