Taxi And Private Hire Regulations....What Is It The Media Doesn't Understand?... By Jim Thomas

What exactly is it that the media can't see or understand about Taxi and Private Hire regulation?

        Has this document become obsolete?

We already have sufficient legislation called the Private Hire Vehicles act 1998

Uber come along and amazingly, even though they don't conform to the regulations every other PH operator has to abide by, are licensed as an operator???

Uber don't do bookings! 

Contra to the PHV act 1998, their app allows them to illegally ply for immediate hire. 

When originally licensed in 2012, they had no proper operating centre, and ran their business from a rented desk space in More London. They didn't even have a landline to take bookings, contra to the regulations laid down regarding applications for operator licences. 

Even now over 3 years later, they still don't have a valid landline or take bookings. In fact they have no way to pre book a job.

The Taxi trade call foul and ask for regulations to be enforced (not new or more regulation just enforce what we already have) and suddenly it's a breach of Uber's consumer rights !!!

What about the rights of every other taxi driver or minicab operator in the industry?

Would it be a breach of our consumer rights to stop Taxi drives selling cigarettes or cans of beer to passengers or set up an app to supply cheap booze to people outside public houses ? 

Or perhaps we could perform cheap dentistry without any training?

Got a toothache? Call a cab....we have the tools to do the job cheap... 

Legislation is there to protect the public and should always be enforced.

Letting a company come here, who pay almost no tax, treats its workers like slaves, working below the minimum wage, reliant on benefits, is unfair competition. 

Why has this one company, with massive funds available for lobbying support, been allowed to operate "outside" the very legislation that every other PH company has to abide by ? 

Surely this is a breach of all other Taxi and Private Hire operators consumer rights!

What is it the media don't get about this ?

We are told this is allowed because it's what the public want, but as Steve McNamara recently pointed out in an ITV interview, a huge proportion of the public want controlled substances that are illegal. They can't because there is legislation against this, just like the legislation that governs minicabs. 

Unfortunately at present and in regards to Uber, the PH legislation, isn't being enforced. 

The Taxi trade doesn't want or need less regulation, it's there for a reason! 

We are proud of the fact we have all completed the knowledge of London process. 

Yes it's hard but it produces quality drivers who are regularly voted the best in the world.

We don't need more legislation in regards to PH we already have exactly what is needed. 

Why should one company be given an exclusion to operate in anyway they feel like? 

Has our licensing authority been corrupted?

All our industry asks for, is to have the rules and regulations we already have in place, enforced. 

What part of this request does the media, and interfering politicians find so hard to understand?

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