Call for better enforcement against taxis 'illegally plying for hire' in Rochdale centre

Taxis in Rochdale town centre

Better enforcement against taxis "illegally plying for hire" in Rochdale centre is being called for by Matloob Hussain, who drives a public hire taxi in Rochdale.

He says the problem is affecting his business as it happens every weekend, and is always the same few drivers.

Mr Hussain said: “Every weekend is a massive issue. It’s been going on for at least seven or eight years. It’s the same drivers every weekend, they say they have jobs but drive around waiting. They need moving on and reporting.

“There’s also the issue of them parking in the taxi ranks on Newgate, saying it’s not a rank, despite the sign. When they park on South Parade opposite the rank on The Butts, they block it off. It’s affecting business as people will just get in one of those rather than cross the road for the rank. They also end up blocking the road on Packer Street and no-one, including the emergency services at times, can get through.”

He continued: “There’s a real lack of enforcement: there’s not even any written warnings. There needs to be an effective deterrent. Around Christmas, we had taxi marshals for four weeks. It was brilliant, we picked up on time and we have a courier system in line. So even if the rank was empty, private hire couldn’t pick up customers illegally. It shows the enforcement is needed, and we haven’t got it.

“Licensing need to come out at the peak times of 4.00am. They have the powers to remove plates, badges and check bookings. When they do come out, it’s at 2.00am with no enforcement as they stay sat in their cars.”

He added: “The owner of the firms need to take bigger responsibility and should know where the jobs are coming from because of the database. I’ve nothing against the drivers who do legitimately have jobs and pick up. That’s not the issue here, it’s those who don’t. It’s also a matter of safety for passengers and the public.”

Under regulations, private hire vehicles may only pick up passengers when pre-booked, as opposed to being flagged down in the street or from a rank. Public hire vehicles, also known as ‘Hackney Carriages’ are licensed by the local authority and are available to pre-book, at a rank or on the street. Fares for Hackney Carriages are also set by the local authority.

Mr Hussain also feels there needs to be an increase in ‘test purchases’ conducted to catch out those who ply for hire. If a private hire taxi has not been pre-booked, it can result in six points on the driver’s licence and a hefty fine.

Beverley Wilkinson, Rochdale Borough Council licensing service manager, said: “We are aware of complaints regarding private hire taxis illegally plying for hire in the town centre. Our licensing team currently work night time shifts during the week and at evenings to monitor the situation and receive a weekly update of potential suspects.

“All plying for hire suspects are investigated, however, up to date, there have been no concerns as all journeys have been found to be pre-booked. We appreciate the concerns raised and will continue to monitor and undertake initiatives in the town centre to test for plying for hire.”