Taxi driver vows to defy English sticker ban (From Daily Echo)
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Taxi driver vows to defy English sticker ban
5:37pm Wednesday 3rd February 2010 in
A DEFIANT Southampton cabbie last night vowed to defy a council ban on “racist” window stickers.
Father-of-two Darren Busby is thought to have been one of the first drivers in the city to display a sticker in his car stating he is an “English speaking driver” two years ago. Now he says he has no intention of taking it down.
Council bosses last night said drivers displaying any sticker or signs had seven days to remove them or they would have their licence suspended.
But Darren called the ban “farcical” and said he would continue to display his sticker.
He said: “The sticker will stay in my car until the council can come up with a good enough reason for me to take it out.”
The 40-year-old from Bitterne Park added: “I originally printed out a flyer to put in my car saying ‘English driver’ two years ago and I have displayed one ever since.
“The reason I did it was because there were customers looking up and down lines of taxis looking for drivers who were not of ethnic minority origin.
“I hear horror stories every single night of customers who have been ripped off, taken the long route to their destinations, and in some cases been dropped off in the middle of nowhere because their drivers didn’t know where they were going.”
Taxi trade representatives, councillors and anti-racism groups, have branded the stickers racist and said they had upset some of their ethnic minority members.
But Darren, a cabbie for nine years, insisted displaying the stickers was not racist but instead “sent a message”
to customers that drivers would provide a good service.
He said: “It is not about race relations at all, it’s about providing a good service to customers.
“There are some really good drivers in Southampton who are from an Asian or other foreign backgrounds.
“Unfortunately there are also some that are letting everyone down and giving taxi drivers a bad name.”
Comments(72)
saintjak
says...
6:03pm Wed 3 Feb 10
There is obviously a problem STOP throwing out the race card and solve the problem!
clausentum
says...
6:03pm Wed 3 Feb 10
He has to win the argument. The Council has to lose the argument.
Otherwise, hard-fought-for freedoms secured for all of us by generations of people, simply go down the tube.
This has nothing whatsover to do with Race nor Racism.
It has more to do with weak-kneed, wishy-washy, council staff wanting to gingerly tread on eggshells and appease a tiny prejudiced small-minded minority, by, shoot-from-the-hip, silly OTT responses.
They only succeed in shooting themselves in the foot and making themselves appear ridiculous, incompetent and lacking intelligence.
Vote them out!!
Stephen J
says...
6:09pm Wed 3 Feb 10
He also said, "There are some really good drivers in Southampton who are from an Asian or other foreign backgrounds."
Putting up a St George's flag with the words "English Driver" on it helps get that message across then, does it?
Louise19
says...
6:11pm Wed 3 Feb 10
riapumagal
says...
6:14pm Wed 3 Feb 10
I use taxi's alot going to and from town,and i will only get into a taxi who is English,i like the banter and conversation with an English man!
I have felt uncompfortable with any other nationality,as they dont talk or know where they're going!
We need to stand up to all this rascist issues,WE ARE ENGLISH and proud(not british)
We are not being rascist,we are stating the obvious!
When i see one of these stickers on a cab, i will def get into it!!
well done lads!!
southy
says...
6:34pm Wed 3 Feb 10
easy solution.
freefinker
says...
6:35pm Wed 3 Feb 10
Stephen J wrote:I think you hit the nail on the head there Stephen. Excellent comment.
Mr Busby said, "The reason I did it was because there were customers looking up and down lines of taxis looking for drivers who were not of ethnic minority origin."
He also said, "There are some really good drivers in Southampton who are from an Asian or other foreign backgrounds."
Putting up a St George's flag with the words "English Driver" on it helps get that message across then, does it?
freefinker
says...
6:40pm Wed 3 Feb 10
southy wrote:That's one solution I suppose.
ok here's a way out of it for all, drop the st george logo, put up a union sticker with no words, and any driver that can speak other languages then put up sticker of that country/s that they can speak. keep the sticker small and keep them up in the top left corner.
easy solution.
But if it IS a requirement that English can be spoken and understood, as apparently the council say it is, then there is no need for ANY flags, stickers or messages saying what languages are spoken.
