Aylesbury cabbies take to the streets to demand a fairer deal

Aylesbury cabbies took to the streets on Thursday to demand a fairer deal from the council.
Cabbies outside the BCC offices in AylesburyCabbies outside the BCC offices in Aylesbury
Cabbies outside the BCC offices in Aylesbury

Taxi drivers from across Buckinghamshire handed over a petition at Bucks County Council HQ, in protest at what they say are 'unfair' and 'unreasonable' working conditions.

A spokesman said: "BCC has failed since we first wrote to them in mid-September to meaningfully engage with the LPHCA, so this week we accelerated plans to deliver a petition on tomorrow and involve the media."

The upset related to a council list of infractions that they can enforce penalty points, and default charges for.

These include a fine of up to £125 for transporting an animal that isn't a guide dog, £100 for arriving too early for a school pick up and £50 for failure to communicate lateness.

The council says the rules are designed to keep passengers safe, but the taxi drivers say they go too far.

A Buckinghamshire County Council spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring that our school transport services meet the quality required in order to safely transport children, young people and vulnerable adults.

In order to achieve this we have put in place quality standards which set out what we expect in areas such as quality of vehicles, driver training, service timings and safeguarding and licensing requirements. These quality standards are in line with usual practice across the country.”