Taxi drivers claim
illegal ranks pose a grave threat to public safety and that council officers
are doing nothing to close them down.
In January last year
accountant Jay Abatan was killed as he queued for a cab outside the Ocean Rooms
nightclub in Morley Street, Brighton.
The National Provincial
Taxi Trade Union says the illegal rank, in a quiet back street, and others like
it are a danger to the public.
It wants further action
by Brighton and Hove Council to prevent unlicensed drivers plying for trade
outside busy pubs and clubs, where policing is more difficult than at official
points.
NPTTU Brighton and Hove
branch secretary Abbi Zarrabi said: "The public seriously needs protecting.
"It's not only
Morley Street, it's happening all over town. The problem is the public is
unaware of what is and isn't a licensed vehicle. If its got a light on the
roof, people believe it's a proper taxi, so this bad image rebounds on
us."
To gain a licence,
drivers have to pass a knowledge test and are assessed each year on their
character by police.
Mr Zarrabi said: "We
have a good relationship with the police. If something happens at a rank, we
can relay the message to them quickly. If someone's operating an illegal cab,
they are going to be much less forthcoming. We keep on writing to the council.
It isn't doing anything at all."
He claimed up to 40 of
the 297 Brighton and Hove NPTTU members complained every week about illegal
drivers but he could not remember a prosecution by the council.
Mr Abatan, 42, of
Eastbourne, died after being attacked while waiting for a taxi in Morley
Street.
A council spokesman
denied there was an illegal rank outside the Ocean Rooms, saying private hire
vehicles could pick up outside if drivers made prior bookings.
He added there was a
dedicated phone line inside the club.
The spokesman said:
"The council has worked constructively with the local taxi trade to make
sure their vehicles carry the distinct Pavilion panelling on them."