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New Offices for NWTP Ltd The NWTP are pleased to announce that we have expanded and have recently moved within the Rath Mor complex to new offices in the Community Service Units (the under deck). We have created three more jobs within the project and hope to expand further. Two posts have been funded by the Community Foundation and a third is a placement from the Thumb Print project. The new offices are much more accessible with car-parking facilities. These new and improved facilities will allow us to expand and increase the services we offer to the taxi industry. At present we assist and advise new applicants to the taxi industry through the entry procedures. This entails assistance and advice with: Coordinating the three procedures to get drivers on the road at earliest possible date. This assistance allows people within the community to gain access to employment within the taxi industry. We also help and advise current taxi drivers with: Latest taxi insurance rates Facilitate insurance arrangements; telephone, fax and email Assist with community finance Assist drivers through ongoing DOE procedures (on health, suspension, revocation or other) to allow drivers to get back into full employment quickly. Assist drivers who change vehicles back into employment quickly having argued to shorten the process by 3-4 weeks. Assist drivers to rearrange DVTA appointments when unsuitable
This assistance helps current taxi drivers to maintain employment within the taxi industry. At a time when employment is so hard to get, this project takes great pride in assisting and advising people to get and maintain employment locally within the taxi industry. The taxi industry is now a major employer within the city and the NWTP are continuously working to improve the taxi industry. PLATING AND TAXI REVIEW The NWTP have been in contact with the DOE requesting an update on the progress that is being made with both the Plating Scheme and the Taxi Review. The DOE have signed a contract to acquire the equipment to implement the Plating process. There remains some outstanding issues, some of which were tabled by the NWTP and proposals are on the table as to how they should be resolved but no decision has been made yet. There is also the issue of secondary legislation which has to be passed before the Plating scheme can begin. The DOE assures us that every person who has a PSV vehicle license (a PSV disc) will be contacted and informed (as long as contact details are up to date) about the Plating scheme. This will be done in advance of the Plating scheme to ensure that vehicle owners are kept informed. Letters should go out to all vehicle owners in the autumn beginning the process but these timeframes have slipped in the past but the DOE adamant that the Plating scheme will happen in the near future, either late 2004 or early 2005. The Taxi Review team informs us that the reports from the Statistics & Research Agency are due to be released soon and will be made available to the taxi industry. These reports will be the result of the surveys carried out earlier this year when 3000 taxi drivers were randomly selected and asked to fill in a form and taxi operators were asked to participate in a telephone survey. The next phase of the Taxi Review will be a series of meetings across the region by the DOE with the taxi industry. These will be public meetings staged as an ‘Information Day’ to inform the taxi industry of developments and answer questions. One of the meetings will be staged in Derry. This should happen in September. At the end of September or early October we expect the ‘Public Consultation Paper’ to be released. We expect this document to be widely available and all taxi industry stakeholders should read this document and respond to it either individually or through the NWTP project. The issues contained in the document should be discussed and responses documented. This document will help shape the future of the taxi industry for the foreseeable future. The NWTP will try to keep the taxi industry posted on developments as we progress. Taxi drivers & proprietors are welcome to visit the project to discuss the taxi industry related issues arising out of the Taxi Review. ATTACKS on TAXI DRIVERS Over recent months there has been an increase of attacks on taxi drivers mainly concentrated in areas of the Waterside. After a spate of attacks in May the NWTP met community & political groups in the Waterside and local taxi drivers to ask if there could be a community response to the attacks. It was agreed that community workers would tackle the problem on the ground. After a relatively quiet month and good community work on the ground we have a re-occurrence in the last week. Taxis have been attacked by stone throwing gangs doing considerable damage to vehicles. The NWTP urge all taxi drivers to be vigilant when working. Taxi drivers should report attacks to the NWTP.The NWTP also call on all Community & Political leaders to speak out against these attacks on people providing a necessary service to the community For further information call to our office in the Rath Mor Business Park or ring 02871 362556.
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