Penalty points scheme and code of conduct proposal for taxi drivers

Crawley Borough Council wants to introduce a penalty points scheme and a code of good conduct to help secure compliance with licensing requirements as well as responsible and ethical behaviour from hackney carriage and private hire licence holders.

The scheme would give points to taxi drivers who commit minor offences or acts of non-compliance instead of taking more formal action.

The council wants to identify drivers who persistently commit minor offences or fail to comply with requirements placed upon them as licence holders.

A licence holder that reaches a certain number of points would then be referred to the council which would consider whether to suspend or revoke the licence.

The penalty points scheme is not intended to be used to deal with more serious offences or acts of non-compliance and in deciding what action to take, each case will continue to be considered on its own individual merits.

Councillor Mike Pickett, chair of the council’s Licensing Committee, said: “We want to find out what the public and taxi drivers think about these proposals before making a final decision.

“I’d urge everyone to give us their views so we can ensure that any final policy works for both taxi users and taxi drivers.”

A short survey along with the draft penalty points scheme and code of good conduct can be viewed and completed at www.crawley.gov.uk/consultation

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