Saturday, February 21, 2009

Cabbies in fear for their Future

Other then the recession, the other major problem that face cabby's world wide is every municipality want's to add cabs to the fleets, and cab co owners are happy to oblige.

The story from Stockport, England is different, the drivers are the owners and they are trying to stop the local powers that be from selling more permits, in there small town.

These Driver-owners are in thousands of pounds of dept and are at risk of not only losing there cab's but there homes.

Story from Stockport Express.

Cabbies in fear for their Future
by Peter Devine
18/ 2/2009


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 weeks decision to deregulate means that anyone can now apply for a taxi licence for the borough.

The decision, which was taken by Stockport Councils 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. Its not like having our backs to the wall, its 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.

"If we were to maintain the limit theres no certainty that it would satisfy the courts and it does not follow they would accept it remaining at 120 licences. Its 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.

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