Would it not be better that the council took action on this at the same time?
adclose
says...
6:41pm Wed 3 Feb 10
southy
says...
6:52pm Wed 3 Feb 10
freefinker wrote:i agree, and the test is in english so really there should be no need for an union sticker, but many countrys in europe are going down this road, having there own country sticker and others if they can speak that language. checking with my cousin in greece its going to be made law there for taxi, coach and bus services. maybe we should follow suit.
southy wrote:That's one solution I suppose.
ok here's a way out of it for all, drop the st george logo, put up a union sticker with no words, and any driver that can speak other languages then put up sticker of that country/s that they can speak. keep the sticker small and keep them up in the top left corner.
easy solution.
But if it IS a requirement that English can be spoken and understood, as apparently the council say it is, then there is no need for ANY flags, stickers or messages saying what languages are spoken.
Would it not be better that the council took action on this at the same time?
soton1980
says...
6:59pm Wed 3 Feb 10
H0ckeyd
says...
7:31pm Wed 3 Feb 10
The one solution I can think of is to have a list on the door or somewhere that can be seen that states what languages they DO speak, for example a Polish driver could write: Fluent in English and Polish, an Indian driver could write: Fluent in English, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi......This would of course be a problem for a lot of English drivers (and obviously some posters here too) as their grasp of English seems lacking as well!
But I'd also like to point out that Racism is a made up PC word, Mandela says that no-one is born a biggot, I kind of disagree with this, with society as it is, it's our duty to show the young that this is not acceptable and I would say some of the comments from the cab driver are certainly borderline.
Mike Burns
says...
7:34pm Wed 3 Feb 10
.
Particularly the people From the Southhampton area.
.
Shouldn't be too difficult to make one.
Rob444
says...
7:38pm Wed 3 Feb 10
freefinker wrote:Assuming that taxi drivers from abroad are fluent in the English language, then the implication is that they are letting other people use their taxis and i.d. cards. Can any council official say whether spot checks are made to prevent such abuse of the system?
southy wrote:That's one solution I suppose.
ok here's a way out of it for all, drop the st george logo, put up a union sticker with no words, and any driver that can speak other languages then put up sticker of that country/s that they can speak. keep the sticker small and keep them up in the top left corner.
easy solution.
But if it IS a requirement that English can be spoken and understood, as apparently the council say it is, then there is no need for ANY flags, stickers or messages saying what languages are spoken.
Would it not be better that the council took action on this at the same time?
EELS MAN
says...
7:48pm Wed 3 Feb 10
warness
says...
7:50pm Wed 3 Feb 10
I noticed a plane flying low overhead, obviously heading in to land at the airport. The landing gear was down, and it was flying almost parallel to the railway line.
I thought to myself - sometimes you have to climb with the lizards to nestle in the rocks?
southy
says...
7:52pm Wed 3 Feb 10
Rob444 wrote:well with the number of cuts made who knows. but the police are allowed to spot check plus dept of highways/transport
freefinker wrote:Assuming that taxi drivers from abroad are fluent in the English language, then the implication is that they are letting other people use their taxis and i.d. cards. Can any council official say whether spot checks are made to prevent such abuse of the system?
southy wrote:That's one solution I suppose.
ok here's a way out of it for all, drop the st george logo, put up a union sticker with no words, and any driver that can speak other languages then put up sticker of that country/s that they can speak. keep the sticker small and keep them up in the top left corner.
easy solution.
But if it IS a requirement that English can be spoken and understood, as apparently the council say it is, then there is no need for ANY flags, stickers or messages saying what languages are spoken.
Would it not be better that the council took action on this at the same time?
EELS MAN
says...
7:53pm Wed 3 Feb 10
warness wrote:Exsqeeze me!
Curiously, I was driving through Eastleigh towards Bishopstoke the other day. The sun was out, but there was a cruel winter chill in the air. I noticed a plane flying low overhead, obviously heading in to land at the airport. The landing gear was down, and it was flying almost parallel to the railway line. I thought to myself - sometimes you have to climb with the lizards to nestle in the rocks?
