'Dismay' at backlash to taxi safety measures in Southampton
The new rules will include random drugs tests for drivers
Concerns have been raised over responses made by a ‘minority’ in the taxi industry to introducing new rules for drivers.
Southampton City Council’s licensing committee approved several changes to the taxi policy.
This included requiring hackney carriages to have a working card machine, introduction of a formal drug testing policy for all drivers and moving the stand-alone taxi camera policy into the main rules document.
Conservative councillor Jeremy Moulton said some of the feedback to the proposals “slightly concerned me”.
In relation to the drug testing policy, Cllr Moulton said a driver had said “words to the effect of ‘what I do in my private life is nothing to do with you’.”
Speaking at the licensing committee meeting on Wednesday, June 26, Cllr Moulton said: “Drugs stay in your system for a while and if people are taking drugs, even if it was a day or so before they are then driving, that does potentially present a danger to customers.
“Just the general attitude from some of the comments, who are licensed taxi drivers, caused me some degree of concern. That’s just an observation.”
The council’s licensing service manager, Phil Bates, said some of the responses also caught his eye.
He highlighted an extract from one comment, which covered taxis needing to have a permanently operating camera, even when the vehicle is not being used as a taxi.
The response read: “I believe that the personal privacy of the driver always outweighs the safeguarding of passengers/drivers.”
Mr Bates said he was “just dismayed” by this consultation response.
The committee was told that a taxi remains a licensed vehicle at all times, even when it is being used by the driver for personal use.
“It is very disappointing,” Mr Bates said. “What I will say is I am of the opinion that those comments are in the minority and the extreme.
“I think the vast majority of our drivers do go out and do a really good job, diligently, without taking drugs etc, but as in all walks of life there is an element that will abuse it and, unfortunately, some of them have voiced it and they don’t do their trade any favours in voicing it.”
Mr Bates added: “If we knew who it was, we would be doing what we could to take action but the consultation is done anonymously so we get honest feedback.
“If we do ever find out who it is, as I say, we will be taking steps and they may well end up being the first person that ends up going through the drug testing process.”