GREEN MEANS GO


GLASGOW PRIVATE HIRE CAR DRIVERS LOSE LICENCES OVER LEZ COMPLIANCY


A number of private hire car drivers in Glasgow lost their licences last month as their vehicles were not compliant with the city’s LEZ policy while others didn’t undergo an annual inspection. The city’s licensing and regulatory committee decided revoked six PHV licences where vehicles did not meet emission pollution limits, which came into force in June. Among those PH operators to have their licences taken away were Dan Cars Ltd, Scott Cars Ltd, Blue 23 Cars, Stuart McKinley, Liaqat Ali


and Philip Osborne. Osborne and Ali were also among some drivers who also didn’t present their car for an annual inspection. The licence holders were


not


present at the committee despite being invited to


appear. No


information was available concerning their circumstances. The PHV operators faced com- plaints from the council’s Taxi and Private Hire Enforcement team. Low emission zone rules see certain heavily polluting cars


banned from about 200 streets in the city. Diesel engine vehicles registered before September 2015 and petrol vehicles registered before 2006 will not usually meet the standards.


A number of other PH drivers also lost their licences at the meeting for other reasons. Licence holders Muhammad Javed, HPN Leasing, R & J Cars and Mohamad Shoosh- tarian also saw their licences revoked after not presenting their vehicles for annual inspections it is understood.


READING DRIVERS RAISE THE ALARM OVER THE EXPENSE OF LOW EMISSION CABS


The way taxis will operate in Reading for the next five years has been agreed, but drivers have raised the alarm over the expense of low-emission cabs. Over the summer, Reading Borough Council undertook a consultation into its taxi strategy 2023-2028, which lays out its intentions for the taxi and PH trade. Proposals included requiring all taxis and PHVs to be electric or hybrid by 2028 and prioritising access to


taxi ranks to low-


emission and electric-only vehicles in the future. The strategy was discussed at a recent council licensing appli- cations committee meeting. A representative of hackney carriage drivers argued that ultra- low emission vehicles (ULEV) are too expensive for some drivers. Asif Rashid, chairman of the


44


Reading Taxi Association, said: “At the moment we only have one ULEV that can be used Reading, it is not fully electric, and they are very expensive.


“One of the biggest barriers to owners switching to ULEV/electric taxis is the costs involved. “Currently the ULEV taxi costs £74,000 and a Government grant of £7,500 is available, taking the cost down to £66,500. “However, this Government grant is due to end on April 1, 2024, which will make the ULEV even more expensive. “Having ULEV and electric-only taxi ranks would be discrimination. We are not in favour of this whatsoever.” Fellow driver Imran Ali, speaking earlier in the meeting, also opposed the possible restriction of access to taxi ranks.


Mr Ali said: “On Friday and Saturday night, if we’re not allowed at the taxi rank, and there are 50 people queuing up for us there will be chaos.” Council officers re-assured drivers that the council will work with taxi and private taxi operators to identify ways it can support a shift to hybrid and fully electric cars. The consultation into the council’s draft taxi strategy received 22 responses. Cllr Deborah Edwards the vice- chair of the committee, said that taxi drivers registered by other authorities are exploiting benefits that should be reserved for Reading drivers, such as access to bus lanes and taxi ranks. Ultimately, the council’s hackney carriage and PHV strategy 2023- 2028 was unanimously approved at a meeting on November 7.


DECEMBER 2023 PHTM


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