A FORMER mayor of Worcester is calling for draconian action to regulate city taxi drivers, saying it is time to reduce their numbers and ban those who break the rules.

David Clark, a former licensing chief who helped create the heavily-criticised penalty points system, has admitted it was a mistake and says it will never work in improving standards.

The former Conservative politician has sent your Worcester News a list of the new rules he wants to see implemented, including:

Any new taxi driver must have five years’ experience on UK roads.

A reduction on the current tally of 288 licensed taxis in Worcester.

New rules banning any Hackney carriages from waiting at the kerbside to pick people up, forcing them to use ranks.

Hackneys waiting on the kerb should be suspended for a week if caught once, suspended for a month if caught twice and booted out altogether if they are caught a third time.

Any cabs older than five years should be retired.

Mr Clark says his controversial blueprint is draconian, but wants it given serious consideration by the city council’s licensing committee.

“This is part of an endemic problem that has plagued the city for more than 20 years and it really is time something was done to solve the problem.”

He also says the penalty points system can never work, no matter how much tinkering is done and wants it axed.

As your Worcester News reported on Tuesday, more than 100 drivers have been caught flouting the rules in the last year, but none have been punished.

Drivers caught breaking the rules are given penalty points for offences, ranging from two points for obstruction to eight points for more serious breaches like plying for hire, but none have appeared before a council sub-committee.

As of this month the system is being tightened up so points stay on a driver’s record for two years, rather than one, and 15 points will trigger a sub-committee appearance, instead of 20.

Councillor Paul Den-ham, the current licensing committee chairman, said: “It’s a minority bucking the system that need to be dealt with – the majority are perfectly law-abiding.

“I do think the new penalty points system should work better, but we’ll have to wait and see.

“It would not be legal to take on some of David’s suggestions – the only way we can revoke a driver’s licence is if they are deemed not fit and proper.”

City taxi driver Asif Ali, aged 49, said: “Yet again the drivers get a hard time. We just want to get on with making a living.”