A Leeds taxi driver has apologised to passengers for strike disruption but said he and his colleagues hade 'no choice' but to take action.
Ahmad Hussain, chair of Leeds Private Hire Drivers Organisation (LPHDO), said there were around 250 cars present as taxi drivers went on strike last night against a Leeds City Council policy.
Drivers taking part stopped rides between 10pm and 6am to do a protest slow drive from Burley Road to Leeds city centre.
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Speaking to LeedsLive , Ahmad said the strike went well.
He said: "It went very well. We started by doing a slow drive from the car park on Burley Road into town. We stayed there for a bit and then did a slow drive back.
"Mostly we didn't have trouble with the public and some of them were even dancing with us in the road.
Leeds Council had asked drivers taking part in the strike to reconsider, and some had complained the strike would leave people stranded in Leeds unable to get home.
"Some people were complaining about not being able to get home after a night out", Ahmad said.
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"We apologise to the people who couldn't get home. We never wanted to do this protest. We're peaceful and hardworking people and we do not want to cause inconvenience to anybody. But what can we do?
"If we don't protest this we could lose our futures, our livelihoods? Then how are people going to get home?
"We apologise for the inconvenience. But this is our last resort. We have the right to withdraw our labour.
"All we're asking is to work and be treated fairly and respectfully as we do it."
Taxi drivers were protesting the Suitability and Convictions Policy, which the council put in place in February 2020.
Under the policy, Ahmad has told LeedsLive before that taxi drivers could lose their licenses for "any slight wrongdoing", leaving many feeling their livelihoods are being threatened.
Ahmad said taxi drivers would strike again if nothing changes.
He added that drivers had been upset when they received some attacks last night for not picking people up. He also thanked the police for keeping the protest moving and looking after the public.
Speaking previously, he said: “If I had a little argument with family or heated conversation and the next-door neighbour called the police, say I’m not charged just a caution, the council can take my badge off me."
The Leeds City Council policy page says the policy is in place to protect the public.
It reads: “The licensing process places a duty on the council to protect the public. Therefore it is essential that those seeking a living as a driver meet the required standards.
"As previous offending and other behaviour can be considered as a predictor in determining future behaviour, it is important that the council considers all relevant factors including previous convictions, cautions, complaints, failures to comply with licence conditions, and the time elapsed since these were committed.”
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