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Cabs refused bus lane use
7:07pm Thursday 6th September 2007
Comments (20)OXFORD private hire cab drivers have not ruled out direct action in their fight to use city bus lanes.
Furious drivers are considering strikes and go-slows after the county council rejected their request for access on a trial basis - but don't want to lose public support.
They are angry at rules which allow Hackney carriages (black cabs) to use bus lanes - but not private hire vehicles.
The drivers say the rules are unfair and mean their passengers are forced to pay more, just to sit in traffic jams.
A request to be allowed to use bus lanes on a trial basis for six months was turned down by the council's transport decisions committee yesterday.
Instead, members agreed to order a study of the situation and will review the issue in six months' time.
Driver Richard Barlow, who has collected 3,000 signatures in support of letting private hire cars use bus lanes, said he and his colleagues could not wait a minute longer.
He said drivers were considering protest action, including boycotting outlying areas such as Botley and North Oxford during rush hours, or bringing bus lanes to a standstill, but added: "We don't want to bring Oxford to a standstill. We might not get total public support but, at the momen, we have a lot of backing."
Mr Barlow said traffic jams could add £5 to a fare from Cumnor Hill, down Botley Road, to the John Radcliffe Hospital.
He said: "The meter goes on time and it's still going if we're stuck in traffic, we can't help that.
"When tourists are in the car they turn around, watching Hackney carriages going down the bus lanes and think they're being ripped off. They can't understand it."
The council's cabinet member for transport implementation, Ian Hudspeth, said distinguishing between a private hire vehicle and other cars would make enforcement difficult.
He added a trial could add to confusion if it had to be rescinded after six months.
Mr Hudspeth said: "We just want more information. We're not saying we're not going to do it."
Your Say YourOxford Mail
muzza, oxford says...
9:47pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Driver _Royal Cars, Cowley says...
10:06pm Thu 6 Sep 07
They are angry at rules which allow Hackney carriages (black cabs) to use bus lanes - but not private hire vehicles.
I am a PHV driver and can confirm that Hackney Carrage and private hire do the same work, If the County council are allowing the Black Cab and not private Hire this means the are helping the Black Cabs hence biased. If Mr Barlow ever takes this to the courts I can see him wining it on the basis that the Council are biased. I am 100% behind Mr Barlow. I have read that in some other City This has happend.
Why are the council favoring the Black Cabs? dont private hire pay road tax? pay for phv plate? do twice MOT? dont they have PHD badges? So WHY WHY Why
this makes me sick.....
ali, Cowley says...
10:14pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Ali Asghar, headington says...
10:46pm Thu 6 Sep 07
bob, oxford says...
11:08pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Nissar, oxford says...
11:10pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Nissar, oxford says...
11:21pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Dear Ian,
I read about your article in the Oxford Mail and i am disgusted by your attitude towards PHV drivers. It is obvious you are biased towards Hackney Carriages. Your comment shouwn below.
"distinguishing between a private hire vehicle and other cars would make enforcement difficult." Have you ever travelled in a PHV? Do you realise the PHV drivers have distinctive yellow stickers (supplied by Oxford City Council) which are stuck to the car doors, or that they must have a sticker supplied by the PHV firm that is stuck to the door or even thay they have a council plate at the back. With the 3 mentioned above anyone can differentiate between a PHV and any other vehicle. Your comments are pathetic and comical. I hope you will reply to me.
Regards,
Nissar
A PHV driver.
phv driver, Cowley says...
11:35pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Furthermore Private hire are already using the bus gates in the City and are not being confused or are not giving rise to cogestionWhy are prive hire allowed in town centre, wouldnt public get confused between a PHV and a Black Cab.
Andrew Kennedy, Oxford says...
11:41pm Thu 6 Sep 07
I didn't realise that if I went out and bought a used LTI TXII (as anyone can), that the council wouldn't be able to differentiate it from a licensed cab! Could drive through all the bus gates without worry.
Would recommend that the drivers boycott the school runs for a few weeks - will hurt their pockets for a bit - but will ease the strain of the general public getting a taxi into town.
Tony Brett, Oxford says...
8:29am Fri 7 Sep 07
Surely it would serve the public interest better if the City Council regulated QUALITY of Hackney Carriages rather than QUANTITY?
As an ex-chair of licensing I know that the desire is there both from COLTA and from the City Council Taxi Licensing officers to do it so I really can't quite understand why it hasn't been done.
Anyone?
Phil, Oxford says...
8:53am Fri 7 Sep 07
If bus lanes become clogged everyone looses out, including private car drivers as bus travel becomes slower and bus travel looses one of its advantages and more people end up in cars.
William, Bicester says...
9:03am Fri 7 Sep 07
The overall standard of driving within the private hire taxi's in Oxford is terrible.
If i got a penny for every time i saw a private hire driver breaking the law,i could retire right now.
b, bbl says...
10:53am Fri 7 Sep 07
con man cam, Oxon says...
11:17am Fri 7 Sep 07
Why should businesses in private industry be allowed to take over public transport access roads and lanes
anyone who has used Taxis or cabs at night in Oxford know that they are a complete rip off driven in the main by people moonlighting thereby creating a traffic hazard
The sooner all taxis and cabs are restricted to 8 hours driving in 24 per individual driver the better like coach drivers and HGV drivers
By the way cabs are supposed to be prebooked could the quote not take account of the traffic in the trip from Cumnor to JR rather than ripping the customer off by going via Botley Road use the bypass like the rest of us
ozayr, oxford says...
12:12pm Fri 7 Sep 07
Truth Seeker, Elsewhere says...
5:19pm Fri 7 Sep 07
ali wrote:So since plates are worth £80k or so this driver has been handed this sum on a plate?
I agree with the Driver, The council are biased, recently a servay was done and recomendation were made to allow one more Black Cab plate to be issued, Do u know how got the plate, A driver who allready has a Black Cab and drives, The County and City Council are totaly biased towards the black backs, Would someone pls ask the Licensing Office how a driver who has one Black Cab plate and drives can be issued with another one?
Have Oxford Council no sense of shame?
Bad enough that plates are worth this in the first place due to a policy of inequality, but this just adds insult to injury.
Tony Burns, Abingdon says...
5:48pm Sat 8 Sep 07
If i got a penny for every time i saw a private hire driver breaking the law,i could retire right now.I'd have £11.85
William, Bicester says...
9:20pm Sun 9 Sep 07
Tony Burns wrote:You were here for a day trip Tony?.....joke
If i got a penny for every time i saw a private hire driver breaking the law,i could retire right now.I'd have £11.85
tariq mohammad, london says...
3:32am Tue 18 Sep 07
plz sir do something better 4 cab drivers thanx
Forbidden: Private hire driver Richard Barlow
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Peter, Oxford says...
8:08pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Of course it was turned down. It's not a racially motivated initative, it makes sense and it is what the fare paying public i.e the people the council work for want. Because it fails to register on the council hair brained scheme ometer they wont have any part of it. Had they suggested all taxi drivers paint themselves blue and drive naked they might have stood a chance.