23 Jun, 2014
New UK taxi rules undermine safety for women, warn campaigners – The Independent
Ministers have been accused of undermining women’s safety by weakening the regulation of private-hire taxi drivers. Measures being put to a vote in the Commons tomorrow aimed at cutting bureaucracy could make it easier for sex predators to pose as minicab drivers, it is alleged.
Despite warnings from women’s safety groups and Labour, three clauses have been quietly added to the Deregulation Bill. These include enabling people who don’t hold a private-hire licence to drive a licensed vehicle when it is “off duty”, which could increase the number of unlicensed drivers pretending to be legitimate; extending licence periods from one to two years, which it is claimed will weaken a council’s ability to ensure a driver is fit and proper; and allowing private-hire operators to subcontract to an operator licensed in a different area, which could leave women feeling less safe.
Read the rest: New taxi rules undermine safety, warn campaigners – Home News – UK – The Independent.
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