King Mush
says...
7:57pm Wed 3 Feb 10
warness wrote:lol
Curiously, I was driving through Eastleigh towards Bishopstoke the other day. The sun was out, but there was a cruel winter chill in the air.
I noticed a plane flying low overhead, obviously heading in to land at the airport. The landing gear was down, and it was flying almost parallel to the railway line.
I thought to myself - sometimes you have to climb with the lizards to nestle in the rocks?
Time to change the medication? Unless we have a graduate in the Poetry of Eric Cantona?
Redback
says...
7:57pm Wed 3 Feb 10
As others have said, communication skills should be a prerequisite for a taxi driver anyway, so the simplest answer is for the council to do their job and make these stickers unnecessary.
But I do have a question for those rattling on about unrestricted freedom of speech: how did you feel about Abu Hamza's freedom of speech.
The fact is, freedom of speech is not an absolute. You cannot shout 'fire' in a cinema just for a giggle, to give the classic example. 'Freedom of Speech' is actually quite a weak right, relatively.
warness
says...
8:06pm Wed 3 Feb 10
7:57pm Wed 3 Feb 10
This isn't a clear cut case of racism, but it is dog-whistle politics
Redback - would you PLEASE stop using your new-found phrase
If you don't know what STOP means - google it
southy
says...
8:11pm Wed 3 Feb 10
warness wrote:but what he on about is very close if not spot on dog-whistling politics.
Redback, Southampton says...
7:57pm Wed 3 Feb 10
This isn't a clear cut case of racism, but it is dog-whistle politics
Redback - would you PLEASE stop using your new-found phrase
If you don't know what STOP means - google it
warness
says...
8:15pm Wed 3 Feb 10
I object to bare arms which are marked with primeval scribbles.
Tells me more about the man than a national flag on his windscreen
colinpickford1
says...
8:15pm Wed 3 Feb 10
Dont forget to get the licence number.
alabaster
says...
8:20pm Wed 3 Feb 10
X Old Bill
says...
8:48pm Wed 3 Feb 10
warness wrote:To use the common vernacular - I see where you are coming from.
Curiously, I was driving through Eastleigh towards Bishopstoke the other day. The sun was out, but there was a cruel winter chill in the air.
I noticed a plane flying low overhead, obviously heading in to land at the airport. The landing gear was down, and it was flying almost parallel to the railway line.
I thought to myself - sometimes you have to climb with the lizards to nestle in the rocks?
X Old Bill
says...
8:50pm Wed 3 Feb 10
southy wrote:Yes, I believe that it is safe to say that at least two people are going to be boring the world with their new found antipodean phrase.
warness wrote:but what he on about is very close if not spot on dog-whistling politics.
Redback, Southampton says...
7:57pm Wed 3 Feb 10
This isn't a clear cut case of racism, but it is dog-whistle politics
Redback - would you PLEASE stop using your new-found phrase
If you don't know what STOP means - google it
warness
says...
9:06pm Wed 3 Feb 10
Southy and Redback
The best tag team in the ring.
Ooops, I didn't mean to blow the dog-whistle
a-c-m
says...
9:41pm Wed 3 Feb 10
Reality-man
says...
9:41pm Wed 3 Feb 10
freefinker
says...
9:46pm Wed 3 Feb 10
a-c-m wrote:Best post of the day.
At last - a way of identifying the racist cabbies - they do go on, so.
Says it all
Southampton Heart
says...
9:51pm Wed 3 Feb 10
I can't see what the fuss is all about?.
warness
says...
9:58pm Wed 3 Feb 10
Southampton Heart wrote:Poor Edwina - I didn't know she was smelly.
To be honest..I prefer an English speaking cabbie....as I like to have a conversation with the driver...and because the smell of currie makes me sick (as I don't eat the muck). There is NOTHING wrong with the sticker. I can't see what the fuss is all about?.
Oh sorry SH, you meant to say CURRY?
Looks like we got another professor on the show!!
colinpickford1
says...
10:15pm Wed 3 Feb 10
warness
says...
10:22pm Wed 3 Feb 10
colinpickford1 wrote:Madder **** for me ~~
Mine's a tindaloo thanks
Condor Man
says...
