Private Hire Parking, Picking Up, Setting Down

Private Hire Parking, Picking Up,
Setting Down and Safety
It is quite mystifying how the Private Hire Trade gets perceived at
different times, in different ways by different people.
For example, ask a taxi driver about Private Hire and in many
cases the air will be blue. I know as I use taxis from time to time
and I also know quite a few taxi drivers. The real irony is that many
of them were Private Hire Drivers for a long while whilst waiting to
become taxi drivers.
It used to make me smile when a very vociferous spokesman for the
taxi trade that I knew in the area where I was an operator for the best
part of 30 years, used to call me just before New Year’s Eve to book a
car home from his golf club’s annual Hogmanay event.
“Hello Steve – Any chance of booking me a cab on the QT? You’ll
appreciate I’d be lynched on the rank if they knew I was using a
minicab, but I know you’ll understand that the boys expect me to give
minicabs a hard time and you do know it’s not personal. I haven’t
got a prayer of being able to pre-book a taxi home as I can do with a
minicab, so your help would be appreciated.”
Similarly the taxi driver who used to call in to our office for a donation
every year for a local charity who would say “I’d be strung up if they
knew I was in here, nice office though and very comfortable waiting
area, thanks for supporting us again, we can always rely on you.”
So ‘we can always be relied on’ and relied on we are by some 4
million passengers in London alone most weeks, including businesses,
charities, schools, hospitals, the elderly, the disadvantaged and of
course one of our biggest users – Local Authorities!
Yes Local Authorities, those same Local Authorities who have
accounts with our industry, the same Local Authorities whose
transport provision and policy requirements could never be met
without the support, service and keen pricing that our industry affords
them.
Knowing that hospitals wouldn’t be staffed, special needs passengers
couldn’t be transported, the vulnerable and the elderly wouldn’t be
able to have the dignity of an affordable door to door service, you
might reasonably think that there might be some mention of Private
Hire in Local Authority Transport Plans.
You might also expect that fellow workers in Local Authorities,
would also be mindful of the difficulties of working unsocial hours,
providing the only serious 24 hour pre-bookable door to door service,
particularly in the suburbs and rural areas, where finding a ‘street hailable’ taxi is extremely difficult.
You might also expect that the Local Authorities who have
responsibility for the schools, hospitals, the elderly and disadvantaged,
might just know something about the front line of delivering people
safely ‘As close to their front door as possible’ or picking them up in a
manner that is easy and most importantly safe.
Sadly that is not the case; it is a rarity for most but not all Local
Authorities, to have Private Hire featured in their Local Transport Plans
(LTPs), even though the Department for Transport is now highlighting
the requirement (in their Best Practice Guidance advice) that they
should do this following representation from the LPHCA.
22 | Private Hire News | issue 56 | Winter 2011/2012
The DfT Guidance in fact says:
All modes of transport including Taxi and PHV
services have a valuable part to play in overall
transport provision, and so local licensing
authorities have an input to delivering the LTPs.
The key policy themes for such services could
be availability and accessibility.
So the Department for Transport in their Best Practice Guidance is
looking at availability and accessibility, so what does that mean? It’s
time for the dictionary!
Available – Present and ready for use; at
hand, capable of being gotten; obtainable
Accessible – Easily approached or entered,
easily obtained
Well I must congratulate myself for having a good understanding of
what availability and accessibility means. The dictionary has the very
same view as my English Teacher!
So why is it nearly impossible to pick up and drop off passengers in
many Local Authorities in England and Wales? Why do most Local
Authorities singularly fail to look at availability, accessibility and by
default the safety, security and convenience of passengers who want
to be picked up safely and securely, when they consider their local
transport plans and policies?
In London, whilst TfL have made provision for Taxis and PHV’s to pick
up and set down on Red Routes (without the fear of a ticket and large
penalty) that simply has not happened in many Local Authorities.
Right across the country Local Authorities implement transport
plans and policy with little consideration for Pre-Booked Private
Hire passengers or drivers and there appears to be evidence of
discrimination against Private Hire when compared to Taxi. We have
been contacted by a member in the North of England who asked us
for help.
They informed us that during three Saturday nights part of their City
Centre has become a pedestrian zone. They were informed by post
in the form of an advance notice to say that this would be the case
for 3 weekends as an experiment, with the view to introducing it on a
permanent basis.
On this police letter it stated that only emergency vehicles would be
allowed through this area.
