ROUND THE COUNCILS
NORTH YORKSHIRE NEW SINGLE TAXI ZONE CREATED
Senior county councillors have backed creating a single taxi zone for North Yorkshire, despite concern from local drivers. North Yorkshire County Council will introduce a single hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy from the spring. The existing seven district councils, including Harrogate, currently have their own hackney carriage and private hire licensing policies. However, under the new policy, drivers will be able to operate in any area of the county. At an recent executive meeting, senior county councillors approved the move towards a single licensing policy. Councillors also backed a move to carry out a review of how it could increase the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles within the county. Meanwhile, Cllr David Chance, executive councillor for corporate services, proposed waiving licence fees for new wheelchair-accessible vehicles and for renewals in order to incentivise more drivers to come forward. He said: “Given that we wish to demonstrate the council’s commitment to increasing the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles in both the short and longer term, I’m going to suggest that we consider waiving the licence fee for new wheelchair accessible vehicles and relicensed wheelchair accessible vehicles in the lead up to finalising our policy on the matter. “That would be done through the inclusive service plan. This would incentivise the retention of existing wheelchair accessible vehicles by the trade, but also offer an immediate incentive to those considering the purchase of new vehicles.” However, the policy has come under criticism from local drivers who said the move was not supported by the trade during a consultation. Fifty-two per cent of respondents disagreed with the key proposal of introducing a single zone for North Yorkshire, which would allow cabbies to operate across the county rather than only in their districts. However, the idea still looks set to go ahead. Richard Fieldman, who owns Ripon firm A1 Cars and runs a Facebook group that includes 52 taxi drivers in Ripon and Harrogate, said: “Making it one zone will mean that at peak times drivers will target hotspots, such as Harrogate on a Saturday night, and leave rural areas with no taxis. “It’s common sense that people will drive to maximise
PHTM APRIL 2023
their earning potential. “It will be a disaster for us and a disaster for people who live in quieter areas because they won’t be able to get a taxi at busy times. “The same policy has been tried in other areas and it just leads to some streets being swamped with taxis so it’s bad for other road users as well.”
BASILDON: PILOT ‘EARN AS THEY LEARN’ SCHEME
A pilot scheme for taxi drivers to “earn as they learn” is being introduced in Basildon to combat a drop in cabbies since the Covid pandemic. The scheme allows trainee taxi drivers an extended period to pass the “topographical section” of the knowledge test on local routes, as well as being able to work as a private hire driver while training. The scheme was suggested in response to concerns highlighted by the Basildon Taxi and Private Hire Forum that the trade is experiencing a reduction in the number of licensed drivers, including new applicants, following the Covid-19 pandemic. Councillor Danny Lawrence, chairman of Basildon Council’s licensing committee, welcomed the scheme to boost the number of taxi drivers in the town. He said: “We are keen to encourage new driver applicants into Basildon, to boost our driver numbers and help our residents who want to access quality local transport options. We hope that by giving drivers the chance to earn while they are learning our local areas, they will be supported to pass the topographical test to achieve the same professional standards as other licence holders. “This will then mean they can have a licence giving them greater flexibility to drive private hire or hackney carriage vehicles licensed by Basildon Council, with all the benefits that brings.” In order to become an “Earn as you learn” licensed driver the applicant will still need to meet existing pre-licensing criteria to ensure appropriate passenger safety, including passing a criminal record check, a driving assessment, medical and passenger assistance training, as well as other checks. The council’s licensing team will continue to engage with the Basildon Taxi Forum and representatives of the taxi trade as the pilot scheme progresses. Regular updates and a final report will be presented to the licensing committee to monitor progress and consider future options.
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