How safe are you in a local taxi?

Guest Mon Jan 28, 2013 2:50 pm

During the high profile trial last year of an organised ring of taxi drivers who exploited vulnerable girls and used them for sex over several years, Rochdale Online submitted a Freedom of Information request to Rochdale Borough Council asking how many licensed taxi drivers have convictions for serious violence, the Council refused to divulge the information.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/127/council-watch/77258/how-safe-are-you-in-a-local-taxi

Charly Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:05 pm

I'm really glad none of my family have to use taxis, its like playing Russian Roulette when you get in one!

Hinch Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:08 pm

Not Asian roulette then Charly?

Guest Mon Jan 28, 2013 11:08 pm

J wrote:During the high profile trial last year of an organised ring of taxi drivers who exploited vulnerable girls and used them for sex over several years, Rochdale Online submitted a Freedom of Information request to Rochdale Borough Council asking how many licensed taxi drivers have convictions for serious violence, the Council refused to divulge the information.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/127/council-watch/77258/how-safe-are-you-in-a-local-taxi

Firstly, another 9 local Grooming suspects are still bailed, re-bailed and re-bailed... and seem to have fallen off the media Radar.

Having read through the RO story, it seems RMBC are acknowledging that they have licenced taxi drivers who have such convictions Mad

, who they keep manual records of.

The council report that they undertake applicant CRB checks, and furthermore undertake quite a range of Risk Assessments:
Taxis and minicabs
http://www.rochdale.gov.uk/business_section/licences/transport_and_environment/taxis_and_minicabs.aspx

This reads like RMBC is monitoring the safety of passengers in taxis and running numerous checks on drivers before issuing and renewing licences. There seem to be puzzling anomolies around this subject. scratch

southernbelle Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:31 pm

The checks they outline are inaccord with national checks for taxi licences.
I wonder if failure to adhere to their own stipulations is a reason for the refusal to cooperate, or just bloodimindedness with RO?

cyfrifia Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:49 pm

Or, maybe that unsuitable drivers have been/are employed on contracts to drive children from care homes to schools.

Charly Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:34 pm

Thats a scary thought

southernbelle Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:59 pm

cyfrifia wrote:Or, maybe that unsuitable drivers have been/are employed on contracts to drive children from care homes to schools.

As a result of not adhering to the checklist

Hinch Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:29 pm

I must confess that I have felt very unsafe sharing a taxi with Dear Heart when the moon has been waxing full.

Poppyanna555 Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:05 pm

I have to use taxi's as I don't drive and, in the main I have no problem with doing so. Of course, the days of 'chit-chat' are gone, many drivers barely speak English or, don't wish to and therefore, the journey is often silent. Also, the days of chivalry seem to be long gone; no help from the driver when unloading any more. I once had to unload boxes of bathroom tiles I'd purchased whilst the driver leaned impatiently against his car obviously willing me to hurry up!

To be fair, I think part of the above problem is the society we live in these day, drivers seem too scared to leave their cars unattended for a second, or so it would seem?

I have to be honest though, I am always relieved to receive the "I'm home now Nan" call from my 17 yrs old granddaughter after she has left my home in a taxi back to her house.

Charly Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:23 pm

Poppyanna555 wrote:

I have to be honest though, I am always relieved to receive the "I'm home now Nan" call from my 17 yrs old granddaughter after she has left my home in a taxi back to her house.

I tell my grandson to ring me if his mums busy, I will always rather pick him up then I know he's home safe (he lives next door to me so no problem)

Poppyanna555 Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:36 pm

Yes, I can understand that Charly. I don't drive and, even if I did I think I would be hard pressed to run a car on my pension income so I have no choice but to use the bus or a taxi. I honestly don't have a problem with either, you learn what to accept as your lot but, I must admit I am always quite wary when my granddaughter climbs into the back of a local taxi. Having said that, she uses them all the time and doesn't have an issue with it, maybe we shouldn't either? but, in the light of recent events....of course we are concerned and, it shouldn't be this way.

Taxi drivers (in my mind) should NOT be driving around with criminal records, this is one of our services that we should trust with our nearest and dearest's safekeeping.

cyfrifia Thu Mar 14, 2013 7:00 pm

RMBC have decided to do some 'enhanced' CRB checks on taxi drivers. Took them a while to think of that.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/extra-checks-cabbies-rochdale-wake-1743566

Hinch Thu Mar 14, 2013 7:32 pm

Could this be evidence of 'lessons being learned'?