After the first weekend the public hire taxis complained and on the
second weekend they were allowed to go through to rank outside the
pubs, clubs, etc., and in fact pick up and drop off in the so called
‘pedestrian zone’.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
www.lphca.co.uk | [email protected]
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FROM PAGE 22
Private Hire Parking, Picking Up, Setting Down and Safety
Our member didn’t have too many problems on the first week, although
the public, including residents, had to walk to the outside of the zone to
get picked up, but on the second and third weeks, public hire taxis were
allowed into the zone. The public therefore had to walk past the public
hire taxis to get to a pick up point hundreds of yards away and of course
they got spirited into the taxis and approached by touts, causing all
kinds of problems for our member’s drivers.
The residents were apparently not informed and there were two
standards of service, as the taxis could go there, but private hire
couldn’t, so our member and their customers were being
discriminated against.
This also led to residents having to walk great distances to get PHVs and
they were approached by touts on route to the new pick-up points.
One of our member’s drivers was told by police that they would get a
ticket if they parked in the zone, yet taxis could and this caused a lady
passenger to have to walk a considerable distance with 5 heavy bags to
get her pre-booked PHV.
The Humberside police and licensing committee will be meeting to
discuss with a view to making the zone permanent. We will be reminding
them about the DfTs Best Practice Guidance key policy themes advice
for such services - being availability and accessibility for both Taxi and
PHV services.
This discrimination against PHV’s if far too commonplace and the same
Local Authority has also got discriminatory Bus Lane rules that allow
buses and taxis but not PHV’s to have access to certain roads. Where
does that fit into availability, accessibility and the safety and needs of
the passengers?
We will be looking very carefully at these areas as the Law Commission
Reviews Taxi and Private Hire legislation.
The big problem for the Private Hire Industry is (as we have already
stated many times) Guidance is Guidance and it is obvious that these
protectionist, restrictive and safety compromising practices should be
swept into the dustbin of bad practice and regulation.
I have yet to meet anybody who has put forward a good reason why a
passenger can travel in a licensed taxi, which is usually more expensive
than a Private Hire Vehicle, to do the same journey, often in a much
more environmentally friendly vehicle on the same day, with the Private
Hire Vehicle being prohibited from using the same roads. Madness!
Restricting Roads or Areas where passengers need to be picked-up,
set-down or gain access to via Private Hire needs to be addressed as
it is discriminatory, un-environmentally friendly, compromises safety,
wastes time and belongs in the world of restrictive practice and
protectionism.
Private Hire, rightly does not have the right to ‘ply for hire’ or rank
on the streets, as that belongs exclusively to the taxi driver who has
done a knowledge test and if Private Hire could ‘ply for hire’ or rank
on the streets the ability to pre-book with multiple choice, would
be destroyed.
Private Hire should however have complete consideration by Local
Authorities when it comes to transport planning and policy, which in
some cases clearly discriminates against Private Hire and the safety of
its Passengers.
We will be pressing the Law Commission to move from guidance to firm
commitments to deliver availability, accessibility and of course safety.
Turn to page 54 for more on the subject of Private Hire
Parking, Picking Up, setting Down and Safety.
DIARY DATE
Thursday
14th June
2012
The LPHCA will be hosting a
very special event...
Olympic Road Show
& Taxi and Private Hire
Regulations Meeting
at the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel
on Thursday 14th June 2012
There will be a major Pre-2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games Industry Briefing as well as the opportunity to
debate with The Law Commission on their proposals for
the reform of Taxi & Private Hire Licensing in England
and Wales.
Please put the date in the diary now and note that
registration will open on 14th May 2012.
24 | Private Hire News | issue 56 | Winter 2011/2012
www.lphca.co.uk | [email protected]
CONTINUED
FROM PAGE 24
Private Hire Parking, Picking Up, Setting Down and Safety
Earlier in the magazine we mentioned the difficulty for our industry in
dealing with Parking, Picking Up and Setting Down.
Private Hire Vehicles (PHV’s) can only function effectively and in the
most ‘Safe and Environmentally Friendly Way’ if they have ‘Good
Availability and Accessibility’, something which the Department
for Transport has highlighted the need for in their ‘Best Practice
Guidance’ advice following representation from the LPHCA.
The difficulties for Private Hire are numerous:
• Different Parking Rules and Policy in Every Local Authority in
England and Wales (Localism)
• Inconsistency of Enforcement
• Lack of (if any) Parking Provisions and Clear Policy for Private Hire
• Police Interests
• Private Hire Interests
• Public’s Best Interests (Safety, Availability and Accessibility)
• Other Vested Interests such as Taxi
Before going through these difficulties I think it is time to set out
how we need to operate to deliver the Department for Transport’s
(DFT’s), the Private Hire Industry’s and the Travelling Public’s
Needs regarding ‘Availability and Accessibility’.
