TAXI DRIVERS in Burton are presenting a united front to fight new council guidelines they say could force some cabbies out of the business.

The East Staffordshire Borough Council proposals include making drivers undergo a costly new medical examination, and sending them on a BTEC course to learn about subjects like customer service, equal opportunities and health and safety.

Drivers would even be told what they can and cannot wear, with clothing such as baseball caps and three quarter-length trousers banned.

The plans have prompted drivers to get together to form the East Staffordshire Private Hire and Taxi Association, which - little over a week after its formation - already has nearly 400 drivers, from 36 different companies, on board.

Burton taxi driver Mohammed Ikhlaq was elected as chairman of the association - which has as its motto 'United We Stand' - at a packed meeting at Princess Street Community Centre last week.

A second meeting was held on Monday night, at which drivers unanimously approved a list of objections to the plans, while the association's committee members also voiced their concerns at a council-organised roadshow on the issue at Burton Town Hall yesterday.

"We're willing to do anything that is reasonable, but there's nothing reasonable about what they've said to us," said Mr Ikhlaq.

"At the moment we already have to have criminal records checks, a taxi driving test by the Driving Standards Agency, a knowledge test, a wheelchair test and a medical examination. None of the neighbouring local authorities have such stringent criteria as we have in East Staffordshire.

"We set up the association so that we can tackle the council and ask them questions. They've never been able to give us answers before, but now we can go to them representing the whole taxi community."

The council proposals include a requirement for holders of a HGV or PSV (public service vehicle) licence to undertake an additional taxi driving test - unnecessary, according to committee member Saghir Ahmed Ratyal.

"I already have a PSV licence," he said. "If I can carry 50 passengers on a bus then four passengers in a car shouldn't be a problem."

Meanwhile drivers would be required to undergo a stringent new medical examination, which the drivers say will hit them in the pocket, further increasing the estimated £450 cost of obtaining a licence and undergoing all the existing tests.

"We already have to take a standard medical which costs us £165 for a two-page medical form," said Mr Ikhlaq. "The form they want to bring in is nine pages so we will probably have to end up paying at least double that.

"All this will have a very big impact on us. Diesel has gone up and we are already paying on average between £2,000 and £2,500 a year per car on insurance. With these new proposals a lot of people just won't be able to make a living."

East Staffordshire mayor and chairman of the council's licensing committee Councillor Liz Staples said drivers' views would be taken into account before a final decision was made later in the summer.

"The purpose of these new guidelines is solely to improve passenger safety and all of the proposed measures have that aim in mind," she said.

"None of these guidelines are written in stone yet and of course we will be taking on board any comments made by the taxi drivers, but the safety of their passengers is a priority in making East Staffordshire a safer place to be."

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