10:34pm Wed 3 Feb 10
Totton Ric
says...
10:37pm Wed 3 Feb 10
Southampton Heart
says...
10:51pm Wed 3 Feb 10
warness wrote:Good one about Edwina...haha.
Southampton Heart wrote: To be honest..I prefer an English speaking cabbie....as I like to have a conversation with the driver...and because the smell of currie makes me sick (as I don't eat the muck). There is NOTHING wrong with the sticker. I can't see what the fuss is all about?.Poor Edwina - I didn't know she was smelly. Oh sorry SH, you meant to say CURRY? Looks like we got another professor on the show!!
Yes..it's true...I'm don't eat this kind of food...it'll wreck my inners, give me the rodneys and will make me ill for a week.
As far as I'm concerned it pongs and looks like poo. I perfer good old blighty food....I hope this don't affend anyone....liking English food?...after all this is England?...isn't it?.
taximan05
says...
10:57pm Wed 3 Feb 10
wotacon
says...
11:06pm Wed 3 Feb 10
taximan05
says...
11:36pm Wed 3 Feb 10
taximan05 wrote:Helpful information:
There seems to be a large number of taxi user's on here with bad experiences, more so with language barriers, but there are also issues with pricing or detours etc. As all these issues are a condition of a taxi driver's licence indeed a pre-requisite of obtaining one we hear. May i suggest you complain to those who can get off thier backsides and do something about it, surely if the council get enough complaints about these driver's they would have to take action. I suggest you put your complaint in writing making sure you have driver's name or driver's number this is or should be displayed in all cabs (a driver must display his badge, this has his driver number and name on it. reg. of car ok but bear in mind many of the cars have multiple drivers) also inform driver you intend to complain. Make sure you follow up on complaint. You pay for a service so you have rights. Complain where it matters and make a difference.
You can email: licensing@southampto
n.gov.uk
Write:
Licensing Team, Southampton City Council PO Box 1344, Southampton, SO15 1WQ
There is also a complaint form you can download on Southampton City Council site: http://www.southampt
on.gov.uk/business/l
icensing/taxis/
Make the difference, get the service you deserve.
Arnold J Rimmer
says...
12:34am Thu 4 Feb 10
One eveving of objective investigative journalism, would have revealed more than sitting in an office relaying heresay. Needless to say the money is still in the biscuit barrel, and nobody from the Echo seems able to print a story, good or bad from first hand experience.
kingkong 1
says...
12:47am Thu 4 Feb 10
baume
says...
1:09am Thu 4 Feb 10
Waysider
says...
6:18am Thu 4 Feb 10
Well no actually, it's the fifty third state of America.
TheLandlord
says...
7:18am Thu 4 Feb 10
Redback
says...
8:17am Thu 4 Feb 10
warness wrote:It's not a new phrase at all kitten. I've used it more than once recently because it describes the phenomenon accurately. So in answer to your request... er.... 'no'.
Redback, Southampton says...
7:57pm Wed 3 Feb 10
This isn't a clear cut case of racism, but it is dog-whistle politics
Redback - would you PLEASE stop using your new-found phrase
If you don't know what STOP means - google it
colinpickford1
says...
8:53am Thu 4 Feb 10
Redback wrote:...er....please.
warness wrote:It's not a new phrase at all kitten. I've used it more than once recently because it describes the phenomenon accurately. So in answer to your request... er.... 'no'.
Redback, Southampton says...
7:57pm Wed 3 Feb 10
This isn't a clear cut case of racism, but it is dog-whistle politics
Redback - would you PLEASE stop using your new-found phrase
If you don't know what STOP means - google it
Redback
says...
9:29am Thu 4 Feb 10
Or maybe a "This driver shuts the hell up" one.
Lauren1990
says...
10:51am Thu 4 Feb 10
southy
says...
11:28am Thu 4 Feb 10
kingkong 1 wrote:he dont the majority of cabby's are refusing to put up a st george sticker, because of the connections between the st george cross and the extreme right wing fascist groups mainly the bnp and the edl.
