A ROW between private hire and Hackney Carriage taxi drivers spilled from the ranks into a licensing meeting this week.
Parking their white cabs outside Dewsbury Town Hall in protest, around 15 drivers marched into the meeting to make their complaints heard.
The Hackney Carriage drivers accused private hire drivers of breaking the rules and openly touting for trade when they were only meant to pick up customers with bookings.

One driver, Tariq Mahmood, told the licensing officers: "We are being forced out of our trade and it's being done openly. You're are a waste of time for me. You're not protecting my trade. Why should I pay so much for my licenses and various other fees if nothing is being done?"
Others named Asda in Dewsbury and the bars along the 'Golden Mile' on Bradford Road as some of the worst spots for private hire drivers hanging around to find customers.

Speaking to the Reporter, Akooji Badat, joint chair of the Hackney Carriage Taxi Association, said: "We don't mind their bookings but we can tell who's coming for bookings. A lot of places they're standing and plying for hire and they can't do that - they have to get bookings.
"We're insured to pick up anywhere within the boundaries of Kirklees if anyone flags us down. With private hire they have to be booked (to be insured]."

He urged passengers who have not booked a taxi to look out for the Hackney Carriages, which are usually white, and display their licenses.
He also called on the licensing officers to enforce the regulations.

But Mohammed Akmal Hussain, chair of the private hire association, said: "It's a two way thing. The problem is with Hackney Carriages over-ranking and then what we've also got is drivers who have lost a job and someone else gets in."

He said that at night, when many private hire firms only had a few drivers working, the same drivers could be sent back for several pick-ups outside the same bar or nightclub.

He said it could look like they were hanging around to find new jobs but that wasn't the case - they were simply returning for other bookings.

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: "We take complaints of this nature very seriously and we do take action against private hire taxis if the they are plying for customers on the street, including prosecutions through the courts."

He said licensing officers carried out intensive on-the-spot exercises to prevent it and would also use CCTV evidence where appropriate.
He added: "Drivers who operate illegally are putting their licence, and ultimately their livelihood, at risk."

http://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/news/39Taxi-wars39-spills-over-at.4161176.jp

A ROW between private hire and Hackney Carriage taxi drivers spilled from the ranks into a licensing meeting this week.
Parking their white cabs outside Dewsbury Town Hall in protest, around 15 drivers marched into the meeting to make their complaints heard.
The Hackney Carriage drivers accused private hire drivers of breaking the rules and openly touting for trade when they were only meant to pick up customers with bookings.

One driver, Tariq Mahmood, told the licensing officers: "We are being forced out of our trade and it's being done openly. You're are a waste of time for me. You're not protecting my trade. Why should I pay so much for my licenses and various other fees if nothing is being done?"
Others named Asda in Dewsbury and the bars along the 'Golden Mile' on Bradford Road as some of the worst spots for private hire drivers hanging around to find customers.

Speaking to the Reporter, Akooji Badat, joint chair of the Hackney Carriage Taxi Association, said: "We don't mind their bookings but we can tell who's coming for bookings. A lot of places they're standing and plying for hire and they can't do that - they have to get bookings.
"We're insured to pick up anywhere within the boundaries of Kirklees if anyone flags us down. With private hire they have to be booked (to be insured]."

He urged passengers who have not booked a taxi to look out for the Hackney Carriages, which are usually white, and display their licenses.
He also called on the licensing officers to enforce the regulations.

But Mohammed Akmal Hussain, chair of the private hire association, said: "It's a two way thing. The problem is with Hackney Carriages over-ranking and then what we've also got is drivers who have lost a job and someone else gets in."

He said that at night, when many private hire firms only had a few drivers working, the same drivers could be sent back for several pick-ups outside the same bar or nightclub.

He said it could look like they were hanging around to find new jobs but that wasn't the case - they were simply returning for other bookings.

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: "We take complaints of this nature very seriously and we do take action against private hire taxis if the they are plying for customers on the street, including prosecutions through the courts."

He said licensing officers carried out intensive on-the-spot exercises to prevent it and would also use CCTV evidence where appropriate.
He added: "Drivers who operate illegally are putting their licence, and ultimately their livelihood, at risk."

http://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/news/39Taxi-wars39-spills-over-at.4161176.jp