Thousands of minicab drivers flock to 'lenient' Wolverhampton for the licences

Thousands of private hire drivers are reportedly flocking to Wolverhampton for their minicab licences after claims the Black Country council are now ‘more lenient’.

It has been claimed that would-be cabbies are heading to the area rather than battle through tougher application processes in areas like Birmingham.

Wolverhampton City Council has been accused by councillors of handing minicab licences out ‘like sweeties’ and allegedly undermining public safety across the West Midlands.

But Wolverhampton Council's licensing chairman Alan Bolshaw said they are safe and the reason for an increase in applications was because of their online digital application system.

He said while other councils have "an old fashioned paper-based, face to face system which takes months where as our state of the art digital system takes days due to the investment we have made. Our process is award-winning."

The licensing authority has gone from granting under 1,000 private hire driver licences a year up to 2015 to almost 5,000 last year it has been revealed following a Freedom of Information Act request.

Meanwhile its income from licences has soared from under £250,000 per year to almost £800,000 in 2016/17.

In fact during the last year more minicabs were registered in Wolverhampton than Birmingham, even though it is only a third of the size.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of those Wolverhampton licenced drivers are now working regularly in other towns and cities including Coventry, where 241 were identified, and Birmingham. They have even been found on the roads of Manchester .

Now Birmingham and Coventry councillors are demanding a standard set of regulations across the West Midlands. For example strict new restrictions on carbon emissions and pollution for Birmingham cabs will not apply to out of town taxis.

Coventry licensing committee member Damian Gannon said: “Wolverhampton City Council is clearly handing private hire licenses out like sweeties and don’t give a damn about how it makes the taxi and private hire trades unaccountable to Coventry residents.

“Ideally, the private hire trade should be accountable to Coventry residents so if you drive a minicab in Coventry, you should be accountable in Coventry. At the moment Wolverhampton are exploiting a gap in the licensing regulations to make as much money as they can and that is just plain wrong.

“Treating private hire  licensing as a cash-cow undermines local democracy, it undermines public safety and it undermines the ability of minicab drivers to make a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.”

There are similar anxieties in Birmingham over the ‘race to the bottom’ in taxi regulation and questions over the ability of licensing officials in one city to oversee their drivers in another.

Councillor Barbara Dring suggested highlighting poor hygiene in kitchens across Birmingham is wrong - despite it being part of her job.

Licensing committee chairwoman Barbara Dring said that they are in talks with other West Midlands councils, including Wolverhampton, as well as lobbying Government to bring in a national set of standards for the cab trade.

She said: “This has been brought about by the de-regulation of the taxi and private hire trade . Wolverhampton’s conditions are somewhat different to the other areas and we do not have the powers to take action against their drivers operating in Birmingham.”

Birmingham’s head of licensing Chris Neville said: “We have started conversations with other West Midlands authorities over establishing shared conditions as far as we possibly can and that is in its early stages.”

A spokesman for Wolverhampton council said: “We would welcome greater consistency in the way taxi driver licences are granted and the standards that are applied. We are in discussions with the other West Midlands authorities about this, but we must stress this is a national issue and not just a regional one.”

Wolverhampton licensing officials have met with their Coventry counterparts.

The spokesman added: “We agreed on many issues including the need for the robust training which includes English language skills, safeguarding, child sexual exploitation, disability, passenger safety amongst other topics. The Coventry delegation were reassured that the standards applied to Wolverhampton drivers were similar to those applied to Coventry drivers."

But there are differences of opinion over local knowledge testing with Wolverhampton believing a sat nav is all that is necessary for a minicab drivers. Wolverhampton argues it is the fast track online application process which is proving popular with drivers.

Steep rise in licences granted in Wolverhampton

Licences granted for private hire cars in Wolverhampton

2012/13 - 631

2013/14 - 639

2014/15 - 780

2015/16 - 929

2016/17 - 2,049

Licences granted for private hire drivers

2012/13 - 929

2013/14 - 927 + 47 dual badges

2014/15 - 948 + 85 dual badges

2015/16 - 1,233 + 127 dual badges

2016/17 - 4,989 + 160 dual badges

Income from private hire licence applications

2012/13 - £205,576

2013/14 - £224,574

2014/15 - £262,523

2015/16 - £289,932

2016/17 - £798,958

Source : Birmingham Mail .

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Dreams Turn Sour, As Chinese Discard Hundreds Of Cycles-For-Hire In Giant Piles

It was hoped bike-hire schemes would cut pollution and congestion but it seems some users just want to ride and dump

 

It has been billed as a hi-tech bike-sharing boom that entrepreneurs hope will make them rich while simultaneously transforming China’s traffic-clogged cities.

But, occasionally, dreams can turn sour.

In the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, more than 500 bicycles for hire have been found dumped in huge piles on the streets, according to reports. 

Pictures shows jumbled stacks of vehicles nearly three metres high, with handlebars, baskets and other parts scattered on the ground.

City streets around the country have seen an explosion of the colourful bikes that users can rent on demand with a smartphone app and then park wherever they choose.

The sharing economy is taking off in China, where ride-sharing and Airbnb are increasingly commonplace.

 The dumped bikes in Shenzhen.

From Shanghai to Sichuan province, bike-sharing schemes are being rolled out in an effort to slash congestion and air pollution by putting a country once known as the “Kingdom of Bicycles” back on two wheels.

Companies such as Ofo and Mobike, with their rival fleets of bumblebee yellow and fluorescent orange bikes, have been locked in a cut-throat battle for customers.

But problems have arisen when clients have abandoned their cycles.

“Some people these days just have really bad character,” a man named He, who lives near where the stacks appeared, told the Southern Metropolis Daily.

“When they’re done using [the bike] they just throw it away somewhere, because they’ve already paid.”

In the past few days he witnessed people demolishing the bikes before discarding them on the side of the road, he said.

Residents told the paper that bikes had been piling up over the past week, either parked haphazardly by careless users or stacked by local security guards trying to clear narrow residential alleys and footpaths.

 The different colours represent rival bike-hire firms. 

Zhuang Chuangyu, a representative at Shenzhen’s municipal people’s congress, said the city needed to step up regulation of the bike-sharing industry in order to improve traffic conditions and safety standards, especially since schoolchildren often used the bikes.

In the years following Mao Zedong’s 1949 communist takeover, bikes ruled supreme in China and the Flying Pigeon – the eastern equivalent of the Raleigh Roadster – became one of the country’s most recognisable symbols.

But two-wheeled travel began to go out of fashion as China became more open to the world, ushering in decades of economic growth and a high demand for cars. 

In 1980, almost 63% of commuters cycled to work, the Beijing Morning Post reported in 2015, citing government data. But by 2000 that number had plummeted to 38% and today it stands at less than 12%.

Car use, meanwhile, has rocketed. In 2010 China overtook the US to become the world’s largest car market, with 13.5m vehicles sold in just 12 months. 

Source : Agence France-Presse 

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TfL Get A Taste Of Their Own Medicine With oBikes

Move over Santander...OBikes with an online app, are the new boys in town ! 

And they're so much cheaper it's what the public want :)

Santander, £2 for 30 mins

OBikes a whopping discounted price 50p for 30mins.

Plus, no need to return to base, leave them where you like! 

• Hire through an App

• Flood the market

• Not Regulated.  

Ring any bells !!!!!!

What next oBuses ?

A TRUE STORY (taken from Twitter)

Tiff Pedlehard and Barnaby Saddlesore were cycling down the new £650 million pound #CSH, when a gang of nasty cockneys stole their bikes! 

“HELP HELP POLICE” they cried.... But no police heard because there were no police around as there was no money left in the mayor's budget for police. 

What is it they say, careful what you wish for !

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PRINCE PHILIPS PERSONAL METROCAB LONDON TAXI RETIRED TO SANDRINGHAM

Earlier last year, HRH Prince Philip handed over his private London taxi to the Sandringham Museum after 18 years of service.

