Taxi drivers protest in Wolverhampton about working conditions and the number of drivers being given permits to work, and they say there concerns are falling on deaf ears.
Taxi drivers protest about passengers that have been ranked bad still being allowed to book cabs, about the amount of taxi drivers being given a pass which means the market is saturated and a number of other things.
They say the council should be backing them in their cry for help but feel like they are not being listened too.
They say the council should be backing them in their cry for help but feel like they are not being listened too.
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NewsTranscript
00:00I have some issues with the council, the Wolverhampton Council. In fact I have some issues with most of the licensing councils around the West Midlands.
00:07To start off with, if you want to operate as a taxi operator here in the West Midlands, you have to go to the council.
00:14And the council will ask for certain terms and conditions that you must meet.
00:18If you meet those terms and conditions, they will issue you an operator's licence.
00:21That means that you can then apply for trade, you know, like Uber, Line 1.
00:28We're saying to the council, look, our safety is an issue.
00:32Because when we report passengers who have either been physical or abusive, that passenger is not terminated on the platform.
00:40What happens is that passenger is disconnected from making the booking with you personally.
00:46They don't block that passenger. That passenger can carry on.
00:50Passengers who join Uber, first-time passengers, everyone is given a five-star rating.
00:56Every time that passenger has an issue with the driver, the driver will rate them low.
01:02So you have passengers on the platform using Uber who've got a rate of 3.4.
01:07Given they start at 5, they get down to 3.4.
01:10That means every driver they come into contact with, they've had an issue with that driver.
01:14They shouldn't be on the platform because they are at risk to the next driver.
01:17That's our safety, OK?
01:19The council should be saying to the operators, OK, these are our drivers.
01:24Part of the safety is you don't have unruly passengers on your platform.
01:28And these are the terms and conditions that we're imposing.
01:31But they don't. It doesn't matter.
01:33So the biggest thing for yourselves, obviously, safety is one thing.
01:35Pay would be another condition as well.
01:37Uber lost a court case where a former union took them to court to be deemed as workers.
01:45We're not employees. We're self-employed, but we're deemed as workers under the legislation.
01:49So Uber were informed by the court case that they had to pay the drivers holiday pay.
01:54That holiday pay comes out of what we're earning.
01:59So for example, previously to the holiday pay, if you took a job and it was £5, you got the £5.
02:05Since they've introduced the holiday pay, which they've had to, since they've introduced the holiday pay for the driver,
02:10that fare is now £4.50.
02:13And £0.50 of that is your holiday pay.
02:15So it makes up £5.
02:17So we're not gaining anything. We're paying our own holiday pay.
02:20Secondly, everyone in this country has witnessed the financial crisis that we're in as a country.
02:27Most people have had a pay increase to try and substantiate the increase on their household bills, etc.
02:36We haven't. As a private hire trade, we haven't.
02:39Our fares have reduced. Since Covid, our fares have reduced.
02:43Making it virtually impossible.
02:45We'll have to pay for our licence, which has gone increased.
02:48Tyres, MOT, fuel, insurance, it's all increased.
02:53But the fares have decreased.
02:55And the reason the fares have decreased is because of the amount of drivers we have out there.
02:59There is no legislation where the council can stop people applying for a licence.
03:06Provided you meet the criteria, they're obliged to give you a licence.
03:12Birmingham, January 1st to 31st May of this year.
03:17Five months this year.
03:19Birmingham Licensing Authority, they issued just under 300 licences.
03:24Just under 300 licences in five months.
03:27Wolverhampton Council, the licensing council, they issued 8,500 licences.
03:34They have issued 8,500 licences.
03:37Now you imagine the effect those drivers are having on the existing drivers.
03:42You can be parked up for two, three, four hours waiting for a job.
03:46And the job will come to you at £4.
03:48But it won't be £4, it'll be £3.60, because 40 pence of that is your holiday pay.
03:53And this is where we're saying we are exploited.
03:55We are exploited.
03:56And the council say, well, it's not our issue because it's with the operator.
04:00It's not with the operator.
04:02It's with the council.
04:03They should set certain conditions.
04:05Whether they can or can't because of the legislation.
04:07Take the legislation to Parliament then, on our behalf.
04:10You know, you are the representative.
04:12You charge us a fee.
04:14And we're representing you.
04:16You're not representing us.
04:17All you do, 8,500 drivers to be recruited.
04:20It's just a money-making scheme.
04:22What's the biggest part of what you want for today is for the council to listen to you?
04:25Absolutely.
04:26And listen to our concerns.
04:29And that's on our behalf.
04:30We don't necessarily need a union charge on our behalf.
04:32The council has a duty to look after us.
04:35That's what the purpose of a council is, is to look after its citizens that it represents.
