TRANSPORT - TAXIS

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Unions representing cab drivers in Derby want to put up the cost of hailing a cab by 33%. It has been two years since the cost of taxis in Derby was last increased. Now, the city's two main unions for Hackney drivers, Derby Area Taxi Operators' Association and Derby Hackney Union, want to put up prices to reflect increases in their overheads, particularly the rising cost of fuel. They are proposing to increase the cost of hailing a cab in the day from £1.50 to £2 and to raise the cost of each mile after that from £1.40 to £1.50. At night time, they want the cost of hailing a cab to rise from £2 to £2.30 and the rate per mile to rise from £1.50 to £1.60. Mohammad Saffaf, chairman of Derby Hackney Union, said the increase was needed by drivers.

He said, "The last time prices went up was two years ago and since then, we have seen fuel prices go up by something like 30%. Drivers need to recover the extra costs they are facing." There had originally been disagreement between the unions on what the increase should be but both said they now agreed £2 was fair. One taxi firm in the city, 75 Taxis, said it was opposed to the rise. A spokesman for the firm said, "We agree that a 10p increase in the mileage charge would be fair to cover the increase in fuel prices but we don't think the initial hire charge of £1.50 needs to be changed. Costs have gone up with fuel in particular but we think the 10p-a-mile increase would be sufficient."

Shayad Mahmood, of Derby Area Taxi Operators' Association, which represents about 115 independent drivers in the city, disagreed. He said he thought the increase was needed and that customers would accept it. He said, "With recent fuel price increases, the cost of licences, insurance and testing all going up, we agree there needs to be an increase and £2 is fair. We think customers will understand this. We provide an important service, not just for shoppers but also for people at night and I think people understand that prices can't stay the same forever." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Apr/08)

The Derby Hackney Union has raised a 152-signature petition calling for the city council to remove drivers' names from the front of new licence badges. They claim the information could lead to someone mocking the driver or discovering their address and targeting them at home. Mohammad Saffaf, chairman of the Derby Hackney Union, said that as most of the cab drivers in Derby were Asian, they tended to be more at risk of being targeted or mocked by drunk passengers.

Drivers' names were previously on the back of the identification badges and a list of the names of all licensed Hackney carriage drivers in Derby is publicly available at the council. Michael Foote, the council's director of corporate services, said, "It is acknowledged that the public display of a driver's name may be a useful identifier in the event of a complaint where several drivers may drive the same Hackney carriage. But, more importantly, it improves the image of the profession and helps drivers build better relationships with their passengers." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph)

Erewash Borough Council sent letters to all taxi businesses in Erewash, proposing that all cabs are painted silver, of certain widths, and no more than five years old, by 2006. A dress code for the drivers has also been proposed which means they would no longer be able to wear T-shirts and jeans. Taxi owners say it is unreasonable for the council to expect them to make such expensive changes in such a short period of time.

John Richardson, chairman of the taxi association in Erewash, said, "It's a joke. If it phased it in over a few years like in other places, then it would be all well and good but it's crazy to expect us to do it in a couple of months. It will cost about £1,000 to £2,000 for each cab to be painted, this is going to cost taxi drivers a small fortune."

Stephen Eyre, a licensing and enforcement officer at the council, said, "The current specifications have been in existence for some time, so it's time to upgrade them and bring in some higher standards to benefit the people using them. At the end of the day, we need the public to know that they're getting into a proper taxi." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph)

Derby Cabs, one of the East Midlands’ largest taxi operators, has shown its faith in the purpose built iconic British taxi with a major investment worth over £200,000 in buying eight new TXII wheelchair accessible vehicles. The purchase was through LTI main dealer Mann & Overton of Birmingham and the cabs are manufactured by LTI in Coventry.

The taxis, all supplied in yellow to meet Derby City Council requirements, are the first of the new style TXIIs to be supplied into the city. They feature a range of enhancements including a new super-protective screen between passenger and driver that can withstand attack from anything from a hammer to a baseball bat.

Standard LTI taxi features include a compact 25 feet turning circle, safer traditional side opening swing doors which give better driver visibility than sliding doors and alert on-coming traffic that a passenger is about to get out of the taxi. The TXIIs will be rented out to drivers at Derby Cabs, who currently run a fleet of around 65 purpose built taxis in the city.

They will replace existing purpose built taxis owned by Derby Cabs, who will sell them on to taxi drivers as the company expands its operations into vehicle retailing. Derby Cabs was formed in 1996 and acquired 75 Taxis and 75 Cars in September 2002, putting it among the leading companies of its kind in the region.

The company is one of the leading innovators in the trade, having introduced GPS communication systems to enhance response times and ‘Callback’, a system whereby the taxi driver can automatically call the customer as the taxi gets close to the pick-up point.

David Hudson, Partner at Derby Cabs, commented, “A fleet of modern, reliable, high quality vehicles is vital to the smooth and successful running of our taxi service and this order confirms our belief in the purpose built TXII as the best tool for the job. Purpose built taxis are popular with drivers for their small turning circle, offering unrivalled manoeuvrability, and comfort, and with passengers for their instantly recognisable shape meaning they know it is safe and legal to hail and hire in the street.”

Roger Bull, General Manager at Mann & Overton Birmingham, added, “Derby Cabs have gained a deserved reputation for innovation and quality of service locally and we are delighted that new TXII vehicles are to play a role in their growing success.”

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