There has been controversy due to go slow protests by taxi drivers in Leeds and Loughborough in recent times. The Leeds protests caused the city centre to come close to a standstill and many bus services to be late or end up being cancelled. There were also many roads clogged in Loughborough during the protest.
These protests have fired a shot across the bows of Local Authorities and it will be interesting to see how the debate moves from here.
Taxi Driver Protests Relating To Various Issues
The protest in Leeds was in reaction to private hire drivers being fined for waiting and dropping off passengers in bus stops, signage in private hire vehicles and attacks on drivers in some parts of the city. Loughborough cabbies decided to protest as they believe they’re losing trade to cross-border hiring and this is having a detrimental effect on takings. Taxis from as far afield as Wolverhampton have allegedly been seen in the area.
Authorities Responding To Protests
Leeds City Council expressed disappointment over the protest in the city especially since they claim to have made concessions to drivers and are having on-going talks with representatives of the Leeds Private Hire Drivers Association. In Loughborough, Charnwood Borough Council noted that they have no power to inspect a vehicle that wasn’t licensed in their area and can only forward complaints to the correct licensing authority. Central Government is investigating a change in legislation over cross-border hires. These protests have fired a shot across the bows of the authorities and it will be interesting to see how the debate moves from here.