BREAKING: Imran Hussain MP pushes Bradford Council to adopt his ground-breaking ‘Taxi Drivers Charter’ without delay
Following his long-running campaign to improve the treatment and welfare of taxi drivers across the Bradford District, Imran Hussain MP has today formally proposed a comprehensive ‘Taxi Drivers Charter’ for Bradford Council to adopt in their dealings with the District’s drivers.
The landmark Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Charter that has been drawn up and proposed by Mr Hussain is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK and sets out not only a minimum standard of treatment and service for Bradford Council towards taxi drivers, but also sets out aspirations and proposals to create a stronger working relationship between the two and improve the service that is currently being received by taxi drivers from Bradford Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Service.
In the five-point plan, the Charter sets out a number of wide-ranging proposals that would improve the responsiveness of Bradford Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Service to concerns and issues raised by taxi drivers, and crucially, following the devastating impact that the Coronavirus pandemic has had on taxi drivers and their trade, sets out proposals to ensure that drivers receive the financial support that they need to ensure that drivers and their passengers are kept safe and their incomes protected, with additional support to allow them to recover following the crisis.
The Charter is the culmination of Mr Hussain’s campaign and calls that he made last August to Bradford Council in which he slammed the experience and treatment faced by taxi drivers, stating that Bradford Council had “serious questions to answer of its treatment of drivers”, and urged the Council’s leadership to “take an urgent look at the work of their Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Service”, labelling the service as “woefully unacceptable” and their treatment of drivers as “deeply unacceptable.”
Speaking on his push for Bradford Council to adopt his Charter for taxi drivers across the Bradford District, Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East said:
“The taxi trade is an important part of Bradford’s local economy, but for far too long, far too many drivers across the District have been raising with me cases of deeply unacceptable treatment that they have received from Bradford Council, as well as serious issues that remain unresolved, which is hampering the trade and causing great misery for drivers, many of whom are self-employed and working long hours.
“I have always been a champion of our taxi drivers, and I have therefore been campaigning to get a better deal for all of Bradford’s drivers, whether that is Hackney Carriage or Private Hire drivers, and I am proud to today set out and propose this ground-breaking Charter for Taxi Drivers that will vastly improve the service and treatment received by drivers and help boost the trade and its recovery throughout Bradford once we see an end to the Coronavirus crisis.
“This Charter is the result of many months of discussions and deep conversations with Bradford’s taxi drivers and with Bradford Council’s leadership to take on board their views and their concerns, and I hope that following my proposal today, Bradford Council will accept and adopt the Charter in full. The experiences of drivers in Bradford and the challenges we face mean that we cannot wait any longer, and I, therefore, urge Bradford Council to do so without delay.”