Cabbies in fear for their future...

Exclusive by Peter Devine

February 18, 2009

| Submit Comments | Comments (19) | Previous | Next

WORRIED about the future: Jeff Holmes, Julie Wild and Chris Buchanan

A NUMBER of taxi drivers in Stockport claim they are facing ‘home and vehicle repossessions’ following a council decision to deregulate the issue of cab licences in the borough.

Currently the licences are limited by the council to 120 in Stockport, but last week’s decision to deregulate means that anyone can now apply for a taxi licence for the borough.

The decision, which was taken by Stockport Council’s licensing committee last Wednesday (Feb 11), has led to many cab drivers fearing a mass influx of taxis vying for their trade in what they already view as a diminishing market.

A report - which was part of a four-month, £22,000 consultation - determined that while there was no unmet demand by members of the public for cabs, it was believed by the council it would be foolish to challenge previous court decisions which had ruled against limiting licences.

One cab driver, George Manoli, who is currently paying off a debt on his cab of £38,000, told the Stockport Express the trade in Stockport faced a bleak future if they could not get the decision reversed:

He said: "If this decision is allowed to stand many drivers will lose their homes and have their taxis repossessed. The job of a taxi driver in Stockport is already on its knees due to the recession, with trade falling between 30 and 40 percent and cab drivers working long hours. When I went home from the meeting and told my wife she just broke down, and for the first time in my life I felt useless. It’s not like having our backs to the wall, it’s more like our backs are on the canvas."

Steve Hulme, the chairman of the Stockport Owner/Drivers Association (SODA), who attended the packed meeting of the committee, said: "What many drivers don’t understand is how you can produce a report which states there is no unmet demand, and yet still go ahead with this decision to de-limit.

"I would call on councillors to re-examine their decision in the interests of both the trade and the consumer."

Committee chairman, Councillor Chris Gordon, said: "I have tried to be fair with the trade and I must stress that any decision will not be made lightly. The report was done to inform this committee on the decision, but we had a four-month consultation, and if you are not going to say it in that time, you are not going to say it.

"If we were to maintain the limit there’s no certainty that it would satisfy the courts and it does not follow they would accept it remaining at 120 licences. It’s not envisaged that Stockport would be flooded with a large number of licence applications."

Speaking after the meeting Councillor Peter Scott, the leader of Stockport Labour group, said: "I don’t believe that the interests of local residents are best served by a free-for-all. Hackney operators have to invest many tens of thousands of pounds in their businesses, and their vehicles are much more expensive than private hire cars. Taxi owners won’t bother to operate if they can’t be sure of getting enough work. In fact, we could end up with fewer taxis as a result of this. It appears that the committee was bounced into this decision without members realising the implications of such a drastic and unwarranted step."

The Stockport Express understands that cab drivers in Stockport are now planning to challenge the decision through a judicial review.

| Submit Comments | Comments (19) | Previous | Next

Showing comments 1 to 19 and replies | View All

noname togive (18/02/2009 at 11:39)

£22000 on a report which says there isnt a shortage and then @@@@s in power go against it why the hell waste the mpney if their minds was already made up?

boghound (18/02/2009 at 11:51)

The same thing happened in Macclesfield many years ago and the place was flooded with "taxis". At the time, it seemed that they were giving licenses away when they signed on the "dole"!!!!

Taxi Ian , Stockport (18/02/2009 at 13:20)

about 3 years ago ,following an O.F.T report the government advised local authority's who wanted to carry on restricting cab numbers to put into writing their reasons why! Stockport had MORI produce a report which was put b4 the goverment as evidence for keeping a restriction of numbers! But the report did not have an unmet demand part to it! We were lead to believe that the 22 grand report was to be this final piece of the jigsaw that would close any legal loop holes!!!! The report found that there was no unmet demand and the average waiting time for a cab in stockport was 12 seconds! (shorter than a cab drivers 2 hours wait for a job!) i would very much like to ask the licensing committee why spend 22 grand on a report on demand and then not act upon its findings? Have they spent 22 thousand pounds of stockport's money for nothing! And most likely ,within 18 months put most of us taxi drivers out of work in the middle of a recession?...

Taxi Ian , Stockport (18/02/2009 at 13:32)

And!!!! there are 54 rank spaces for our 120 cabs!!! When everyone loosing there jobs this year goes into the town hall for their free plate! don't blame the congestion on us! you'll have A driver queuing up for 5 hours behind 300 other cabs halfway down the A6

Neoware1978, Stockport (18/02/2009 at 16:51)

I must say this is stupid,

There are already so many private hire firms in Stockport and with the decline of the pub trade nobody is really going out as much. So an already saturated market is now going to be even more swamped, I for one never fail to receive a taxi on time when I do need one from Metro or likewise on a return journey their are plenty of black cabs floating around from Hazel Grove through to the town centre.

