Driving Forward Now
On-Line
Volume 1, Issue 1
Summer 2016
Welcome to the first edition of the Online Driving Forward!
In a move to increase efficiency and improve our service to you, our
newsletter Driving Forward will now only be published ONLINE or
emailed to you directly.
Sending paper copies was costly and time consuming.
Moving to electronic methods should help to get information to you more
quickly and more often. In the future we aim to carry out a lot more communication via email or online eventually moving to online applications
and renewals so we can finally say goodbye to the many paged application
forms.
Let us have your email address
Driving Forward
LICENSING
To help us move towards the future – please let us have your email address.
The easiest way to do this is to email us at [email protected]
with the following:


Your name
Your licence number(s) (please state all – including vehicle / badge and operator where
appropriate.
Officers will also be asking you to provide an email address when you
come in for your appointments – so if you don’t yet have email –
please set one up.
It is really VERY simple to do and there are plenty of free email providers such as Yahoo / Gmail / Hotmail or through your own internet service provider or mobile phone network.
If you do not have access to a home computer the Library Service
offers computer access to anyone with a library card, so pop along
to your local library with a recent proof of address and join! For
more information go to: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/libraries
Inside this issue:
Pre appointment Checklist:
New Offices
2
Cash Payments
2
Complaints
2
Changes to the Knowledge test
3
Changes to DVLA Licence
4
Guide Dog Guidance
4
Enforcement Issues
6
Camera Enforcement update
7
Consultation
8
Road Works
8
Do you have an appointment?
Have you got all the necessary paperwork? e.g.:

DBS Documentation / identity documents

DVLA licence check code ( see below)

Vehicle log book

Completed application form

Operator form

Is your medical up to date?

Is your DBS due for renewal

Means to pay.
Unfortunately many people arrive for their appointment
without checking these basic things. This wastes time
at the counter and causes delays for others.
New Offices
New Office:
By now, a fair number of you will
have been to our new office at
Ashted Lock, but, in case you have
not yet been – please bear in mind
the following:
Parking is VERY LIMITED – please
do not bring your vehicle unless it
is essential.
please do not arrive too early for
your appointment
please try not to come WITHOUT an appointment
If you park outside in any of the
spaces allocated to neighbouring businesses you WILL get a
ticket. These are not issued
by Birmingham City Council
There is limited on-street parking on Woodcock Street (pay
to park).
Upon arrival, press the buzzer
marked LICENSING and wait
for the door lock to be released.
New Offices at Ashted Lock
We No Longer Accept Cash Payments
Payments
Since moving to the new offices, we
no longer take cash payments. This is
part of our move to streamline the
service and make efficiencies. By not
accepting cash payments, the security
risk is lower, and the administrative
processes, such as cashing up and
taking payments are quicker.
It has been noted by the counter staff
that some drivers are attempting to
pay with cards which are not their
own. YOU MUST NOT ATTEMPT
TO PAY WITH ANOTHER PER-
SON’S CARD UNLESS THEY HAVE
is available online at the following
ACCOMPANIED YOU TO THE OFwebsites:
FICE IN PERSON.
It is possihttp://www.moneysupermarket.com/
ble to set up pre-payment cards
prepaid-cards/
which enable you to load funds onto
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
the card
credit-cards/prepaid-cards
which can
YOU MUST NOT ATTEMPT TO
then be used
PAY WITH ANOTHER PERSON’S
as if it were
CARD UNLESS THEY HAVE
any other
ACCOMPANIED
YOU TO THE
bank/credit
OFFICE
IN
PERSON.
card. More
information
Complaints
Inconsiderate parking
There are surprisingly frequent incidences of licensed vehicles being
parked and left unattended in a location likely to cause problems for other drivers and members of the public.
Licensing Officers regularly receive
