Is This Really Offensive?

[trt]

What's wrong with showing the flag, its not as if she's a member of the N/F. Some of these Councils live in the dark

http://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/437815/Fly-the-flag-with-pride

[LazyGun]

Is this the "Maggie,50" woman? Sounds kind of similar. Interesting that they were using the private members club as a means of avoiding the sex discrimination laws. Even more interesting that the police investigated them using RIPA laws :)

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/09/women-cab-firm-pink-ladies-court-case

[Orderlimit]

"police investigated them using RIPA laws :)"

Welcome to modern UK policing. LG :)

[LazyGun]

heh I misspoke actually, OL :) It was the council officers who (mis?) used RIPA powers to investigate this taxi firm. Getting late, brain not working properly :)

[Orderlimit]

Ah, Ok LG. It is the sort of thing the police would authorise intrusive surveillance for whislt refusing similar request for serious crime !

[jno]

it seems they survived the court case.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/9573645/Women-only-taxi-firms.html

I would have thought there was a clear public-interest justification for their existence. Much less clear that there's one for the driver in the present case; but she may be able to re-form as a private members' cluib and only pick up people who who want a local driver flying the flag. (I notice she insists she's British, though the flag isn't.)

[FredPuli43]

Ingenious of Pink Ladies' lawyers but I fear it is a solicitors' point (i.e. technical, ingenious, but bound to fail). A club cannot admit members of both sexes but treat them differently; it cannot have men only bars or have rules that ladies can only use the facilities at certain times or say that only males can order drinks,for example. But a club that is single sex has to have a reason for being so. Long established clubs which are single sex and always have been have had no trouble with this; the club was founded for men only or women only, and so, years ago , the founders must have thought that their purpose was the bona fide promotion of interests of one sex only. But this club cannot be said to be bona fide; it exists only as a mechanism to get around taxi licensing law, and furthermore, it is at best doubtful whether every female fare will be a member of it.

[jno]

they seem to be still going. The council action was brought several years ago, so they must have survived it somehow.

http://www.pinkladies.co.uk/

[LazyGun]

I cannot see the Telegraph articles at the moment, Jno - exceeded my free monthly allowance :) Does it say they beat the case then? As you say, if they are still in business I guess they must have...

[FredPuli43]

Interesting. Pink Ladies is run as a proper club and only members are allowed to use the service, so they survive the club test, and my cynicism was misplaced. They would claim that they exist to protect or advance the interests of one sex. It's as though they were a club for women racing drivers or a ladies' choir.

[trt]

Here is some of their website lazygun.


Who are Pink Ladies?

Contrary to common misconception Pink Ladies is NOT a taxi service.

It is a memnbers club registered as a Social Enterprize and operating as a Community Transport Service, offering its female members various services, including a level of Care, Discounts,Shopping Vouchers, Gifts, Bingo, Travel, Car and House Insurance, Accident Management and use of the club's community transport vehicles.
Pink Ladies is a Not-for-Profit Organisation.

It is really easy to join Pink Ladies either online or by telephone [phone] ) Membership cost £10.00 per year, and is used for the cost of Admin and the operating of the cars, In return for the membership fee you receive a cheque book of vouchers worth over £50 eg 10% off at Ashcroft Auto's. repairs approx £200 you save £20. New Image 10% off if a dress costs £100 you save £10.

So whether you join the club for care, the discounts, days out, free magazine or use of the cars, you will always be assured of a warm welcome, friendly voice and helpful service.

Members choose to use the club's cars for various reasons.... Some just prefer a female driver.... others may have lost confidence and like the reassurance of a lady driver, and for the few who have had a bad experience while travelling the service is an absolute lifeline.
SO TAKE THE FIRST STEP AND JOIN TODAY
Latest Pink Ladies

News
The Ladies
FAQ

Your Pink Ladies

Join
Vacancies
Safety

Pink Ladies Legal

Membership Terms
Website Terms of Use
Website Privacy Policy

Join Us On FacebookHomePink Ladies. Warrington Business Park, Warrington.

© 2011 Care For Women CIC. All Rights Reserved. | Company Registered in England and Wales No. 7255002

[LazyGun]

TY trt. I have to say, seems like a pretty good idea to me, the way they have it structured.

I might feel a bit different were they a "for hire" service, it was 1am on a rainy night in Warrington and they disregarded my hail because I was a man, but thats not the service they offering, so it seems ok to me ;)

[FredPuli43]

Notice that Pink Ladies now presents itself, very cleverly and very wisely, as a club which provides a range of services, an important one of which happens to be providing chauffeuses (not a term they use, but they should have because it sounds better and distances themselves from 'taxi'). I suspect that someone has breathed a quiet word in their direction along the lines of some high authority might have a careful look at this 'taxi club' and think it was a bit iffy!

[jno]

it's not exactly the "interests" of one sex but rather their personal safety, I would have thought. It wouldn't take much googling of court reports to provide a justification. Whether such a justification would be acceptable in court I don't know, but it's rather more than setting up a gentlemen's club for men who just don't like women around.

But yes, adding Argos vouchers may make all the difference.

Having said all that, I couldn't actually find the report of the Pink Ladies case... but it's late.

[bazwillrun]

"She's telling everyone she's local and white, looks like racism to me, "

i'm guessing a wind up, hahahahah

but......followed by mikey

"It would seem to me that JJ has probably got it right here."

its too early to be laughing this much, no, really it is...priceless

shame she cant drape her car in the union jack and shove it down their throats.

would they have been so quick if it was muslim or a jamaican driver with some of the garbage they seem to like to have in their windscreens...not a chance, this is england anything you do to stand up for the country is seen as racism by these traiterous garbage.

[FredPuli43]

A nicely balanced view, baz. Do you have any evidence that this council applies the rules differently when the driver is Jamaican or Muslim? We are not talking about minicabs here, but licensed taxis.

[bazwillrun]

Glad you think so Fred !

you know exactly what i mean so stop acting like forrest gump all the time

On the occassions i need taxis i f i could find one like her i'd use her every time if possible, like others have said I am sick of using taxis and the person can hardly undersatand a damn word of english let alon know how to even spell the place name to put in their sat navs.

with so little if any english how do they even get their cars on the roads and get jobs ?...dont answer i can guess

[jno]

so that's a "no, I don't have any evidence".

[FredPuli43]

Be fair, jno, I haven't any evidence of that either !

[viv38]

As usual baz, I'm on your side.

[mikey4444]

Aren't we all forgetting that in Devon where this lady lives and works, there may be, and probably are, some other Taxis that work the same rank as her, whose owners and drivers may not be white but are indeed local ? Just like her. That is what her sign says...local driver.

No, she is doing this to hint at the fact, not very subtly, that she is white. Simple as that and that is why the council, almost certainly mainly white and Anglo-Saxon, are taking her to task. Hoisted by her own petard it would seem !