TRANSPORT - TAXIS

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Taxis are still illegally parking while waiting for fares at the Victoria Street bus stop, near to the former Debenhams store. Passengers are having to weave their way through taxis into the busy road in order to reach the buses, which are forced to stop in the middle of the road to pick people up. Taxis are supposed to keep the area clear until 11pm, when buses services end for the day, and there is also an allocated bay for them to stop at further along the road. Keith Myatt, communications manager with Arriva, said his company had passed CCTV footage to Derby City Council and was holding "regular" meetings to solve the problem.

City council spokeswoman Carol Mee said private taxi services and the 300 taxis operated by the council had been reminded not to park in the area and persistent offenders could be sacked. She added, "People will see yellow taxis and think they are doing it all the time, when it could just be the same drivers. but if we get reports of any drivers flouting the rules, we will have words with them."

Shayad Mahmood, chairman of Derby Area Taxis Operators Association, said he did not think there was an issue and claimed taxi drivers had a verbal agreement with the city council to use bus stops responsibly. He said, "We shift a lot of people out of the city centre from that point in Derby. And there is no point having taxis where there is no work for them. They might be parking there but it's not a major concern." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Feb/08)

Taxi fares for passengers using Derby's hackney cabs will go up from July 2003. Hackney cab charges will rise by between 20p and 30p a mile as part of changes put forward by the Derby Area Taxi Operators' Association (TOA). An extra 50p has been added to the initial charge for hiring a cab at Christmas. The TOA has defended the rises, saying they will only ensure cab fares catch up with inflation since October, 2000 - the last time fares went up. It also claims that the Christmas tariff is necessary to encourage more hackney drivers to work over the festive period.

Derby City Council's Licensing and Appeals Committee rubber-stamped the rises but concerns were raised about the negative effect the rises might have on deterring drink-drivers over the festive period. Councillor John Ahern said, "One of the things we are promoting is to encourage people not to drive during the Christmas period. This will probably encourage people not to use taxis but to be tempted to take their cars on the road." But Councillor Ruth Skelton countered the argument. "If, at the moment, there are not enough taxis around during that period, there's greater pressure on people to drive," she said. "At least this will make more cabs available."

From July 1, journeys of up to five miles will cost £1.30 a mile, compared to £1.10 a mile at the moment, while the initial hire charge of £1 will stay the same. After five miles, the rate will increase to £1.40 per mile. The initial hire charge will become £2.50 on cabs taken between midday on Christmas Eve and midnight on Boxing Day. At present, a cab at Christmas costs an initial fee of £2, plus £1.10 per mile travelled - the same as hackney cab night charges, which run from midnight until 5am.

The new Christmas tariff will also apply from midday on New Year's Eve until midnight on New Year's Day. During those periods, journeys will now also cost more, with the first mile costing £2 and each mile thereafter a further £1.80. Mohammed Safeff, chairman of the Derby Hackney Union, said the majority of drivers were against the changes. He said, "We'll lose business because the fares have gone up. People will still need taxis, but they will have cheaper alternatives now, such as the private hire taxis. We're competitive at the moment, but if we put the prices too high, it'll turn the tables against us." Another concerted effort to encourage more people to use public transport.

A Derby taxi firm has adopted a futuristic approach to expansion with the introduction of a £130,000 satellite system to boost safety and response times for customers. Ghafar Ahmed, manager of 75 Taxis in Ascot Drive, London Road, said that the global positioning satellite (GPS) equipment newly installed in the firm’s 75 hackney cabs and 10 private hire cars made it the safest in the city. He said that it would also make the company the most efficient with the state-of-the-art system pinpointing the locations of vehicles and able to cope with dozens of requests for rides within seconds.

On-board computers have replaced radio messages, which were always in danger of interception by rogue cab firms or criminals, he said. Mr Ahmed added: “In Derby we have been lucky but I know of instances in other cities in which criminals have been listening in to taxi radio messages on scanners. “They hear that Mr and Mrs Smith, of such and such address, wants a cab to the airport and when they come back they find their house has been ransacked. This system is being used in areas like Leeds and Stockport and is proving very successful. You are able to tell the exact location of drivers. In one incident in Stockport recently a taxi was stolen but police were able to stop it because the firm involved was able to say exactly where the vehicle was.”

The business is currently recruiting drivers and plans to expand its private hire business fourfold. As well as the GPS systems, 75 Taxis is gearing up to introduce an autobook system for regular customers, who will be issued with a PIN number and will be able to book a cab without speaking to an operator. Mr Ahmed said, “This kit saves a lot of time and allows us to offer a much improved service. Sometimes we were so busy it was difficult to cope. Now if someone wants a cab at 8.30pm, our driver will be knocking on the door at 8.23pm, whereas before it might have taken time to find a driver in the area. Now we know where they are and can direct them to jobs much more easily.”

Taxis in Derby could soon be equipped with CCTV cameras after five drivers were recently threatened and robbed around the city.

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