calls from people unable to access
their business premises, or even to
leave their own driveways at home
Page 2
because of inconsiderately parked
hackney carriage or private hire vehicles. A lot of officer time is wasted
ringing mobile numbers, home numbers and operator numbers, to find a
driver just to request a vehicle be
moved, time which could have been
saved if a little more consideration
was given to other road users. Please
think about where you are parking
your vehicle and in particular do not
block access to businesses or domestic premises.
DRIVING FORWARD
Complaints Contd.
Toilet complaints
Unfortunately we are still receiving complaints concerning
drivers relieving themselves in
car parks and other wholly inappropriate places. It is very
unpleasant and there is really
no excuse for it.
Refusing Fares
We continue to receive complaints that HC drivers waiting on ranks are refusing
short fares in the hope of getting a longer and higher fare
journey. HC Drivers are re-
minded that they cannot refuse
a fare without good reason. A
short fare is not a good reason
to refuse a customer.
Assistance Dogs:
There have been an unacceptable number of instances where
drivers have refused to carry
assistance dogs in their vehicles. Complaints of this
kind are taken very seriously and drivers will be
prosecuted.
Tweet from @BBCLicensing following court case
Changes to the Knowledge Test
Please see below – the official press
release concerning the Private Hire
Knowledge Test. Unfortunately the
decision was mis-reported in the press
which has led to some confusion:
A test designed to measure how well
new private hire drivers know the
streets of Birmingham is to be replaced
by a ‘navigation test’ after councillors
agreed the proposal.
authority boundaries to sister
companies, using vehicles and drivers
licensed by other local authorities.
This has led to an increasing number of
private hire drivers working in Birmingham who do not have a Birmingham
licence – making it increasingly difficult
to sustain a knowledge test for private
hire drivers in Birmingham.
Councillors also agreed applicants
should have to complete enhanced
disability awareness training, to now
include safeguarding of children and
vulnerable adults, before being granted
a licence.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Instead, new private
‘knowledge test’ – is due
hire drivers looking to
to be introduced later
be licensed by Birmingthis summer, after it was
“The Knowledge Test is
ham City Council will
approved by the Licenshave to show that they
and Public Protection
NOT being Removed” ing
can read a map, as well
Committee yesterday (15
as demonstrate a good
June 2016).
understanding of the
Since 1 October 2015,
law applicable to their trade and the
under the Deregulation Act 2015, priconditions attached to their licences.
vate hire operators have been allowed
The new test – which will replace the
In making its decision, the Licensing and
Public Projection Committee has recognised the increased use of sat nav devices by drivers.
Cllr Barbara Dring, Chair of the city
council’s Licensing and Public Protection Committee, said: “Our ‘knowledge
test’ is seen as one of the toughest in
the region, so it is hoped that removing
this from the application process will
encourage more drivers to be licensed
in Birmingham, rather than in other
local authority areas. This will give us
more control over drivers working in
our city.
to subcontract jobs across local
“This process will still include an individual one-to-one meeting with every
new driver, a communications assessment to test their ability to speak English and a navigation exercise.”
The revised test and enhanced disability
awareness training are expected to be
introduced later this summer.
These changes relate to private hire
drivers only. The knowledge test
for Hackney Carriage (black cab)
drivers has not been changed.
Page 3
Changes to DVLA Licence
The paper counterpart to photo card
driving licences have been discontinued.
They will not be issued, updated or endorsed by DVLA and as such cannot be
accepted as evidence of your driving history.
In order for you to renew your badge
you will need to access your driving record ONLINE.
You will need

