140 Newcastle Hacks made a go-slow protest today through Newcastle to increase attention to the on-going saga of Berwick plated cars operating throughout Tyneside.

Newcastle hackney carriage drivers livelyhoods are being threatened by the use of cars licenced in Berwick-upon-Tweed. Which are working on Tyneside, supposedly as Private Hire through a So Called ‘Loophole’ in the licensing Laws.

They believe little is being done by Newcastle City Council who Licence the 760 legitimate hackney carriage drivers registered in the city.

The 30 minute protest, which took place during rush hour traffic today, Thursday 19 June 08, was routed through the city centre finishing up at Newcastle Civic Centre.

Newcastle Taxi drivers Takings are down over the last few months as more and more Berwick Licenced cars are issued to drivers from tyneside,some of whom have probably never even bee to Berwick-upon Tweed, yet noone seems to care but the legitimate Taxi drivers who are affected the most by this ridiculous state of affairs. It could only happen in Britain!!

If these vehicles pick a passenger up from the street their insurance becomes invalid, this is illegal not to mention the safety of the passengers. This problem is not restricted to Newcastle City centre but North tyneside, Gateshead and South tyneside. There are a lot of these cars now and how many of them are carrying passengers illegally with invalid insurance throughout Tyneside. This has been going on for quite some time now Yet no one seems to be doing anything except the legitimate Taxi drivers who only want what they pay their licence fees for, to carry out their work, the work they have done faithfully in good times and bad for the fare paying passengers of Tyneside. Both passengers and drivers deserve better.

We have a Licencing dept. and enforcement officers who are supposed to protect the public from bogus Taxis and unfit cars, yet this has been going on and on with seemingly little being done about it.

These Berwick and other out of town licenced cars are only supposed to work as Private hire outside of their own operating area, I don’t agree with that anyway, but if this is so why do they not have to remove all visible signs of being a Taxi as per Section 48 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976

“not of such design and appearance as to lead any person to believe that the
vehicle is a Hackney Carriage;”

Our Licencing dept. in North Tyneside tells us “We are awaiting the outcome of a High Court judicial review against Berwick Borough Council brought about by Newcastle city council who are expecting to go to court later in the year.”

In the meantime they should be out there catching them. We sit in Whitley Bay every Weekend taking pictures and phoning the offices they work for asking if they are on bookings, most times the desk clerks tell us they are not. They are just flimping. why can’t enforcement do that, why can’t enforcement be on their tails at all times making it pointless for them to cruise around looking for our fares. Not just for us but for the public who risk being taken home in an uninsured car.

Which large private hire operator is it that says “DO YOU KNOW WHO’S TAKING YOU HOME” Ironically it could be the one that started all this!!!

Well Newcastle, North Tyneside Hacks are with you all the way, Between us we could block the coast road from Jesmond to Billy Mill.

http://www.toomanytaxis.com/2008/06/19/newcastle-hacks-protest-against-berwick-licenced-cars/