04:41We are paying the council for the facilities to be licensed.
04:45But they're not looking after the drivers.
04:47We're getting nothing in return for that.
04:49Exploitation by the app operators.
04:51And they say, well, that's fine.
04:53Take it up with them.
04:56Yeah.
04:57How are you doing, Minhaj?
04:58You all right, mate?
04:59I'm all right.
05:00So you're a driver at West Brom?
05:01No, we are.
05:03I live in West Brom.
05:04Yeah.
05:05But we are drivers for ride-share apps like Uber, Sport and Busy.
05:09We work for all those multiple apps.
05:11Got you.
05:12So what's some of the issues you're encountering then?
05:14I mean, is it easy to make a good living as a taxi driver?
05:18Used to be.
05:19Yeah.
05:20Not anymore.
05:21Yeah.
05:23The industry is going backwards.
05:25We have evidence that within our group, there is a driver who has been in the trade for more than 20 years.
05:30He was earning more 20 years ago for the same trip that he is earning today.
05:33Wow.
05:34And that same period, the cost of living, cost of maintaining a vehicle, cost of licensing a vehicle,
05:40ensures everything going up.
05:42And this is the only industry you will find anywhere in UK where your wages go down.
05:48Yeah.
05:49In comparison to going up with inflation and everything.
05:52So, obviously, there's a lot of suffering.
05:55These drivers, instead, should be on the road working.
05:59Yeah.
06:00But they're here today protesting, and they've done possibly so.
06:02And Pete has given us a bit of a rundown on some of the issues.
06:06Are gathering drivers just don't feel that any of their concerns are being listened to by the council at all?
06:12No, absolutely not.
06:13The councils have been ignoring and neglecting and distancing themselves from the real issues.
06:18So, councils have got an easy answer, which is these are issues between you and the operator.
06:23We can't interfere.
06:24But what we are asking the councils to do is not to interfere, but to protect the drivers.
06:29Because just like the drivers, the operators are also accountable to the councils.
06:34So, if the councils were to send out guidelines to these operators,
06:38it is an obligation for the operator to follow the guidelines, take notice.
06:43So, what we want the councils to do is protect their drivers,
06:46not just because they are drivers, but also as a public,
06:48because we are a key section of the society that provide the service to the public.
06:53So, we want the councils to be more respectful for our duties that we do.
06:58And also, we want them to protect us more, instead of just distancing themselves from our issues.
07:04Yeah.
07:05So, if you had a magic wand and you could make the council do, let's say, free things,
07:09what free things would you change in the industry?
07:13Well, we want the legislation to help the councils to raise the minimum fare per mile that we get,
07:18because the black cabs and the taxi, they get £3 minimum fare in these areas,
07:24whereas us drivers, we get less than a pound a mile,
07:28because this industry is not regulated and is not protected.
07:33So, we want a magic wand to give us some protection,
07:36that £3 per mile is considered because it is the cost of driving a car in this area.
07:43So, that would be one.
07:44Second thing would be that we want all the councils to allow us to use bus lane.
07:48Ulba Hamdan already allow us to use bus lane, but the other areas where we go,
07:52we are stuck in traffic, the public are getting stuck.
07:56If they allow us to use bus lane, the public will be able to get to their A to Bs quicker,
08:02and there will be less traffic in those areas as well.
08:04And third thing, we want the councils to help us with the cooperation with the operators,
08:12that there should be a cap on the number of drivers they keep on adding to the platform.
08:16The job isn't there, so there must be a cap on the recruitment,
08:21so that we could make a better living out of this trade.
08:26Yeah, so the market, there's too many drivers, not enough business for them,
08:29so everyone loses out then, yeah?
08:31Yeah, it's oversaturated.
08:33It's just every single corner of the streets, you will see a driver standing there waiting for a job.
08:38At the same time, if you go to Uber office, they are adding about 50 new drivers every single day on the platform.
08:43Ulba Hamdan Council plays a big role behind that,
08:45because they are the largest licensing council in the country, and they give out too many.
08:50And we have one of the proposals with the councils, with Ulba Hamdan specifically,
08:54we want the Ulba Hamdan Council to introduce the mandatory practical driving test.
08:59Because one of the biggest reasons they get applications from all over the country,
09:03including even Glasgow, admittedly, by the councils,
09:05and they think that it's because they're the best, they're the cheapest,
09:08the real truth is, it's because they don't have a practical driving test.
09:12Yeah, so basically you can come here, get your license in Ulba Hamdan by doing a lot less.
09:17It's a lot less stringent.
09:19Well, you can get an Ulba Hamdan license doing absolutely nothing.
09:22You can get one from sitting in front of your computer at your home.