Stop the danger clause

When a staggering 80 per cent of women say they would be concerned if they were collected by a taxi driver from a firm different to the one they’ve ordered the taxi from – you’d think everyone would sit up and listen.

A recent Local Government Association safer and stronger communities board’s opinion poll shows 80 per cent of women would be concerned if they booked a journey with one firm and a different one turned up.

But the government appear indifferent to this most serious worry. Right now it is trying to push through a clause in the forthcoming taxi de-regulation Bill that could mean this threat becomes a reality.

You could book your taxi from your regular private hire vehicle firm – the one you’ve used for years and safe travelling with – only to find someone you don’t know, turning up.

Stranger’s car

You don’t even know if they are actually licensed – in reality you’d be just getting into a stranger’s car.

So despite representations from Unite and other taxi trade unions, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, the Survivors Trust, all 19 police commissioners, the Institute of Licensing, and the Local Government Association (LGA) this clause (clause 12) has been included in the deregulation Bill, due to be heard in the Lords tomorrow (Tuesday October 21.)

Unite lead national rep, Tommy McIntyre, a cab driver in Liverpool, said if the clause became law it would seriously threaten passenger safety – especially women’s.

“It’s like you’ve ordered Kellog’s cornflakes on your supermarket internet shop – and you get some inferior brand you’ve never heard of,” he explained.

“You would lose your right to choose which firm you want to travel with.”

In essence, clause 12 would allow private hire operators to sub-contract bookings to operators licensed in a different district.

And by being able to pass jobs from one operator to another, the role of the local licensing enforcement would become impossible.

Currently only the licensing officers from a licensing authority area have the power to take enforcement action against the vehicle and driver.

But this clause could result in vehicles and drivers working literally hundreds of miles from their licensing authority, with no controls, putting the public’s safety at risk.

It’s a point not lost on Tommy. “You could be licensed in Liverpool and work in London.”

Unlicensed

And you could be riding in an unlicensed cab. “Local licensing authorities won’t be able to enforce their licensing safeguards – they won’t be able to control public safety.”

Fellow Liverpool driver and Unite rep Dave Macleod agrees. “There’s no doubt that if clause 12 is included in the Bill it will be open to abuse.

“It will be impossible to police – in fact the police back us up on this.”

And it’s not just the police. The Local Government Association – a cross party organisation advising councils – also are fighting to remove the clause.

“Councils support comprehensive reform of taxi licensing but…not through this unwise piecemeal approach that could have a negative impact on public safety,” said the LGA’s Cllr Ann Lucas.

Last week (October 14) the government dropped another contentious and potentially dangerous clause, clause 10, from the Bill. The move was welcomed by Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Mary Creagh.

Rogues

But on clause 12 she told the Commons, “Ministers are still pressing ahead with their risky plans to loosen taxi licensing and allowing cabs to work out of area, which Labour, alongside safety charities, has opposed.

“Ministers need urgently to review these final two measures and we repeat our offer to work with them to get the rogues off the road.”

Another aspect of concern should clause 12 not be stopped is the growth of mega-car firms like Uber and Addison Lee. Green Party MP raised the connections between Addison Lee and the Conservative Party.

She told the Commons, “We know that good money can be made from the taxi and private hire or minicab industry.

“Addison Lee has made so much that it is giving it away in large quantities to the Conservative party, and are we supposed to believe that Addison Lee has had no influence on the move to push amendments through before the publication of the Law Commission’s in-depth review of taxi and PHV legislation?”

She added that, “John Griffin, the boss of minicab giant Addison Lee, was embroiled in a cash-for-access scandal in 2012, after his firm gave £0.25m to the Conservative party.”

It’s clearly imperative for everyone’s sake clause 12 is removed from the Bill tomorrow.

London driver and national rep Mike Hedges says women’s safety is at stake. “In London there are 25 sexual assaults by minicab drivers every week – last year there were 287 assaults. That is not in any way acceptable and this clause must be and has to be stopped.”