Your national insurance number

Your driving licence number, and

Your postcode
The code can only be used once
and expires after 21 days, please
ensure you have a valid check code
before attending your appointment.
If you do not have access to the internet. Call DVLA on 0300-083-0013.
Write down the CODE and bring this
in with you.
Please note that the CODE is case sensitive,
so you will need to write it down exactly as
instructed.
Guidance on Guide Dogs
Carrying Assistance Dogs in
Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles
People who are visually impaired rely on taxis, buses and
trains to visit places to which
they cannot walk. The Guide
Dogs for the Blind Association
(Guide Dogs) aims to enhance
the mobility, independence and
quality of life for blind and partially sighted people by providing guide dogs and other mobility services to ensure they have
the same freedom of movement as everyone else. Guide
dogs are working animals, not
pets, they receive up to two
years of intensive training and
owners are also given training,
Page 4
including how to maintain the
extremely high standards of
grooming which the dogs require.
Guide dogs are trained to sit at
their
owner’s
feet when travelling, not to
bother
other
people or climb
on seats. Taxis
are a vital link in
the accessible
transport chain
and it is important people
using guide and
other registered
assistance dogs have confi-
dence they can hire or book a
taxi which will carry them and
their dog at no extra charge.
Here are some tips to help drivers assist visually impaired
passengers:
• Drivers should speak
to the person, not the
dog, and should introduce themselves.
• Drivers should ask
what assistance is
needed before making
assumptions as to
what might be required.
• When picking up
from a building, drivers should
DRIVING FORWARD
Guide Dogs Contd.
knock on the door, or enter the
premises, to announce their
arrival.
• If a blind or partially sighted
person asks to be guided to a
taxi, drivers should stand by
the person’s side and allow
them to take hold of their arm/
elbow to guide the person
along. Do not take hold of them
and drag or push them in a particular direction.
• Drivers should remember to
tell the passenger where they
are going and what obstacles
or hazards they are approaching, such as doors opening to-
dog in the foot well behind the
front passenger seat. The front
passenger seat should be
pushed forward to make space
for the dog. In an estate car,
the dog may travel in the boot
space if this is agreeable to its
owner.
• Upon arrival at the passenger’s destination, the driver
should inform the passenger
they have arrived, offer to assist the passenger to exit the
vehicle and guide them to a
safe location before leaving.
wards, steps, kerbs or slopes.
This will help prevent accident
and injury. On arrival at the
taxi, drivers should inform the
passenger of the type of vehicle and which direction it is facing.
• If drivers are guiding a passenger with a guide dog, they
should not take hold of the
dog’s lead or harness or interfere, as this may confuse the
guide dog.
• Once inside the vehicle, drivers should offer to help the
passenger with the seat belt,
and not set off until the passen-
• Drivers should clearly inform
the passenger of the fare or
meter reading. When giving
change, it is important to count
out coins and notes into the
passenger’s hand.
ger is seated and secure.
• Drivers should ask the passenger where they would prefer
their dog to be. In purpose built
taxis the dog will travel in the
passenger cabin with the owner. In saloon cars guide dogs
are trained to lie in the front or
rear passenger foot well, between the feet of their owner. If
air bags are fitted it is essential
guide dogs carried in the front
foot are lying down at all times.
If the front foot well is not large
enough to accommodate the
dog, the guide dog owner
should be advised to travel in
the rear of the vehicle, with the
drivers of licensed taxis, and
private hire vehicles to carry
without additional cost, any
guide dog, or other registered
assistance dog, travelling with
a disabled person. Failure to
comply with the requirement
can result in prosecution and
on conviction, a fine of up to
£1000.
The Equality Act 2010 gives
disabled people right of access
to
services
on
nondiscriminatory terms. The use
of taxis by disabled
people is covered
under Part 12 of
the Equality Act
It is an offence to refuse to take an
which requires the
Drivers
should not
refuse to
take
a
assistance dog without a medical
blind or partially sighted person
travelling with a guide dog, unless the driver has a medical
exemption certificate from the
appropriate licensing authority.
The issue of religion regularly
arises, but guide dog and assistance dog owners should not
be refused access to taxis on
religious grounds. This is a
sensitive issue and the Disability Rights Commission has
worked with various religious
groups including the Muslim
Shariat Council to resolve probVOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
exemption.
lems which have
arisen. Their guidance issued in
2002
confirmed
that trained assistance dogs may accompany
disabled people in taxis and
find out more about the Guide
private hire vehicles managed
Dog Service please visit:
or driven by Muslims, this guidance helps to clarify religious
www.guidedogs.org.uk
law and prevent any possible
conflict with secular law.
We hope that this article has
provided you with some useful
information, if you would like to
Page 5
Enforcement
The team undertakes regular exercises to combat the persistent
problem of illegal plying for hire, as
well as conducting targeted stop
check exercises to check compliance with vehicle and driver conditions. Where non-compliance is
discovered, the team takes appropriate legal action according to the
circumstances and whether the
non-compliance relates to a breach
of a licence holder’s conditions of
licence or amount to a criminal
offence, in accordance with Regulation and Enforcement’s approved
Enforcement Policy.
The team also investigates more


tween them the driver and
operator received a total of
£1,320 in fines and costs, 36
points and 18 months disqualification
A private hire driver was
found to be driving without
insurance which resulted in
£195 fine, £1,644 costs, 9
Points and 12 months disqualification.
Two private hire drivers
were caught plying for hire
city in conjunction with officers
from West Midlands Police. Officers from the Central Motorways
Patrol Group frequently assisted
our officers. These exercises targeted licensed drivers who were
not wearing seat belts or who
were committing other road traffic offences. Motorway patrol
officers (and the Licensing service’s own police officer) are approved vehicle inspectors who are
authorised to inspect vehicles to
determine their condition under
Page 6
complex issues including unlicensed vehicles, false insurance
documents, false insurance claims,
and applicants making false or misleading representations on application forms. In 2015/2016 the
team brought to conclusion a
number of cases involving drivers
who have provided false information to the police to avoid penalty charges for speeding offences
that were detected by police Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.
Often
these cases require use of the
Fraud Act to convey the seriousness of the offence.
Apart from the routine matters of
illegal plying for hire and cases
where drivers have been caught
driving without a valid insurance
policy, the following are some
examples of cases that were concluded in 2015/2016:

A Private Hire Operatorwas fined £9,000 for 4 offences of operating an unlicensed driver. The driver
received a total fine (inc.
Costs) of £840 + 24 points
and six months disqualification.

