A “CRIMINAL OFFENCE”

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 256, 25 July 1936, Page 22

A “CRIMINAL OFFENCE”

Sharing Taxi Fares

In England it is a criminal offence to share a taxi, carrying a line of anything up to £2O. This anomaly in the Road Traffic Act. 1930, was revealed in the King’s Bench Divisional Court recently. On an appeal by Wie Traffic Commissioners, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Ilewart, and Justices du I’arcq and Goddard, decided that Miss Maudie Cross, of Ashmore Grove, Ipswich, had caused a taxicab to be used as an “express carriage,” when it was hired to take her and some women friends to a dance and they agreed to share the fare. The caib had not a road service licence, such as is issued to motorcoaches, which must be provided for an “express carriage,” but only a taxicab licence, "which does not allow the carriage of people at separate fares. Mr. Justice du I’arcq: It would appear that if two barristers share a taxicab to go to a county court and agree to share the fare, they are guilty of a criminal offence, if the vehicle lias no road service licence? Mr. Valentine Holmes (lor the Ti.ifflc Commissioners) : Yes. that is the law. “Then the sooner the public knows Jt fh e better,” commented Mr. Justice Goddards.

Lord Ilewart said that the case might seem a hard one, but there was no reason why,the law should not be enforced-. 11" grotesque results followed, that, might be a reason for amending the law. Miss Cross. Lord Ilewart added, had unwittingly committed an offence, and the appeal asking lhal the Ipswich magistrates should find that, the offence was proved would he allowed. An official of the London Motor Cab Proprietors' Association, "when interviewed, said that the provision was made to prevent taxicab drivers from carrying a number of people at separate fares and so competing with motorcoaches and omnibuses. "So far as the public is concerned,” said Mr. A. 11. Cox, of the cab section of the Transport and General Workers’ Union, “this section of the Act is honoured more in the breach than in the observance, but -drivers are strictly warned that they must not enter into contracts with passengers so that they share the fare. “All that will happen now, I imagine, is that people will take care to share the •damage’ afterward, away from the hearing of the taxicab driver. "1 think it would be sufficient if the law merely made it illegal for drivers Io enter into share agreements with fares.”