Since 1999 the Duke of Edinburgh travelled around London in the green Metrocab so that he can blend in with the ordinary traffic. However, he has never quite been incognito, with frequent sightings by tourists and the public over the years.

The taxi is now be parked alongside other royal vehicles at the museum which is showcasing the family’s vehicles from 1900 onwards.

---

“HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s taxi, which he used for travelling to both official and private engagements in London, has arrived at Sandringham and has been added to the display in the royal garages,” the museum announced.

This does not mean that Prince Philip, 95, is to hang up his own car keys. The Palace said he would continue driving.

In 2016, he was photographed driving Barack Obama, then the US president, and his wife Michelle in a Range Rover from Air Force 1 to Windsor Castle.

The Metrocab had been in need of extensive repairs to make it roadworthy, prompting the Palace to decide that it was a good time to hand it over to the museum. It will join 20 other vehicles, including a Daimler owned by Edward VII from 1900 and the Queen Mother’s golf buggy.

This article first appeared in The Times

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The State Of The Trade : Time For A Council Of War.

When Churchill was offered the job of Prime Minister by the King he said “I only hope it’s not too late, but I fear it is”

But never the less he took on the job at hand, later at dinner making this toast... “Here's to not buggering it up”.

Churchill was a big Taxi user, here he is paying the driver in 1908.

The State Of The Trade 

The engagement policy as it stands must be torn up, it has seriously damaged the trades drivers representation. There must be no good behaviour clauses. We should not be going cap in hand to TfL, Mike Brown should be begging us for meetings on our terms, not his.

As it stands now, our trade is on the verge of collapse. 

We are in the last chance saloon and we have only two courses to choose from; 

1. Fight hard, fight for victory, even if it entails fighting dirty

2. Or behave, capitulate and die out.

We have a clear view of our enemies now and unfortunately they include some from within our own ranks, who have turned against their own to get into TfLs good books.

The gravy train is now at the end of the line!

It’s time to draw a line in the sand. 

Only you can decide on which side you stand;

a) With the rank and file trade fighters

b) Or with the I’m alright Jack apathetic capitulates.

The first thing Churchill did as coalition PM, was to form a war council. 

We need to form our own war council as soon as possible, consisting of 6 members who will represent our 6 representative groups. 

No one must be judged solely on what they’ve done or said in the past, but what they can do now and in the future.

I’ve had some gruelling battles with other drivers over the years, and I’ve still got many who despise me over my actions and outspoken personal opinions. Recently, I’ve been accused of changing with the tide, but those who can't change there minds, will never be able to change anything.

Personally, I’ve never held onto a grudge based on historic rhetoric or circumstance and I’ve always believed that everyone is entitled to a second chance.

But the football supporter politics of members following their org leaders has got to stop. It's time to judge these people by their actions (or non-action in most cases).

To use a phrase from the sport, come and have a go if you think your good enough. 

So What Is Our Aim...You May Well Ask!

I will answer in one word 

“Victory”...because without victory, there will be no survival, no trade!

Our policy must be to wage war on our enemies, if it involves fighting dirty, the so be it. 

There must be no surrender, no capitulation and no more negotiated wait and sees.

At present, our entire trade appears to be in full retreat, with moral at an all time low. Many drivers are deserting the trade they worked so hard to become part of and are going back to former professions. But to many, this job is all they have, all they know. 

We must never give up.

We should not flag or fail...whatever the cost, we must defend our trade and never, ever, surrender.

One bond unites us all, musher, journeyman, plus supporting industry....we need to fight to save all our jobs. 

Negotiation has never worked with TfL so we have to hit them hard where it hurt them the most, there financial potential.

As the great man himself once said, “if we fight, we may not win.... but if we don’t fight, I guarantee, we will lose. 

  

But what ever happens as we go forward now, we must not allow this glorious trade to go down without a fight.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : 

Watch this short video to see how Prince Charles feels about the London Taxi Trade.

   

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TfL forced to drop plans to slash Taxicard budget in face of Town Hall opposition

Council bosses have welcomed a commitment to maintain funding for the popular Taxicard scheme after Transport for London and City Hall proposed cuts in their support.

