Cabbies in protest over risks to public

Jun 20 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

TAXI DRIVERS brought chaos to the streets of Newcastle at rush hour yesterday in a protest against the council.

More than 100 Hackney cab drivers staged a go slow in the streets around the Civic Centre from 4pm until just after 5pm, snarling up the city’s roads.

The drivers say their livelihoods are being threatened and the public are being put at risk by cab drivers coming into the city from other areas and with licenses issued by councils who don’t carry out proper checks.

Protest organiser Graham Goldie said: “Every cab driver with a licence in a 20-mile radius of the city comes into Newcastle. Councils such as Berwick and others are issuing licenses without checking properly. And Newcastle Council does not enforce its own regulations either, cabs are not being checked and drivers are getting away with it.

“The public don’t know what cab they are getting into and some are getting ripped off and intimidated. I’ve been a cabbie for 14 years and things are the worst they have ever been, about a third of our work has been taken away. There will be another protest, it will be off the cuff again. Things will be escalating over the next few weeks until something is done.”

The protest started in Claremont Street and headed down to the city centre. The cabbies drove around the Civic Centre and into the car park, sounding their horns as they went.

Another cab driver, Terry Gorman of Ovington Grove, Fenham, Newcastle, said: “Newcastle Council should take more action against these rogue drivers. There needs to be more enforcement of the existing regulations.

“Drivers are now having to work 70 hour weeks just to support their families.”

The drivers have held previous protests in Berwick and say they feel the councils are not listening to them.

Newcastle City Council director of regulatory services and public protection Stephen Savage said: “We’re very happy with the resources we put into regulating taxis across the city. Our inspectors are regularly out and about inspecting vehicles and have done more than 1,000 checks in the last 12 months checking drivers and their cabs.

“In addition all vehicles are inspected on a regular basis and are, in our view, the safest in the region and we’d encourage the public to use vehicles licensed in Newcastle. On the specific issue of Berwick licensed cabs operating in the city, we are currently waiting for a High Court date to seek a judicial review against Berwick Borough Council after making an expedited hearing application and we are expecting to go to court later in the year.”