Yet another stupid and backwards attitude from our local council which must be staffed with idots. I can help feeling a monkey could do a better job. If Anne Coffey our local parlimentary representative stopped having her photo taken for the local paper every time a community centre window gets broken or their is a hole in the road and did something constructive like saving her constituants jobs from the risk of illegal taxis flooding the area then I for one might be tempted to vote Labour but I doubt it - I'm voting for the tories in future!!

sean potter (18/02/2009 at 22:32)

Wasn't the current council boss a taxi driver once and he went bust? He might want another try. Crazy idea in the middle of a recession.

harrowgate, Philadelphia, USA (19/02/2009 at 22:56)

I support drivers organizing to improve their working conditions and standard of living. Be careful about what you want. Placing restictions may lead to more restrictions-like what we have in the USA., the medallion system. Stay organized and focused on your livlihood. I am not sure it will lead to more for less, because it takes a special kind of person to do this job. Nevertheless, for being in the industry first and making the sacrifices you have, you should be compensated in same, and before anyone else entering the business. Thanks and best wishes, Steve Chervenka, Political Director, TAxi Workers Alliance of PA-www.twapa.org

smit88888 (20/02/2009 at 16:37)

thats very nice of steve from philly but im not really sure what he is saying .cabs are restricted here in the usa ,i live in florida .i grew up in stockport and have good memories of the black cabs ,which they acctually have in las vegas now.i think a big part of the restictions is public saftey. in some countries women have to be very careful about taxis as rapes and assualts have happened ,also drivers without proper insurance .anyway good luck to the cab drivers

kevin stonier (20/02/2009 at 20:25)

once again goverment interference has lead to a desasterous decision. this really isn't the time to deregulate the trade. Wanting a plate is one thing expanding the numbers by simply aplying for one is just shooting your self in the foot. by increasing the numbers (especially in the present economic climate) you make it less likely that you will earn a decent livng, let alone pay finance and maintain your cab.

Now is the time to stick together not just owners but drivers as well. We all want to get to the other end of the resession intact.

Be honest with yourself councilor Gordon is now the right time ?????

Kevin stonier A proud stockport cabbie !!

badjobjohn, edgeley (20/02/2009 at 20:35)

can i personally thank all the councillors that took the time to attend our meeting on tuesday,and especially councillor phillip harding thet attended today friday at the train station to be intervieved by channel M , ps sorry about the coffee spillage on your coat phillip.

badjobjohn, edgeley (21/02/2009 at 20:16)

i am a black cab owner in stockport and would just like to thank the councillors that have helped us so far , especially phillip harding and shiela bailey who have been of great support thankyou john.

badjobjohn, edgeley (22/02/2009 at 19:47)

I AM A STOCKPORT BLACK CAB DRIVER AND HAVE MANAGED TO CANCEL MY ORDER FOR A BRAND NEW TX4 MY OLD TX1 WILL HAVE TO BE PATCHED UP FOR ANOTHER 5 YEARS AS THIS TOWN DOESENT WARRANT ANY MORE INVESTMENT IN THIS TRADE IN THE FUTURE.

meerkat, cheadle (23/02/2009 at 15:34)

As a long term cabbie,and servant for the people of Stockport,i must say that all drivers are already strugling to make a wage,120 cabs now,if 120 more come into the trade this would cut a poor wage in half,simple maths,maybe the members of license committe should go back to school,its a very sad day for cab drivers and their familys,any jobs going at Tesco?

nickynoname, stockport (23/02/2009 at 19:51)

This is a free for all now! Who's gonna be driving these new cabs? people who dont know the area or the customers? I for one hate gettng into a cab when the person driving doesnt have a clue- we need to keep these hard working professional drivers in their jobs that they seem to be doing alright on. I dont ever have a problem getting a cab, they are everywhere so why is there a need for more? i just dont understand. I always had a high opinion of stockport council and believed that their intentions were 'for the people' but now im not so sure.

gniuz, stockport (23/02/2009 at 20:15)

Hang on- £20,000 of council money spent to find out that we dont need any more cabs yet they still are giving out licences?! something is wrong here. maybe they should use the money to help all the homeless people in this time of need! I understand that there is a need for jobs but whats the point in making a job not worth having? If the experienced taxi drivers will lose out on work then surely the new drivers will be entering into a wasteful profession? Good luck cabbies on fighting this I hope you win x

#1driver, romiley (23/02/2009 at 21:27)

I HAVE BEEN RENTING A BLACK CAB IN STOCKPORT FOR 10+ YRS AND WATCHED IT GRADUALLY GET HARDER EVERY YEAR.I FIND IT VERY HARD NOW TO EARN A DECENT WAGE FOR MYSELF AFTER PAYING MY CAB RENT AND FUEL AS IT IS,DE-REGULATION OF THE BLACK CABS IS NOW FORCING ME TO SEEK OTHER EMPLOYMENT BECAUSE IT WON'T BE WORTH DOING AT ALL.
DE-REGULATION WAS THE MOST RIDICULOUS DECISION I HAVE EVER HEARD MADE.

mrs.p, stockport (24/02/2009 at 22:41)

HAS STOCKPORT COUNCIL GONE MAD……????
In this economic recession ,the government are giving financial aid to companies facing bankruptcy or administration. As a female cabbies i am appalled. my fellow colleagues and i have invested thousands of pounds in our industry. many of these loans are secured against our homes, we are not asking for any financial aid to save our businesses, and we are prepared to work harder and longer hours to support our families and our homes. all we ask is that the council continue to regulate the black cabs, so we can battle through the credit crunch, earn a living wage and hopefully survive to see better times. Will any councillors who have any commonsense put a stop to this and help protect the livelihood of the people who voted them to represent the community in the first place!!!

Boots (25/02/2009 at 08:49)

Stockport black cabs already provide an excellent service to the people of stockport. Deregulation does not work, other towns + citys which have tried it have proved this by reregulating.

Invicta, Greater Manchester (28/02/2009 at 16:23)

Not to mention the trash that will be masquerading as taxi-drivers should deregulation actually be implemented. People want to entrust their friends, family and loved ones to a professional, trustworthy, and honest Cabby. Not some chancer from somewhere well away from Stockport just out to make a fast buck before disappearing back from whence they came!

()

Report

News