Another operator was
found to be operating an
unlicensed driver and be-
and having no insurance
using CCTV; one received a
total penalty of £1,800, 12
points and 12 months disqualification. The second
received a total penalty of
£1,508 and 6 months disqualification.
And finally one private hire
driver was convicted of
Fraud on seven counts and
was given a 7 month custodial sentence and costs of
£3,000 were awarded to
the Council.

the Road Traffic Act 1988.
The overall compliance rate during 2015/2016 for safety critical
conditions when measured at
roadside stop-checks was 80.2%
for private hire vehicles (it was
81.6% in 2014/2015) and 83.6%
for hackney carriage vehicles (it
was 85.4% in 2014/15).
This
measure was introduced at the
beginning of 2012/2013. The figures show an improved compliance rate for vehicles overall,
The enforcement activity consisted of plying for hire, vehicle stop
checks, taxi touting prevention
work and officers having a widespread high-profile presence on
city sheets.
During the year 22 stop check and
high visibility enforcement exercises were conducted across the
which is attributed to regular and
sustained high-profile enforcement
stop checks.
Almost 16% of all vehicles inspected
had faulty lights
DRIVING FORWARD
Before the start of every shift ...
The greatest single reason for non
-compliance was for lights.
Drivers should be carrying out
basic checks on their vehicles
including:
 Tyres
 Lights
 Oil levels
 Fuel levels
 Washer fluid
Cleanliness – inside and out
Simple checks carried out regularly should not only help
avoid expensive penalties but will also help to ensure the
safety of you and your passengers.
Fitted to a vehicle that could have been taking you home tonight!
Update from West Midlands Police Camera Enforcement Unit:
A Hackney carriage licence
holder was convicted at Crown
Court. She had lied on two
speeding tickets stating that she
had never seen, touched or
written on them when they
came to her house. In fact she
stated that she had never seen
the tickets and did not know
how the tickets had been filled
in with false details. The image
of the speeding offence was
checked and she was identified
as being the driver. In interview
she denied everything but she
was forensically linked to the 2
tickets and during this second
interview she gave a no comment interview. She was convicted at Wolverhampton
Crown Court and given a 6
month prison sentence
(suspended for 12 months),
150 community service and a
£750.00 fine. She has also been
revoked by Sandwell Council.
Another taxi driver had alleged
that he had sold a vehicle when
a speeding ticket came to him.
It was returned to the Central
Ticket office and then referred
to us. Whilst enquiries were
being made with the Licensing
Authority he activated a second speed camera. Unfortunately for him he decided to
tell the DVLA that he was no
longer the keeper of the said
vehicle. He did this so that he
could gain a letter from the
DVLA stating that he was no
longer the keeper. He then
sent in this form to ‘put the
Police off his trail’. His down
fall was that West Midlands
Police have a close links to the
Licensing Authority who informed
WMP that he had brought the car
in for test some 5 months after
the original ticket had been served
upon him. He was then arrested
for Perverting the Course of Justice. All evidence was put to him
re these offences and he pleaded
guilty at Crown Court. He is
awaiting sentence for these offences.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Page 7
Consultation Begins
Licensing are about to embark
on Three sets of consultations.
These are on

proposed changes to
Operator Licence Conditions

Proposed changes to
Driver and vehicle Conditions; and

The introduction of a
Quality rating Scheme
for private hire operators.
More details are available on
the Licensing pages of the City
Councils website and the consultation will be on Be Heard:
Birmingham’s Consultation
Database for Birmingham's
public sector. This means you
can participate in consultations
about local issues that interest
you. Using Be Heard means
you can make your views
known when decisions are being made about things that
affect you and the area you
live in. Go to either
www.birminghambeheard.org.uk
The closing date for responses to all
our current consultations is the 4th
September 2016.
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/
licensing
Road works currently affecting Birmingham
A number of major investment
projects are currently underway
in Birmingham City Centre including the redevelopment of
Paradise Circus, construction
of the Midland Metro City Centre extension tram system, redevelopment of Gateway (New
Street Station) including the
surrounding highway network
and construction of the Grand
Central shopping complex.
These and other developments
will enhance the local economy
by improving the transport infrastructure and enhancing Birmingham as an international
business, commercial and retail
centre and visitor / conference
destination.
The scale of the investment
does however present challenges in managing traffic as
significant sections of the highway network are affected during construction work. Every
effort is made to organise temporary traffic management arrangements effectively and appropriate signage is provided to
indicate both traffic regulations
and appropriate routes for
through traffic and to specific
destinations in the city centre.
the Roadworks map provided
by Elgin, which delivers realtime access to local roadworks
information from the majority of
the 175 local highway authorities of England and Wales.
Birmingham City Council is
constantly improving the quality
of information we provide to the
emergency services, media
and members of the public and
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/
highways-works-programme
Visit roadworks.org for an interactive, up to the minute map of
roadworks in Birmingham
To find out about roadworks
planned for the next few
months, visit our highways
works programme page: