Shropshire taxi drivers’ anger over blanket fares
Thursday 17th February 2011, 9:48AM GMT.
Taxi drivers across Shropshire have reacted angrily to new blanket fares which have been welcomed by councillors – in a development billed as the first battle of a long war.
Moves to bring in a unified fare structure and overhaul licenses of all Hackney carriages in Shropshire were backed by the council’s strategic licensing committee yesterday and will come into force if backed by Shropshire council’s cabinet next month.
But the steps to bring about a “common set of conditions” have been met with fierce opposition from cab drivers who claim the zones need to remain to protect the unique conditions of each area.
Under the proposals, five operating areas based on the former borough and district councils would be abolished in favour of one zone.
The new fee card will be introduced on March 5 – providing no representations are made to the committee in the next 14 days.
Patrick Nolan, licensing consultant for Shrewsbury Drivers’ Action Group, said: “Today was the first battle of a much longer war.
“The drivers are very determined and over the next 14 days there will be tense and focussed negotiations between relevant drivers groups as well as the council – before the decision is ratified.
“The drivers will be putting their considerations forward and there may well be more high profile protests.”
The new fee card with fresh charges has been agreed subject to a 14-day representation period and providing there are is no opposition, the move will come into action on March 5.
Pete Quinton-Jones, of Bridgnorth Taxis, said: “The de-zoning will be disastrous for local firms. It will leave a big whole for other firms to exploit, in a difficult economic climate, when cost are already going up.”
Meanwhile Tim Higgins, a taxi operator in Oswestry said he was pleased with the result of the meeting believing a unified fare structure will bring down administration costs.
The new fees, which see a in rise the cost of licences for Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles from £105 to £130, are expected to come into force on March 31.
Taxi forums take place on February 23 in Ludlow, Oswestry and Shrewsbury. All meetings start at 10.30am.
By Sam Pinnington
Most Commented
- Clampdown on Shrewsbury chuggers
- Bishop's gay marriage views do nothing to support bible teachings
- Planners ordered to stay on Newport visit bus
- Letter: Angered by close encounter of the furred kind
- Letter: Alcohol price plans annoy me
- Shrewsbury’s broadband speed one of slowest in UK
- Letter: No sense in overseas job adverts
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
I bet if they dropped the fee to £1 a year they’d still be sending out cars that I wouldn’t keep chickens in.
Report abuse
What a load of tripe. “Zones need to remain to protect the unique conditions of each area”.
All Hackney cabs are the same, therefore, it costs the same per mile to run them, be it in Telford, Shrewsbury or any other town in the county.
In the light of this, it makes sense that fares should be the same too.
Report abuse
To be accurate, the main protests are from hackney drivers based in Shrewsbury, who were forced into conditions of license under S&ABC that were, frankly, wrong. They are also, as far as I can see, responible for many of the ‘scaremongering’ stories that journalists are happy to repeat to fill column inches.
The biggest problem is that the trade, other than Shrewsbury drivers, under the present proposals, would be facing a pay CUT in a time of increasing inflation(4%) increasing, fuel costs.
Due to the tardiness of Shrophire Council and some of their predesessors customers are facing a third set of hackney rates within the last three years.
If less time was spent producing ‘schemes’ to generate press for Shropshire Council and a little more on getting things properly sorted out, we would not be two years down the road on change predicated on “savings & efficiency” which has so far produced the very opposite.
When push comes to shove, the council are there to protect public safety not decide that it knows better than VOSA with reference to vehicle safety, how to run taxi & private hire business’s better than the owners, decide on business behalf which vehicles are best for the trade etc.
We already have that, it’s called market forces, which, if applied to the council would result in them being in the hands of the Official Receiver.
Issue licences and do CRB checks other than that get on with fixing holes in the road. God knows I’ve paid enough tax to be running on brand new tarmac all over the county let alone the third rate goat tracks that are hurriedly being fixed at the moment.
Report abuse
I think that the de-zoning is not as important as the that fact that the council are putting in plans under this consultation to allow serious offenders (including sex offenders and murderers) to apply for a taxi license. Putting children and vulnerable people at risk.
They are also implying that all disabled people are in a wheelchair as they want all hackney carriages to be wheelchair accessible vehicles, able bodied disabled people would struggle to get in these vehicles.
Report abuse
If taxi drivers are so bothered about the price of fuel why don’t they drive more economically? It surely wouldn’t be difficult, based on the standard of driving I see.
We all take it for granted that roads, hospitals, schools and many, many other things will be attended to despite the real costs yet baulk at paying it. You can’t have it both ways.
Report abuse
What this? ‘unique conditions of each area’…facts and information please, without any it’s like electronic ping pong with all heat and no light.
Report abuse
Maybe if Taxi drivers obeyed the law,eg. illegal parking,driving aggressively, sounding horns at night, just a few examples they may have public support, no sympathy from me as long as their driving is below an expected standard for ‘professional drivers’.
Report abuse
Not all taxi drivers are like that jeffb. My taxi has been hit 3 times by other people driving aggressively (2 being young drivers, 3rd white van man), all non fault by myself may i add. If they are breaking the law, take the vehicle plate number off the back of the vehicle and report them to the local council or police if its that serious.
Report abuse