Teignbridge Council dilemma over Romanian taxi drivers

“It's disappointing to see the actions of this one particular taxi firm and their attempts to justify themselves, however New ton Abbot has many good taxi firms that employ drivers with excellent local knowledge of the area and who have had all the necessary and important background checks. Please research the internet to find one of these reliable and friendly firms and start using them as your taxi provider instead. It will only take a few minutes but will give you peace of mind that should be part of the course and it also means you will be supporting drivers, who have been serving the Teignbridge area for a considerable time.”

“Why I use taxis as little as possible:

1 - Pre -ordered taxi to go from Ogwell to Newton Abbot station. The time requested fro the taxi to arrive in Ogwell was 1 hour before the train was due. Taxi didn't arrive at requested time. Phoned taxi company - it will be with you within 10 minutes - no it didn't - called again - it's on it's way...... this went on until finally a taxi arrived 7 minutes before the train was due to depart and, yes , I caught the train as they were shutting the doors.

2 - Got a taxi from the taxi rank in Newton Abbot town centre to Ogwell. When I arrived at Ogwell I asked the driver to wait one minute (literally) as I just had to pick up a key and then wanted to go back to the taxi rank in Newton Abbot town centre Charge was £18.00 and that was in 2005.

3 - Unrelated to the above - A taxi driver stole my scooter key because he didn't like me parking my scooter next to the taxi rank.

I have never been in a taxi since.”

“I don't mind what the Romanians do with their money. If they have worked to earn it then it is theirs to do what they want with. And in these days of sat-navs knowing the area is not so important. You regularily get into a taxi in Torquay and give the taxi driver your address only to be asked in a scouse accent if that is Torquay, Paignton or Brixham.”

“Silvermoth does not suggest anything.....Silvermoth tells only facts!!! As for you Sid you really should get your facts straight before you spout off about Romanians being better educated and more polite, half of them cant even speak very much English let alone be polite!!! None of them know the area or where they are going!!! Its wrong that local taxi guys should be pushed out of their jobs so that the bosses can make a fast buck!!! I cannot believe that people think there were no local drivers for these jobs when at least 5 people have been pushed out the door by the Romanians and as i said earlier they wont be the only ones to go i'm sure. i'm sure that people, including you Sid, would not be pleased to learn that all of the Romanians wages are sent right on back to their families, the money doesn't even stay in this country....and we wonder why this country is in such a bad way!!!!!!”

“You will probably find Romanians are more educated, more polite and more willing to work than the available British benefits junkie.”

“Opps seems my comment has re-appeared again, on the subject of license changes its a big NO , why should our system constantly make changes for immigrant workers that does not benefit us, if anything it burdens us. Check out the figures for immigrants in our prisons because we bent over backwards to accommodate them by changing our policies only for some of them to abuse our system or/and our people. Children and vunerable adults are involved in taxi service just like the care homes and i have heard enough stories of abuse due to unchecked staff !”

“This is outrageous, i think Teignbridge taxi's should have to prove they cannot find drivers locally by having to place job vacancies with the job centre. If not they should not get the licences renewed. I am fed up of immigrants taking jobs that people locally or even in the next counties who were born here would gladly have. If that makes me a racist then i'm sorry but i am more concerned about our economy not that of other countries first!”

“BTW Sid
Your rather childish 'public sector taxi advert' just shows how ignorant you are of the facts.
Funnily enough, I was talking to another DM reader last night, he was about as ignorant of the real world as you.”

“I wonder if a more detailed article might have unpacked this statement a little more:

"Council officers have made recommendations to change the licensing system for taxi drivers so that checks on the background and health of applicants from other countries can be made"

......so it would seem that an equivalent process for checking might exist in Romania and Bulgaria, and if so, perhaps the article could have said so, and if so, what - as it is centrally important to the whole tone of the article and the debate that followed.

The issue of WHY a local taxi firm is importing Romanian drivers perhaps deserves another story.

If they are doing so because there is a shortage of local drivers then fair enough - if it is specifically to drive down drivers incomes and working conditions and by doing so boost their own profits, as SilverMoth suggests - then that is a very different story.”

“Well said silver moth!”