I AM a private hire driver and have been for nine years. What I think I am is hard-working and underpaid for starters, as well as having to put up with mindless idiots in my car, or people who just stroll drunk all over the road. Or what about the people who ring for taxis but then can't be bothered coming out of their homes or the pub to look for us?

As for qualifications, we need a full licence to drive a car and pass a knowledge test, and be vetted by police for criminal convictions for which we must have none - whereas Mr Ordinary can be a rapist, a murderer, drink driver, dangerous driver, have driven without insurance, or a long, long list of other things, and still be allowed to drive a private car.

There is a small minority of taxi drivers who sound their horn after 10pm, but that does not mean we all do. As for parking on double yellow lines, we have to drop people off and collect them where they want.

As for special treatment from police, this we don't get. If I'm illegally parked, nine times out of 10 they'll stop and tell me to move. I know of drivers who have stopped briefly on zigzag lines and are instantly given a ticket, just like Mr Ordinary.

We also have the licensing officers constantly checking tyres, tax, insurance, license, fire extinguishers, cleanliness and so on. And so they should - they do a marvellous job. We also have Liverpool and Cheshire licensing stop us checking all the same things.

We have an extended MoT - two per year if your car is over six years old. And most of our insurance is as high, if not higher, than some spotty teenager in a hot hatch who can hardly drive, but races around all hours of the night with four or five of his mates in his car, stereo pounding, big exhaust booming and neon lights flashing. Believe me, these are the nuisances on the road.

To the anonymous letter writer, take it from me, and the vast majority of taxi drivers on Wirral, people like you don't recognise how hard the men and women drivers work for ordinary people, the majority of whom are thankful for the service we provide.

John Simmonds,

Brougham Road, Wallasey.