In message , at 16:18:42 on Thu, 6 Apr
2017, Neil Williams remarked:
What change is required - I hope you don't mean "no hire/reward
insurance and no CRB checking"?

DBS checking (you're out of date there) is dead easy to do, so no, not
that. I run loads of them for Scouting purposes and have one myself.

I think what I'd change is make licensing a national remit and design
it for ease of obtaining one (and ease of cancellation if you don't
behave), e.g. a smooth online process.

Just seen proposals from my District Council to reform the rules, which
are in response to *local* considerations, including:

Enhancing the existing dress code.

DBS check annually rather than every three years.

Driver medicals every three years. (The current system asks for a
medical on application then nothing until the age of 45. Then every five
years until the age of 65 when it switches to annual medicals.)

Allowing novelty vehicles like fire engines, army vehicles and tuk tuk
rickshaws to register. [This appears to reverse a decision in 2008 that
all taxis should be painted a standard colour, for easy recognition, and
has certain tensions with the dress code - surely a novelty vehicle
would really need a novelty uniform]
--
Roland Perry

On 2017-04-17 06:51:56 +0000, Roland Perry said:

Just seen proposals from my District Council to reform the rules, which
are in response to *local* considerations, including:

Enhancing the existing dress code.

I would consider that a commercial matter for the operator and not
something a local authority should be getting involved in for private
hire.

DBS check annually rather than every three years.

A pointless and expensive waste of time. Can't they just use the
update service, which essentially gives a continuous check at a far
lower cost?

Driver medicals every three years. (The current system asks for a
medical on application then nothing until the age of 45. Then every
five years until the age of 65 when it switches to annual medicals.)

People don't get sick in Cambridge more than elsewhere. That is not a
local consideration at all.

Allowing novelty vehicles like fire engines, army vehicles and tuk tuk
rickshaws to register. [This appears to reverse a decision in 2008 that
all taxis should be painted a standard colour, for easy recognition,
and has certain tensions with the dress code - surely a novelty vehicle
would really need a novelty uniform]

That's a niche case, really. Recognition of a private hire vehicle has
become moot, because almost everyone will be informed in some way of
the registration number of their allocated vehicle prior to its
arrival. Only if you telephone for one using a landline would this not
occur, which is heading dangerously towards the proverbial goats these
days.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the @ to reply.

In article ,
(Neil Williams) wrote:

On 2017-04-17 06:51:56 +0000, Roland Perry said:

Just seen proposals from my District Council to reform the rules,
which are in response to *local* considerations, including:

Enhancing the existing dress code.

I would consider that a commercial matter for the operator and not
something a local authority should be getting involved in for private
hire.

DBS check annually rather than every three years.

A pointless and expensive waste of time. Can't they just use the
update service, which essentially gives a continuous check at a far
lower cost?

An interesting point. Is that a case of the council not catching up with the
changes from the previous system when DBS started?

Driver medicals every three years. (The current system asks for a
medical on application then nothing until the age of 45. Then every
five years until the age of 65 when it switches to annual medicals.)

People don't get sick in Cambridge more than elsewhere. That is not
a local consideration at all.

Roland is referring to East Cambridgeshire, not Cambridge.

Allowing novelty vehicles like fire engines, army vehicles and tuk
tuk rickshaws to register. [This appears to reverse a decision in
2008 that all taxis should be painted a standard colour, for easy
recognition, and has certain tensions with the dress code - surely
a novelty vehicle would really need a novelty uniform]

That's a niche case, really. Recognition of a private hire vehicle
has become moot, because almost everyone will be informed in some way
of the registration number of their allocated vehicle prior to its
arrival. Only if you telephone for one using a landline would this
not occur, which is heading dangerously towards the proverbial goats
these days.

In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted city
centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On 2017-04-17 23:02:15 +0000, said:

Roland is referring to East Cambridgeshire, not Cambridge.

I bet people don't get sick there any more than anywhere else either.

In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted city
centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.

Enforcement is typically by camera and registration plate anyway.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the @ to reply.

In message , at 08:31:02 on Tue, 18
Apr 2017, Neil Williams remarked:

Roland is referring to East Cambridgeshire, not Cambridge.

I bet people don't get sick there any more than anywhere else either.

.... get older...

I think we probably do.

In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted city
centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.

Enforcement is typically by camera and registration plate anyway.

