..IN THE NEWS...IN THE NEWS


COULD SEE CITY WITH NEW YORK-STYLE CABS rather than Greater Manchester


bor-


oughs, which can take months. “It would be a good thing because opera- tors could then have access to 20,000 drivers across Great- er Manchester and they might rethink their strategy.” Tom Rook, chair of the Greater Manch- ester Private Hire Association, said a minimum standard was a good idea in principle, since “rules on issues such as vehicle age, adver- tising, driver qualifi- cations, the Knowl- edge and the cost of an operator’s license currently varywildly”. It is understood the mayor’s office is keen


to get going on the plan, hoping that licensing committees across Greater Man- chester will take a decision on the issue this financial year. A common livery could be an early win,


insiders sug-


gested. “In New York, you arrive and you instantly see a yellow cab, it’s part of the city’s identity. Visi- tors


to Greater


Manchester need to have the same expe- rience. “It’s a really interest- ing issue, about how we professionalise it and make it part of the integrated trans- port system. “And if you’re going to hit emissions tar- gets, every bit of the


jigsaw needs to play its part.” A second senior council figure else- where in the con- urbation said the move ‘made sense’, although they sug- gested a question would quickly arise about who would pay for a common livery. “The devil will be in the detail,” they added. A third senior figure in another council said reforming the trade should be a key part of improv- ing the region’s transport network, particularly in areas where bus services are so poor that peo- ple rely on cabs to make many basic journeys.


Mmmm… I was invit- ed by the Mayor, and was one of a couple dozen trade representatives who attended a meeting on 26 July to dis- cuss the various implications of the proposed unifica- tion of taxi and private hire licens- ing across the ten boroughs that make up Greater Manch- ester. The Mayor is keen to look at the entire


transport


infrastructure in the region, including a zonal system for the Metrolink tram net- work; a single livery for all the buses (he maintains that the current assortment of buses is “confus- ing to the public”);


and of course a series of “minimum standards” for taxis and private hire. This would include the idea of a single livery, certainly for the taxis. I did raise the point that such livery comes with a hefty price tag, which in our indus- try has to be paid for by the vehicle owners - unlike drivers of the trams and buses. Themost impactful idea that came from this meeting is the con- cept of combating out-of-area


ve-


hicles’ competition by providing incen- tives for those who are licensed in the region,


such as exclusive access to the bus lanes,


access to airport pickup and drop-off areas, consideration for clean air zones and electric charg- ing points. We were advised that a trade reference group is to be set up to dis- cuss future plans; a consultation survey is already on the council’s website for the general public to respond. The Mayor means busi- ness with


this


unification move- ment, as he is hoping itwill “lift customer


confi-


dence”. It is hoped that


the licence


holders in Greater Manchester will share some of that confidence. - Ed.


AUGUST 2018


55


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88