Private Hire is the only ‘almost completely guaranteed –
24 hours a day every day of the year’ mode of Public Transport
that operates across the whole of the U.K.
In our opinion a ‘Safe and Environmentally Friendly Service’ that
meets ‘Good Availability and Accessibility’ is not possible under
such parking policy.
Transport Minister Norman Baker allegedly accused Westminster
Council of waging a war on motorists with new evening and weekend
parking charges, branded as “vindictive”.
He told the London Evening Standard:
‘These charges appear to be less about controlling parking
and more about raising money for the council.”
Westminster Council has also enraged Private Hire Drivers
and Operators with its Policy on Picking Up and Setting Down
passengers.
One Licensed PHV Operator said:
‘Westminster Council is jeopardising tourist’s, and the
public’s, safety by not allowing licensed Private Hire Drivers
and Taxi Drivers a short time to collect their passengers and
luggage from hotel receptions.’
Now Westminster is trying to insist that Private Hire Companies
ask their passengers to wait on the kerbside where they can be
approached and touted by the many touts and non-licensed
Rickshaws operating in Westminster.
The LPHCA will be engaging with Westminster Council, the DfT,
the Mayor’s Office, TfL and others on this matter, which is of great
concern to the Private Hire Industry in particular in relation to the
wellbeing and safety of passengers.
Private Hire exists because there is a demand for an affordable ‘door to
door’ mode of transport that is generally always available, with most of
the population using or indirectly serviced by it in one form or another.
To operate in the most ‘environmentally friendly and safe way’ it
needs to have the ‘Good Availability
and Accessibility’ that the DfT
highlights in their ‘Best Practice
Guidance’.
This used to be done by logistically plotting up PHVs utilising ‘2-way
Radios’ in a manner that reduces fuel, gives drivers good resting
periods and most importantly provides the best coverage and therefore
availability, which in turn leads to a fast response and increased safety.
Nowadays Private Hire is using more and more ‘cutting edge
technology’ to place PHVs in the most appropriate locations to
meet likely demand, future bookings to deliver the most ‘Safe and
Environmentally Friendly Service’ whilst meeting the ‘Good
Availability and Accessibility’ criteria.
... Local Authorities
completely at
odds with the
best interests
of the Travelling
Public, the
Environment
and Safety
Satellite Tracking of PHV’s is now commonplace with PHV
Operators utilising sophisticated computer systems to ascertain the
most effective places for vehicles to be placed (parked).
Parking Policy, in many cases, at more and more Local Authorities
is becoming completely at odds with the best interests of the
Travelling Public, the Environment and Safety. There are more
Yellow Lines, with existing ones going from single to double and an
increasing number of residential parking bays, which are often empty
or under-utilised. There are also places where there simply isn’t the
need for controlled parking zones and other parking measures.
The problems are exacerbated by the trend to extend metering and
parking restrictions to midnight and beyond in some cases.
In London Mayor Boris Johnson has called on Westminster Council
to abandon plans for night-time West End Parking Charges, as in
parts of the U.K. there have been serious problems where weekend
and evening charges have been introduced.
Westminster Council is proposing to abolish free parking on single
yellow lines and parking bays between 18.30 and midnight from
Monday to Saturday and between 13.00 and 18.00 on Sundays
with parking costing up to £4.80 per hour.
The parking charges (if introduced) will impact on trade and the
Private Hire Industry in a very negative way and there is talk of a
massive legal challenge and the possibility of a judicial review.
54 | Private Hire News | issue 56 | Winter 2011/2012
SAFELY PICKING UP AND SETTING DOWN
Pick up and set down provision for Private Hire in the UK is at best
poor and in general lamentable because of a lack of a cohesive policy
by Local Authorities and others.
It is astonishing, that ‘setting-down and picking-up passengers’,
often for the important ‘last mile home’ or at pick up and drop at
‘major termini and transport hubs’, is woeful. It flies in the face
of common sense, compromises safety and fails the DfT’s ‘Good
Availability and Accessibility’ aspirations.
The LPHCA will once again be engaging with Local Authorities, the
DfT and others on this matter and we will be embarking on information
gathering as part of our ‘Going National’ project. We have already
raised these difficulties with the Law Commission and in light of
our Member’s feedback; this is now a key issue, especially as the
Localism Act was given Royal Assent on 15 November 2011.
www.lphca.co.uk | [email protected]