Bollards, mate.
--
Roland Perry

On 2017-04-18 07:39:42 +0000, Roland Perry said:

... get older...

I think we probably do.

You get older quicker than everywhere else in the country? Seems
unlikely. People are people, and I see no reason for any local
standard on such things. Indeed, as I said, I see no reason for local
standards on private hire cars *at all*. National licencing would work
perfectly well and would adapt much better to new services like Uber.

In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted city
centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.

Enforcement is typically by camera and registration plate anyway.

Bollards, mate.

Assuming that referred to raising bollards rather than being a
euphemism, those are done by registration number too, not car colour.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the @ to reply.

In message , at 10:18:38 on Tue, 18
Apr 2017, Neil Williams remarked:

... get older...
I think we probably do.

You get older quicker than everywhere else in the country? Seems
unlikely. People are people, and I see no reason for any local
standard on such things.

The Cambridge City medical requirement differs too, it goes annual at
the age of 60, with others required at 25, 30, 35 and 40, as well as
every five years from 45 onwards.

Obviously there must be a lot of suspected decrepit 25-40yr old drivers
there! Let alone 60-65 requiring an annual test nit currently required
in East Cambs.

Indeed, as I said, I see no reason for local standards on private hire
cars *at all*. National licencing would work perfectly well and would
adapt much better to new services like Uber.

Very few people would agree with you. Especially the local councils who
insist on local variations (and the cabbies who would resist anything
additional to the currently in force local requirement).

In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted city
centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.
Enforcement is typically by camera and registration plate anyway.
Bollards, mate.

Assuming that referred to raising bollards rather than being a
euphemism, those are done by registration number too, not car colour.

Nope. In Cambridge it's by transponder.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 18:02:15
on Mon, 17 Apr 2017, remarked:

That's a niche case, really. Recognition of a private hire vehicle
has become moot, because almost everyone will be informed in some way
of the registration number of their allocated vehicle prior to its
arrival. Only if you telephone for one using a landline would this
not occur, which is heading dangerously towards the proverbial goats
these days.

In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted city
centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.

The City cab trade never fails to point out there are more out-of-area
vehicles than City ones on the streets. I'm not sure whether that's not
merely an artefact of Panther (fleet ~500) being based at a cheaper site
near Waterbeach, just outside the City limits.

Of course, despite being north of the City, that's in South Cambs!

East Cambs doesn't start until the A10 crosses the Great Ouse, north
[yes, I know!] of Chittering.
--
Roland Perry

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
18:02:15 on Mon, 17 Apr 2017, remarked:

In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted city
centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.

The City cab trade never fails to point out there are more
out-of-area vehicles than City ones on the streets. I'm not sure
whether that's not merely an artefact of Panther (fleet ~500) being
based at a cheaper site near Waterbeach, just outside the City limits.

That's an artifice of Hire Car licensing law. They can benefit from slacker
regulation in South Cambs with the same operational rights in any area.
Panther has offices inside and outside the city.

Of course, despite being north of the City, that's in South Cambs!

East Cambs doesn't start until the A10 crosses the Great Ouse, north
[yes, I know!] of Chittering.

You're looking in the wrong direction. Going east from Cambridge you only
have to get to between Stow-cum-Quy and Lode to enter East Cambridgeshire.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In message , at 05:49:31
on Tue, 18 Apr 2017, remarked:
In Cambridge there are other issues, like admission to restricted city
centre areas. So probably not an issue in East Cambs.

The City cab trade never fails to point out there are more
out-of-area vehicles than City ones on the streets. I'm not sure
whether that's not merely an artefact of Panther (fleet ~500) being
based at a cheaper site near Waterbeach, just outside the City limits.

That's an artifice of Hire Car licensing law. They can benefit from slacker
regulation in South Cambs with the same operational rights in any area.

Ah-ha! So Neils plan for countrywide harmonised regs would scupper that
- at the risk of watering down the rules inside the City. Unless of
course the rule is set to the highest anywhere for each aspect.

Panther has offices inside and outside the city.

Of course, despite being north of the City, that's in South Cambs!

East Cambs doesn't start until the A10 crosses the Great Ouse, north
[yes, I know!] of Chittering.

You're looking in the wrong direction.

I was looking north (to Panther's depot and beyond).

Going east from Cambridge you only
have to get to between Stow-cum-Quy and Lode to enter East Cambridgeshire.

--
Roland Perry