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Sandwell taxi drivers hold go-slow protest over fees and licensing issues Mark Bursa Hundreds of Sandwell taxi drivers took part in a go-slow drive around West Bromwich town centre last week before stopping to protest at Sandwell council’s taxi licence office in Cradley Heath. The protest, over concerns about licensing issues, caused lengthy traffic delays around West Bromwich and the surrounding towns of Oldbury and Blackheath. It follows protests last August and December. In particular, the drivers are concerned about the cost of licenses and the time it takes to process them. According to reports, it takes between nine and 12 months for new applications for a private hire licence to be processed. For neighbouring Wolverhampton Council, it takes approximately three weeks. A one-year taxi plate costs £353 for a vehicle under five years old, and £399 if it is over five years old, if the vehicle is registered with Sandwell Council. Other councils, such as
Dudley and Birmingham City, charge £235 and £185 for any age of vehicle. The protest was organised by the Sandwell Private Hire Drivers Association (SPHDA). The association claims Sandwell Council was not listening to drivers’ concerns. SPHDA vice-chair and protest organiser Jaswinder Dhesi said: “I
East Suffolk rejects drivers’ call for 60p fuel surcharge on all trips Mark Bursa Calls by a group of drivers for a 60p surcharge on Hackney cab journeys in East Suffolk to tackle rising fuel costs has been rejected by councillors. Instead the authority has promised a consultation with the trade over a lower 20p surcharge in the summer if needed. A group of nine Felixstowe cab drivers put
forward a request that a 60p fuel surcharge be added to all journeys for a temporary period of 12 months, in response to the rising cost of petrol and diesel. They said that would be a reasonable amount for passengers to pay for a temporary period. But East Suffolk Council’s licensing committee rejected the request, saying cab drivers across the whole district should be consulted over the issue. Instead, the committee voted to introduce a 20p surcharge on all journeys for a period of three months, but only after the trade has been consulted. The two-week consultation will take place before the committee’s next meeting in July, when it will decide whether
Lancaster taxi fares to rise after consultation with cabbies Lancaster City Council has approved plans for increased fares for hackney drivers to take into account rising costs following an informal consultation with local cabbies. Shorter journeys will be subject to a minor increase, while
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think they don’t want to listen to us, and every time they change the council leader, they seem to not know what our problems are.” He continued: “The problem is about too much red tape from the council licensing and they charge the highest fees in Sandwell for badges, as well as making us wait for up to
a year, meaning that someone who wants to work within a month can’t do so.” Dhesi apologised to the public for the delays they will have, but added: “We feel we have to do this as our hands are tied by the council, which doesn’t want to listen to us and won’t talk to us.”
to implement the 20p surcharge. The request was for Hackney Carriage cabs only as private hire cabs can set their own fees already. Cllr Paul Ashdown said: “I think 60p is too much. They are reasonably well paid with the fees they have actually got at this moment in time, and everybody is feeling the pinch.” Concerns were also raised over whether a flat rate of 60p for all journeys regardless of length was appropriate. According to the council, there are currently 187 Hackney Carriage drivers in East Suffolk. The Felixstowe drivers claimed their fuel costs had increased by around £810 per day, across an average 18 jobs per day.
journeys of more than five miles will be subject to a 10-15% increase. Time-and-a-half/double time rates on this tariff will see fares raised between 10-24%. The highest increases are for journeys of 20 miles or more, which rise 15.38% to £42.
—Mark Bursa
MAY 2022