Who'd have thought it?

Guest Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:12 pm

Is there any sound reason why this "standard" cant be applied to private and public hire drivers and to the Taxi Owners ? .

Poppyanna555 Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:13 pm

Good to see that existing taxi drivers are being checked out too, no good vetting new applicants whilst dismissing the rest.

I don't know how these licences work but, I found it a bit disconcerting when I once got into a taxi where a photo of the licensed driver was clearly visible on the dash whilst the driver that was ferrying me clearly wasn't he.

Guest Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:21 pm

27 February 2013

Thank you for your enquiry under the Freedom of Information Act in relation to the number of licensed taxi drivers with serious criminal convictions for violence.

This request is the same as the one which you also made by Laura at Rochdale Online on 6 March 2012, and again by yourself on 13 December 2012.

I can confirm that the position is still the same as when the previous requests were made (and responded to on 20 March 2012 and 13 December 2012 respectively).

It is estimated that it would exceed the statutory time limit of 18 hours to respond to your request for information. It is estimated to take more than 18 hours to determine, locate, retrieve and extract the information. This request is therefore refused under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The details of convictions held by licensed drivers are held on hard copy records. There are currently over 120 licensed hackney carriage drivers and over 1000 private hire drivers. If we use the above figures as a minimum, and assume that it would take 10 minutes to check each record, this equates to 11,200 minutes or over 186 hours.

Hinch Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:53 pm

What price the safety of our citizens?

Too high for RMBC it seems.

Lessons will be learned? I don't think so.

Guest Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:11 pm

" J " wrote: 27 February 2013
The details of convictions held by licensed drivers are held on hard copy records. There are currently over 120 licensed hackney carriage drivers and over 1000 private hire drivers. If we use the above figures as a minimum, and assume that it would take 10 minutes to check each record, this equates to 11,200 minutes or over 186 hours. And

Poppyanna555 wrote:
I don't know how these licences work but, I found it a bit disconcerting when I once got into a taxi where a photo of the licensed driver was clearly visible on the dash whilst the driver that was ferrying me clearly wasn't he.

Ergo, my recurring question, to anyone with sloth-free ideas

Is there any sound reason why these enhanced CRB "standard" checks cant be applied to private and public hire drivers and to the Taxi Owners ? (& minibus drivers, minibus owners)

Many people seem to think that Licensing is one of the fundamental partnerships between the Local Authority and the GMP in Rochdale.

cyfrifia Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:46 am

Hinch wrote:What price the safety of our citizens?

Too high for RMBC it seems.

To properly check the identities, criminal records and connections of well over a thousand taxi drivers in the Rochdale area, and keep an up to date database would be a huge and expensive task. We can reasonably assume R.M.B.C. are only making noises about it at the moment. Is it something the public think is important enough to prioritise?

Poppyanna555 Fri Mar 15, 2013 12:00 pm

If it causes a bit of legwork for RMBC now tough! This should have been done with all applicants in the first place instead of issuing licences willy nilly with no regard for public safety. Evil or Very Mad

Dalelad Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:39 pm

You may be at a greater risk from some of the driving! You'd think that the rules of the road were suspended at midnight sometimes.

Chill37 Fri Mar 15, 2013 3:01 pm

Dalelad wrote:You may be at a greater risk from some of the driving! You'd think that the rules of the road were suspended at midnight sometimes.

I would say at all times of the day not just limited to Midnight.

teamplayer2 Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:07 pm

Not being funny I thought all background checks were done by the local authority before anyone became a taxi driver. What went wrong?

Guest Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:34 pm

"cyfrifia wrote:
To properly check the identities, criminal records and connections of well over a thousand taxi drivers in the Rochdale area, and keep an up to date database would be a huge and expensive task.

We can reasonably assume R.M.B.C. are only making noises about it at the moment. "

__________________________________

Cyfrifia: If you look at the reported number of taxi drivers and the revenue due from them all and their vehicles to RMBC (there's a file of the range of 2012-2013 charges payable on the council's web site), the cost is potentially only a small, self-funding part of the taxi licensing processes.

It's perhaps not such a good idea to " ass / u / me " about RMBC Laughing

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