'Postcode lottery' puts public at risk - taxi drivers

Gatwick Airport taxi drivers are calling on the government to enforce tougher rules and restrictions for all private hire drivers and vehicles to help keep women and children safe.

They want a national standard for driver vetting, company conduct, safeguarding and vehicle safety, as well as an end to drivers operating freely outside the area where they are licensed.

Michael Jones, the leader of Crawley Borough Council, which covers Gatwick, will on Wednesday bring a motion calling on the government to end a "postcode lottery" of licensing requirements.

The Department for Transport said passenger safety was vital and they are legislating to introduce England-wide licensing requirements.

Unite the Union, which represents drivers, and Jones, say the government needs to act after a review into grooming gangs last year highlighted a taxi 'licensing loophole' putting women and children at risk.

Afran Raja, who has been a driver in Crawley for 28 years, said it was "a big problem for customer safety".

He said: "There's a lot of trafficking that goes on in this country and with cross-border hiring it's not regulated and the local authority in this area can't enforce drivers coming into this area.

"We need legitimate background checks, a minimum of five years, and to ensure a good level of English."

Mark Barrett, a driver for 18 years, said deregulation of the taxi industry in 2015 had led to a "race to the bottom" of standards and pricing.

Rahim Sarangi, a driver since 1996, said the competition from cross-border hiring was making it hard for all drivers to earn a living.

Jones said: "In Crawley we prided ourselves on very high standards for driver behaviour and the condition of cars, but the change in law drove a coach and horses through all of that.

"We've ended up in a position where drivers can licence with a local authority hundreds of miles away and we're really powerless to act other than to submit a complaint to that authority."

Peter Bailey, head of operations at taxi firm Gatwick Cars, said cross-border hiring had also made business "very difficult" for operators by allowing ride-hailing app-based competitors, like Uber, to operate in the area.

An Uber spokesperson said its operators were abiding by industry standards and regulations.

Nick Venes, Unite the Union rep for Gatwick, pointed to a significant number of drivers licensed in Wolverhampton who currently operate around the airport.

He said that if drivers could "circumvent the licensing legislation" then "there's going to be criminality, like county lines".

Wolverhampton City Council said it supported proposals to strengthen national standards and said it could not refuse a licence unless the applicant was not fit and proper.

A spokesperson also said the authority could not implement an 'intended use' policy to prevent cross-bordering.

The Department for Transport said it was consulting with local authorities.

A spokesperson said "Our response to the Casey review was clear – passenger safety is our top priority. That is why we are legislating to introduce taxi and private hire vehicle licensing requirements across England, so passengers feel confident wherever they live, work or travel.

"It is vital that authorities can act fast to stop dangerous drivers and vehicles wherever they operate, and these new suspension powers will mean safer journeys for everyone, with drivers still subject to the highest criminal background checks."

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