Operated by London Councils, the scheme funds subsidised taxi journeys for disabled and mobility impaired Londoners, allowing them to make journeys many would otherwise struggle to carry out on public transport.

Funding is provided by TfL, which is chaired by Mayor Sadiq Khan, and London’s local councils, with users paying just a small contribution towards their fare.

In December London Councils, which represents all councils in the capital, expressed concern after TfL proposed a 13% cut to its funding in the coming financial year, followed by further, smaller, cuts in the following years.

Councillor Julian Bell, Chair of London Councils Transport and Environment Committee and the Labour leader of Ealing Council, claimed the proposal went against Mayor Khan’s election pledge to support the scheme.

In a letter to City Hall, he also warned that the cuts, which were proposed without first carrying out an equalities impact assessment, could leave them open to a legal challenge.

In response to the criticisms Val Shawcross, Mr Khan’s transport deputy, insisted the Mayor and TfL were “fully committed to the Taxicard scheme, and can guarantee that there will no reduction at all in the service being provided anywhere in London.”

On Friday London Councils announced that the planned cuts had been dropped with TfL now guaranteeing that, in the 2018/19 financial year, the scheme will receive the same level of funding as it did in the previous year, as well any increases needed to cover rises in taxi fares.

Cllr Bell said: “We are delighted that we have secured this commitment on behalf of London’s Taxicard users and our member boroughs.

“TfL’s proposal to cut their funding contribution to the Taxicard scheme would have had a significant impact on the level of subsidy offered, limiting people’s ability to travel in and around the capital.

“Now we know that TfL’s Taxicard’s budget will be maintained in 2018-19, we can focus on ensuring the scheme works in the best possible way for users and our member boroughs

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TFL's Helping Hand For Uber, Good Luck, Or Contrived ?

While Uber Could Theoretically Pay No Fees For Three More Years, 46 Private Hire Firms Have Stopped Trading Since The TfL hiked Fees. 

New figures have shown almost fifty Private Hire Operators have closed their doors since the 5000% rise in license fee’s by Transport for London was introduced.

The Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA), which campaigned to get Private Hire Vehicles (minicabs and chauffeurs) in London licensed, will challenge Transport for London (TfL) in the High Court next week (6th February).

It has brought about judicial review proceedings for what it sees as punitive and unfair increases in the cost of Licensed Operator Fees.

A freedom of information request to TfL has shown that in September 2017, when the new fees were approved, there were 2,445 PHV Operators licensed. By 3 December 2017, there were just 2,399. TfL has stated that it needs to increase costs to meet operator licensing, compliance and enforcement costs.

Steve Wright Chair of the LPHCA says: “I have spent all my working life seeking to improve standards and safety in London. TfL’s own figures show there are fantastic levels of compliance because Operators in London have been regulated for over 15 years. We are concerned that monies raised by these increases will not be used for Operator compliance but be used elsewhere by TfL.’

He added; “We are taking legal action ‘more in sorrow than in anger’. What we hope is that the High Court will rule in our favour and that TfL will engage with us and other key trade bodies to discuss fees that are realistic, affordable and proportionate to the cost of running its compliance and enforcement function.”

TfL’s own figures show that the most compliant medium-sized operators are being subjected to punitive costs. Some long-established minicab companies have seen the cost of a five-year licence escalate from £2,826 to £30,000. By simply adding one vehicle, their costs would rise to £150,000. The addition of one driver would take them into a higher tier and cost the company £54,000 at the point of licence change.

A TfL spokeswoman told Evening Standard that the number of businesses closing was “fairly consistent” with recent years.

She said the fee rises were “proportionate” after a dramatic rise in the size of the industry over the last five years had greatly increased the costs of overseeing them. The fees will fund extra compliance officers “who do a crucial job in driving up standards and ensuring passengers remain safe”.

The case will be considered on various aspects including the allegation that TfL did not undertake a considered and thorough consultation prior to the introduction of these fees and failed to carry out an independent regulatory impact assessment.

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