A TAXI driver who says cabbies are having to work longer hours to make ends meet has called on the region’s councils to prevent more deaths by capping the number of vehicles operating.
George Jenkinson, of Darlington, was speaking after road safety charity Brake stepped up its campaign to limit taxi drivers’ working hours, following the death of 18-year-old Gary Glymond.
Mr Glymond, of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was struck by a taxi as he celebrated his birthday last year. The taxi driver told police he had been working for more than 13 hours before the incident.
Mr Jenkinson said he feared such incidents could happen again because drivers are forced to work 15-hour shifts in order to make a living. He said: “There are a lot of drivers not even making the minimum wage, and for that reason they need to work longer hours. “When I first started in the early Seventies, there were only around 70 cars in Darlington. There’s now knocking on 300 cars, plus others from outside.”
Helena Houghton, of Brake, said: “We need to be making sure that people are not put under pressure, especially in the current economic climate, to work more hours. They are putting themselves at risk and the people that they are carrying in their taxis at risk.”
A Darlington Borough Council spokeswoman said the authority had fewer Hackney carriages operating in Darlington than a year ago, with 176 now, compared with 215 in 2007-8.
She said these figures made it unlikely that a cap would be introduced, and said: “The Office of Fair Trading advises against restricting the number of licences issued for Hackney carriages.” In County Durham, taxi numbers in Durham City and Chester-le-Street are capped, but elsewhere taxi numbers are unrestricted.
John Worrall, the owner of Moor Private Hire, in Langley Moor, County Durham, said capping the number of taxis created a black market in plates. He said because they were so sought-after, he had known plates to sell illegally for up to £40,000, although he conceded that drivers’ profit margins were very tight. He said: “You have got to work the hours to get the money.” One driver estimated that most cabbies would take home about £200 a week.
Neil Smalley, a public safety manager at Durham County Council, said the council was in the early stages of consultation on taxi provision in the county. He said: “Views from all interested parties will be sought over the coming months, with any final decisions not expected before spring next year.”