IT'S 'fare' game for taxi drivers who have opposing opinions on a council dress code proposal.
Macclesfield Borough Council is considering introducing a dress code, stating what cabbies should wear.
The rule, which applies to hackney carriages and private hire, states that full length trousers or tailored shorts should be worn by drivers.
Shirts or blouses may also be worn with a tie. T-shirts and sweat tops can be worn, but should cover the shoulders.
But unclean or damaged clothing or footwear, clothing with logos with words, or graphics which might offend or clothing with studs or sharp edges, is deemed unacceptable.
The council say they want to bring in the rule to encourage the professional image of the taxi driver.
And Tony Hudson, independent operator of Dial-A-Car taxis, agrees with them. He has worked as a taxi driver in Macclesfield for 23 years and always wears a shirt and tie.
"I do a lot of corporate work so I feel it's important to be smart," said Mr Hudson, who drives a Mercedes.
"When I pick up new visitors to the area, they may have just hopped off a train so you're often the first person they see so it's nice to give a good impression.
"People say when they get in my taxi that it's nice to see someone so smartly dressed."
Jeanette Davenport, manager of the town's Cab and Co, also agrees with the proposal.
She said: "If the dress code means drivers should wear shirts and trousers then I think that's fine. If a taxi driver wears jeans and a vest, if he's got tattoos all over his arms it can be offputting."
But Neil Whike, manager of LBW taxis in Bollington, says the council is discriminating against taxi drivers.
"Drivers should be able to wear something loose and comfortable," he said.
"As long as you get the customer to where he's going and are polite, it doesn't matter what you're wearing - even if you're in the nude!"
Mr Whike, a former bouncer who usually sports a skinhead, wears earrings and has tattoos all over his body. He often wears shorts to work and says drivers should not be judged on their appearance.
"We all have enhanced CRB checks so we're checked out thoroughly. We probably check out better than most of the customers who get in our taxis."
A spokesman for the council said: "There is already a dress code in the current licensing plan, but we are aiming to make it more detailed and raise the profile of the profession. It also gives drivers and passengers a chance to give their views. We say drivers should always be clean and respectable, but we need to define that as a set of guidelines for them to follow.
"A professional looking driver, smartly dressed, will not only create an efficient impression of the borough, but establish customer confidence from the outset of the journey."
