Source: Shields Gazette
A new star-rating system is to be introduced in South Tyneside to recognise good practice in the taxi trade.
Private hire firms will be checked against criteria, including dress code, the condition and cleanliness of their office, the accuracy of records and compliance with licence conditions.
If they comply with the 12 points set by South Tyneside Council’s licensing section, they will be considered to be a three-star operator and able to advertise their services accordingly.
But not everyone is happy with the scheme, aimed at improving the standards of service over and above legal requirements and promoting best practice.
Keith Haraldsen, owner of Station Taxis in Mile End Road, South Shields, believes companies should only be marked on one thing – customer satisfaction.
He said: “There’s some criteria involved in the 12 points which are completely irrelevant to providing a good service.
“I agree with the principle of the scheme, but I don’t agree with the way it’s being carried out.
“The council has missed the point – our service should be marked on customer satisfaction and not on what satisfies the council in a perfect world.
“One of the points says the driver should not wear any headgear.
“If you arrive at your chosen destination on time, with no problems, who cares if the driver is wearing something on his head if he’s operating within the law? It’s ridiculous.”
Operators who don’t achieve the 12 points could be awarded two stars if they meet eight or more of the criteria.
All other operators are given one star status providing they demonstrate they comply with all operator licence conditions.
A spokesman for South Tyneside Council said: “We have an extremely good relationship with the taxi trade, and we know that the licensed operators in the borough place great importance on the safety and quality of their services.
“This scheme aims to identify and reward operators who provide a truly exceptional service to the public, and we see this as a positive move for both operators and customers.
“Though some concerns were raised at a recent meeting between operators and licensing officers, there was a strong consensus in support of the scheme.”
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Firstly im a taxi driver in South Shields and want to remain anon simply to give me peace of mind. The star scheme that south tynside council is bring in is a totol waste of time and money at a time when most of the offices can not afford it. Its the brainchild of Geoff young and Owen Clough both licensing officers in south tynside and from what is going round on the ranks is that office owners are not in support of it.
Also you have made no provisions for the hackney trade to gain any stars so i will not even get 1 star which will influence the publics choice of taxi. The star scheme does not allow mini buses to charge extra for carrying 5 or more. Customers save money by using minibuses so in return is it not fair that the driver/owner who pays more for the purchase of a bus and uses more fuel should get more. Unless of course you want minibuses of the road. In a nutshel the general feeling is that if you have enough money to implement the 12 points then youl get 3 stars as not one single point of the criteria relates to jobs going out on time/reliability/customer satisfaction or public feedback. Maybe if the council spent less time on introducing things that no one wants and more time doing what they are employed to do then there wouldnt be drivers running around uninsured for days on end whilst carrying passengers (theres been 2 in 2 months up to now). We all no that the councils read these sites so i do look forward to reading youir reply