A hard-hitting letter has been sent to 1,000 taxi drivers advising that they could lose their licence if they are caught picking up passengers illegally. Gedling Borough Council have issued the letter following a late night sting on the streets of Nottingham to target illegal touting. There were 15 drivers caught in the space of an hour, with the majority coming from Gedling. The stongly worded letter reminds drivers that they must only pick up pre-booked passengers outside of the Gedling boundary. Drivers are also advised that illegal pickups will invalidate insurance and can lead to a summons to the licensing committee.
The idea is not to revoke licences. It is about making that behaviour change.
Cautious Welcome To Illegal Touting Measures
The local Chairman of the Unite Union, Basheer Latif, commented: “It is better late than never. Over the last five years it has got worse – our takings are down by at least 30 percent. It is wrecking our livelihoods. The main problem is rogue taxi drivers, especially for vulnerable people. It is a danger for them. We have a lot of students in Nottingham and females, and males, have been targeted. There are a few cases where they have been attacked. If Gedling really means what it says those drivers that abuse their conditions and lose their licences then it will be a deterrent for others. At the moment they know they can get away with it and it is a free for all.”
Warning Designed to Bring Behaviour Change
A penalty points system has been put in place to try and reduce illegal parking and touting. If a driver exceeds 12 penalty points, they will be in danger of having their licence suspended or taken away. Richard Antcliffe, head of licensing for Nottingham City Council, said: “The idea is not to revoke licences. It is about making that behaviour change. We have definitely seen an improvement.”