Good for him I hope he has plenty of other cabbies to back him up
Carpe Diem
says...
11:53am Thu 4 Feb 10
taximan05 wrote:All very helpful information. Given the number of people complaining on this forum and many others it would also be nice to hear from the civil servants on the licencing committee about what they intend to do to alleviate the situation. Are we likely to hear of more licence spot checks ? Can we expect more monitoring of cabbies to see that they can provide customers with a safe journey,via the shortest route and understand where they are being asked to go ? Or is it just a case of take the licence fee and sit on your a*** until somebody complains - and even then use the racism card to avoid doing anything constructive for the people of Southampton - those who pay your wages.
taximan05 wrote: There seems to be a large number of taxi user's on here with bad experiences, more so with language barriers, but there are also issues with pricing or detours etc. As all these issues are a condition of a taxi driver's licence indeed a pre-requisite of obtaining one we hear. May i suggest you complain to those who can get off thier backsides and do something about it, surely if the council get enough complaints about these driver's they would have to take action. I suggest you put your complaint in writing making sure you have driver's name or driver's number this is or should be displayed in all cabs (a driver must display his badge, this has his driver number and name on it. reg. of car ok but bear in mind many of the cars have multiple drivers) also inform driver you intend to complain. Make sure you follow up on complaint. You pay for a service so you have rights. Complain where it matters and make a difference.Helpful information: You can email: licensing@southampto n.gov.uk Write: Licensing Team, Southampton City Council PO Box 1344, Southampton, SO15 1WQ There is also a complaint form you can download on Southampton City Council site: http://www.southampt on.gov.uk/business/l icensing/taxis/ Make the difference, get the service you deserve.
the hun
says...
12:27pm Thu 4 Feb 10
You stay firm and the rest of the persecuted white minority will stay with you. What a farce this social experiment of "multi-culture" has become. The powder-keg in Southampton is full to bursting and if those self-appointed do-gooders at the council carry on like this, then we'll soon have it out openly on the streets. Britain has become the laughing stock in Europe, because of the limp-dick attitude when it comes to tackle the issues of un-negotiable racial differences. We are headed for distaster and anybody believing otherwise is not living in the real world. By the way...where I get one of those stickers to display in support of the cabbies ?
St Dannuth
says...
1:31pm Thu 4 Feb 10
Dusty
says...
2:46pm Thu 4 Feb 10
This guy has a Sticker with English driver, defining his race and that's where his argument falls down. He is clearly being predigest by stating his nationality.
clausentum
says...
3:18pm Thu 4 Feb 10
Waysider wrote:What's the fifty second??
Southampton heart wrote :- this is England? isn't it.
Well no actually, it's the fifty third state of America.
wilson castaway
says...
3:55pm Thu 4 Feb 10
B. L.
says...
4:00pm Thu 4 Feb 10
clausentum wrote:And fifty first?
Waysider wrote:What's the fifty second??
Southampton heart wrote :- this is England? isn't it.
Well no actually, it's the fifty third state of America.
pikeyskate
says...
5:46pm Thu 4 Feb 10
When will there be a "No music" notice?
mollie
says...
5:57pm Thu 4 Feb 10
southy
says...
6:04pm Thu 4 Feb 10
pikeyskate wrote:and use the union logo
All cabbies should display the "English spoken" notice, thereby rendering it useless.
When will there be a "No music" notice?
Redback
says...
6:22pm Thu 4 Feb 10
wilson castaway wrote:The meter runs on time as well as distance. Traffic would have made a difference.
A little off subject here but ..Interesting fact: needed 2 members of staff from another store one day.They both came from the same shop in Netley to the shop i work in.One was charged £10 the other charged £15, we had reciepts to reclaim traveling expenses.Both taxis from the same company, how can one charge an extra five pounds to travel to the exact same destination?
Looney Cleo
says...
6:43pm Thu 4 Feb 10
These idiots that are suppose to be running this Department should resign from the over-paid jobs.
PUT YOUR MOBILE OUT SO WE CAN BOOK YOU IN FUTURE.
joedalton
says...
7:38pm Thu 4 Feb 10
I live in Dundee in Scotland.
