ROUND THE COUNCILS PLYMOUTH:
PLANS TO REMOVE HC CAP AND CHANGE LIVERY
Plans to scrap the cap on the number of hackney carriages have been unveiled – and they could all be turning green. According to PlymouthLive, proposals designed to get more people to join Plymouth’s taxi trade as well as encourage cabbies and operators to go greener have been set out in a new draft Taxi Licensing Policy. The scheme, which is set to go out for consultation, could see more taxis on Plymouth streets, and greener, lower emission vehicles and green livery are also among the key proposals being unveiled to help the city’s taxi trade. The number of hackney carriage drivers has fallen from 357 to 315 in the past two years, with the number of private hire drivers falling from 801 to 667. Cllr John Riley, cabinet member for community safety and licensing, said: ‘We are using this review required by the Government to see what measures we can take to help revive the trade while at the same time looking at changes to help us meet our carbon emission targets. “Plymouth lost around 160 drivers over the pandemic and we want to make it easier for drivers to return by removing the hoops they would have to jump through. “By removing the limit on the number of hackney carriages Plymouth can have, we hope to see new drivers join and work in the evening and night time economy.” The green and white livery measures which were first proposed in 2017 are back on the table as a measure to increase confidence from the public. Cllr Riley added: “The colours are distinctive, they are Plymouth’s colours and promote pride and professionalism. We are proposing a gradual move to this new livery so that drivers and operators won’t be hit too hard financially.” Ideas outlined include: • Removing the limit on the number of hackney carriages and extending the period of time that drivers can return to the trade to three years without having to complete the drivers’ test and knowledge test.
• An enhanced age and emissions policy to clean up the current taxi fleet and work towards achieving the Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan by 2030.
•A coloured livery taxi fleet of a specified green and white. This would be for newly plated vehicles only although from 2027 all taxis would be expected to have this livery.
• All hackney carriages must take card payments – most taxis and PHVs do this already.
The consultation starts on November 25 and will finish on February 17, 2022. The Council wants to hear from passen- gers as well as the trade. To comment on the proposals, fill in the online consultation on the webpage at:
https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/licensing andpermits/taxilicensing/taxipolicyguidanceandbyelaws
DECEMBER 2021
HEREFORDSHIRE: PROPOSED POLICIES COULD LEAD TO STRIKE
Hereford taxis are on the verge of strike action over flawed policies which Herefordshire Council licensing teams are trying to impose and are refusing to engage with the drivers and the Hereford Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Associ- ation over these policies. According to the Hereford Voice, licences from next April could be refused for cars more than five years old. The age of the vehicle shall be determined by the date of its first registration, as shown on the registration document. The new proposals would also require existing drivers to complete a geographic knowledge and navigational skills test (also required for new applicants) which is proving to be extremely difficult and only has a 20% pass rate which potentially would result is losing 80% of existing drivers. In an email to the trade from Herefordshire Council they state the following: “To make it clear you will not be able to discuss or argue any proposed changes you would like to see made to the policy” “The new rules will decimate the taxi trade,” Hereford Hackney Taxi and Private Hire Association chairman John Jones said. “There is already an acute shortage of taxi drivers, leading to people having to wait for two hours or more.” Mr Jones added: “I would hazard a guess that about 50% of the fleet are over ten years old and would need replacing. “Many drivers have already left the industry due to an accumulation of factors, such as rising costs and an overbearing administration. “The cost is also prohibitive and the time it takes to get through the many layers of bureaucracy to obtain a licence is far too long.” Drivers have attacked the process of the planned changes as well as their content, Mr Jones added. A meeting scheduled for last week as part of the consultation was turned at short notice into a one-way presentation by Mr Button, he said. After a call from Mr Jones for his members to boycott this, it “was very well unattended”, Mr Jones said. He added that he is so far resisting calls from his members for a strike, but explained: “I am trying to negotiate with the council but they aren’t putting any consultation our way.” A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said: “The aim of the proposed policy is to ensure public safety and safeguarding. “We will of course do our best to balance this as far as possible with the business interests of the taxi trade.” The council has now extended the closing date for the consultation into December “to ensure that there is ade- quate time to carefully consider the implications of this proposed policy”, and plans further meetings with taxi drivers, she added.
19
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 |
Page 89 |
Page 90
