NOT HAPPY: Some of Crawley’s licensed taxi drivers
TAXI drivers have held a crunch meeting with the council over a number of issues affecting their livelihood in Crawley.
On October 22 members of the Hackney Carriage Association – the group of drivers licensed by Crawley Borough Council – met with councillors and officers at the Town Hall.
The biggest concerns they had were around drivers illegally touting for business in Crawley, and private hire vehicles using taxi ranks, which are only supposed to be used by licensed drivers.
During the 90-minute meeting, Amin Mirza, chair of the Hackney Carriage Association, called on the council to clamp down on offenders
Speaking after the meeting he said: “This is illegal and we want it to stop immediately.
“Nobody is above the law. I hope that the private hire drivers will follow their private hire rules accordingly.
“However, if this practice continues then the licensing committee should take necessary actions.”
Mr Mirza would like to see council staff carrying out a higher number of checks on taxi ranks and moving on offenders.
By allowing private hire drivers to tout for business unchecked, he believes it is putting residents at risk, as they would then be using drivers who have not gone through the council’s rigorous vetting process.
It also takes business away from licensed drivers.