You might wonder what is this got to do with me?
Last year while visiting my son at RAF Halton camp at Aylesbury in Buckinhamshire we got three taxis, not one driver could speak english.
On a journey from Stoke Mandeville to Aylesbury I asked the driver how much the fare was he looked at us as if we were Alien and said something on his radio, a voice answered 12 pounds so we paid and left. Further down the road was a taxi office with a big sign in the window advertising women drivers for muslim women passengers,guess what no outcry funny that.
I phoned the Jeremy Vine show when this aired on radio two,to make the points I have made in this text.
I hope the taxi drivers resist the call to ban drivers who are proud to be, and speak English.
Is this the only country in the world where you can be victimized for advertising the fact that you speak English?
CANADA-GILL
says...
9:15pm Thu 4 Feb 10
I say the cabbies should STAND proud and display the ST GEORGE
flag. security word....will-upon, isn't that the truth
cbcars
says...
10:13pm Thu 4 Feb 10
in to days echo. I think its about time the local council changed the way plats are being sold for cash in bag-full of money with no questions asked.
taximan05
says...
11:46pm Thu 4 Feb 10
TheLandlord wrote:100% correct Landlord I am a taxi driver who will continue to display the sign English speaking driver and i can assure you this was never a race issue it was only ever a language issue. Congratulations for seeing that someone is trying to make it look like a racist issue. Anyone of any nationality can speak good English after all its one of the most widely spoken languages worldwide. May i also make clear the reason behind the St. George flag being used, this was for people who are unable to read and to make it visible from a distance. I am not sure who first made the remark that this was based on race but am sure it must be someone who is looking for an opportunity to cry it. They should learn to ask questions before they accuse in future as they are the only ones to blame for turning it into something about race.
Are they missing the point here? What's stopping a non white person putting up the same sign if they speak English?
PDOFF
says...
11:50pm Thu 4 Feb 10
darren said to me today this was never ment to be a race issue it was about the customer service that was not being provided to the southampton public.
Redback
says...
10:34am Fri 5 Feb 10
CANADA-GILL wrote:Yeah, it's terrible. As a middle-class white indigenous male I feel constantly oppressed. It's time they gave us the vote!
joedalton, it is same in Canada, if you are a white, english speaking male you are nothing, with no rights,
I say the cabbies should STAND proud and display the ST GEORGE
flag. security word....will-upon, isn't that the truth
Vconfused
says...
2:19pm Sun 7 Feb 10
Totton Ric wrote:How did you know the people there represented these different nationalities? Did you check their passports? Ask them in multiple languages where they are from or how they would describe their ethnic and cultural origin? Or did you just look at them and assume? To be honest, I don't think you appear qualified to judge what is good English. The last taxi ride I had was with a young man in his 20s who would probably describe himself as British Asian. I was exhausted after a long journey, it was after 10pm at night but he was fantastic and despite being a young woman and often being wary of cabs I didn't feel at all uncomfortable.
I had to get a Taxi from the General Hospital 3 weeks ago,9 taxis out side only 1 was a British Driver, the rest were African, Turkish & Afghanistan’s ,most broke the rules of no smoking in the taxis & the others sat there on there phones. How do old people who have to get a Taxi feel if there English is poor as I asked how much the fare to Totton would be roughly & 2 drivers just looked blankly, Unfortunately the English taxi driver could not take me as he was the 3rd car back & had a order system. I ended catching the bus back.
Racism is racism if someone considers it racist. Someone has raised a complaint about these flags, so they should be taken down. And the ignorant idiots on here show why. Yes the council should do better - but they are really crap at everything. Use your vote to do something about it, contact the council with complaints - make yourself heard. That is freedom of speech.
working.mummyof2
says...
12:05am Fri 12 Feb 10
How about all the shop with other language's all over the windows, There are many of these shops from all races.He is doing the same as the shop so how isit he is being racist because its in his car not a shop window. IF HE HAS TO TAKE HIS DOWN SO SHOULD THEY SO EVERYONE IS TREATED THE SAME!!
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mac1989 says...
5:41pm Wed 3 Feb 10