Here we go, ask the Council for more Rank space and a bit of attention for their hard working Hackney Carriage Fleet and this is what you get.
Move the Hack Rank, at the Gate Complex,back a bit,stick a Private Hire booking office inside the Gate and Bobs yer auntie. Not quite! I’m sure there’s a good explanation for this but what does it look like. Has the Rank been moved to make way for NODA cars to get to their bookings or what?
NODA is a big company it has Telephone lines so that people can book them. Hackney Carriages are on the street to take street hirings. A Private Hire operation is now legitimately able to pick up at a prominent street Rank.Is this not just legitimising Flimping?
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
First of all,I think most drivers know that I`m in NODA,but if any don`t ….well you do now.
We were informed of this `desk at the gate` a week or so ago,and whilst neither for nor against it,I think it would first be an idea to find out what plans the `council` have for restoring a rank at the gate.
I dont work the place very much myself,due mainly to access to and from it,BUT if the road is to be permanently closed,look what they did to Northumberland st,`the old busy rank`,then where are the `hacks` going to work from.
If this plays out in such a way,no traffic at all round there,then personally I would rather NODA do this than say `Blueline`,or `Eastcoast`,and dont say it couldnt happen,if NODA have done it,then anyone else could have.
At least NODA do not operate `outside` plates.
As I said,I`m not for or against,but I would like to know what the council has in mind.
Two weeks ago,while Gerrard Smith was checking my cab over,I asked him about the Gate,he didn`t seem to know what was going to happen,the way he said it,I believe he had no idea at all.
Noda now have a office inside the Gate & are sending punters into the top end of low friar street, to be collected. Can’t see it working myself, as after 1 minute waiting the punter is just going to jump into one of the Hacks & away. Plus there is nowhere for PH & Hacks to both park up at the sametime, it was bad enough with the bandits picking up outside the Co-Op & blocking the road. Alot of Noda PH have already said that if this were to happen & there fares got into another car, then they were just going to flimp as much as possible. Might be worth the so called enforcement officers to use that area for there sting operations!!!!!!!!!!
Yes I am Noda aswell as Hack, & I mainly rely on my work from the Gate Fri,Sat to cover my expenses & get a wage.
I still stick by early points raised about designated pickup/drop offs in the toon for PH & leaving the Taxi ranks for us Hacks, although I’m glad that Noda have this idea of the office in the Gate, rather than blue line/lansdowne as they aren’t as yee ha as other companies.
On another point I have worked all over the country,abroad & at sea & I have never had to work alongside such a bunch of backstabbing spineless bast**rds. Just swapped Hacks & mine had ‘DAVES TAXIS’ on top sign & within 1/2 day had someone grassing me to office, Sir, Sir his taxi doesn’t look like mine.
If it had been the office staff then fare enough as it is there job, but a driver done it & I know it was because that is what I was told by the office.
I bet the driver cum in his pants when he saw that my taxi didn’t conform to regulation 7.8a (1 a) subsection 46a z xx w t,
Get a life you sad tw*t
DOES THIS MEAN THAT NODA TAKES THE RENT OFF ME IN ONE HAND.FOR THE HIRE OF THE HACK & THEN TAKES THE WORK OFF ME IN THE OTHER HAND.I NOW WONDER WHAT IM PAYING RENT FOR.
@ALI,
exactly mate, what next eldon square, clubs pubs etc?
what do WE pay outr hackney licencing to the council for? come on newcastle licencing YOU tell us!
because to me and every other hackney driver it seems that we are getting pushed further away from any chance of making a living!
AND mr. suleman’s got THAT photo up that portrays taxi drivers to be a bit iffy looking and his private hire drivers as fresh from the angels!
well mr. suleman, maybe you would like to add on there how many noda and metro drivers were caught in the sting last year! why dont you let us know how many times that the public were unaware that they are travelling in an uninsured vehicle!
i’m getting pretty fed up fast, fed up with trying to scratch a living, fed up with the council sitting back and ALLOWING all the illegal plying afor hire and flimping go on, fed up with trying to find a space to get on a rank (it’s Sunday night, quiet and to be hounest dread going to work as ALL the key ranks are overflowing, i’ll sit for 45 minutes, be within touching distance of the rank and get moved on by the police!), fed up of the playing into the hands of private hire offices this licencing team allows! fed up of operators who claim to care about the trade, yet look fpor every backddor way to destroy it! fed up with …
at this moment in time, i would be happier handing out leaflets for a bar abroad!
is it maybe not time we asked our council to review the licencing team in newcastle, and if it’s found that someone hasnt done as they should, then GET THEM OUT!
Can i just ask, the office in the gate would require an operators licence, yes?
then why did Newcastle City Licenciing grant such a licence with a hackney rank right outside?
Are they planning to ‘do away’ completely with the rank once the gates complete? have they lied to the UITA nd NHDA when they showed plans with a number of ranks on BOTH sides?
All this has done has played into NODAS hands in allowing them another illegal rank on low friar street, after all, the’ve been ranking on Newbrideg street now for some months and what has happened about this?
@Andy Warhol, Not sure about them needing an ops license cos if it is true then how do ace get away with using that wife with the clipboard at scalinis(three mile)in gosforth?
@smudger,
i’m sure in order to take bookings you require an operators licence.
Mr. O’brien promised us last june, 2008, answers as to why the council allowed this, jurys and many more to go on. He said he would look into it, he no longer works for licencing!
So it beggars the question, why oh why have newcastle licencing issued NODA an operators licence to take away work before it reaches a Hackney rank outside?
Maybe Mr. Shanks can shed some light on this as to whether they require an operators licence to operate there …
i could not be more sick at the news about noda and the gate.this is just more of the same from this bunch of useless civil servants who hide in the circus tent at newington road but do sod all to help the trade or do their job…..
if this was us we would be up before comitee to try n keap our badge to scrape a living