GMB members will launch a national day of protest in a bid to protect the taxi and private hire industries.
The day of action will take place in Cardiff today and across the country, including Brighton, Leeds, London and the M25 area, York, Manchester, Trafford and Rochdale.
The demonstrations are in response to the saturation of private hire vehicles and out of town minicabs plying for hire in towns and cities where they are not licensed – with some authorities, notably TfL in London, dishing out licenses ‘like sweeties’, said the union.
A ‘Wild West’ situation forms in many towns and cities each a weekend – with local licensing enforcement officers who feel powerless to prevent out of town vehicles plying for hire in areas where they have not been licensed.
A lack of national standards and a national data base is now a worry, added the union.