Drivers in outcry at cab survey bill

Drivers in outcry at cab survey bill

BLACK cab owners in Corby will have to fork out an extra £87 when they
renew their licences.

The cash will go towards a compulsory Government survey about whether
there is an unmet demand for taxis in the town.

The Department of Transport says any councils which have a Hackney
Carriage Limitation Policy must justify their reasons for it. Corby Council
currently limits the number of black cabs to 114, so a survey was
launched in September last year at a cost of £10,000, with the final report
due this month.

Council chiefs say the cost should be met by all the Hackney carriage
owners, which would mean an extra £87.71 per vehicle added onto their
licence fee of £235.

A council report says: "In consultation with the Corby Hackney Carriage
Owners' Association (CHOA) it was agreed the cost of the survey was to
be recovered by invoicing each Hackney carriage owner on a shared basis."

All Hackney carriage owners were contacted by letter and advised that
they would be expected to pay, but some owners have objected, saying
they are not members of the CHOA and did not agree to the survey. This
forced councillors at Tuesday's One Corby Policy meeting to back plans to
add the fee to the licence costs.

Cab driver Kevin Donelan said: "There's no basis for the survey at all –
we pay enough already. It's just more cost for us.

"They have got 114 cabs and only rank

"The survey is pointless – you can have an unlimited number of private
hire vehicles in the town."

However secretary of the Corby Hackney Carriage Owners' Association
Lawson Walker said: "Every member was invited to the annual meeting of
the association and it was voted on unanimously to have the survey done.
At the end of the day it's our business and it's unrealistic to expect it to be
paid for by the taxpayer."

Meanwhile, changes in the law on private hire and taxi licensing have
come into force. Any commercial passenger vehicle with eight seats or
fewer now has to be licensed by the council.

That includes limousines, chauffeur services and novelty vehicles, and
means the council can carry out safety checks on vehicles and drivers.

Source: Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph