- HELP OR HINDERANCE?
less popular or even fall out of use altogether, for a range of reasons.
The way in which ranks are configured may make them difficult for some passengers to use. Some may be difficult for vehicles to access, especially if vehicles need to leave the rank before they reach the front. A rank review can incorporate a physical review of rank locations as well as observation of use, to determine the levels of use by passengers, levels of passenger waiting at different times, the availability of taxis visiting the ranks, (whether waiting at the rank or just passing) and the time spent by taxis waiting at the ranks.
The proportion of taxis leaving the ranks empty also provides valuable information about the local trade and the mix of pre-booked versus rank based hires. Again, such reviews may attract funding from outside the licensing remit given high levels of demand for kerb space.
Rank observations also provide some evidence of the usage of wheelchair accessible vehicles and use by people with observable disabilities. True, many with disabilities make bookings, but gaining evidence of their use is much more difficult given commercial confidentiality of the workings of private hire companies. Use at ranks gives something firm and clear.
Modern camera-based rank observation can provide a quick and cheap assessment of rank use. Comprehensive rank reviews are relatively rare in the UK, aside from when such reviews are undertaken as part of a hackney carriage unmet demand survey. Many authorities, which don’t limit the number of hackney carriages and consequently don’t regularly commission unmet demand surveys, don’t have any contemporary data regarding rank usage and passenger waiting times. As many passengers would testify,
lack of a quantity limit on taxis doesn’t
guarantee an adequate supply. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT TAXIS
The BPG recognises value of assessing the level of demand and availability of both private hire vehicles and taxis, through pre-booking, alongside assessing the availability of taxis at ranks. The existence of taxi fleets which work solely from ranks is rare in the UK,
PHTM DECEMBER 2023
perhaps even non-existent. In most fleets, a proportion of taxis rely on a mix of rank-based hires and pre- booked hires. Therefore, if there is a shortage of private hire vehicles in some locations or at some times, this often leads to increased demand for taxis through pre- booked hires, which, in turn, can lead to reduced availability of taxis at ranks. When assessing the level of taxi provision at ranks and through hailing, demand for and supply of all licensed vehicles should be considered.
THE ROLE OF A FARE REVIEW IN IMPROVING LEVELS OF PROVISION
The BPG recognises the potential to adjust the regulated fare cap as a measure to
address
mismatches (usually an excess of passenger queuing) between supply and demand. It recommends that licensing authorities “should monitor waiting times and consider adjusting the regulated fare cap to address mismatches between supply and demand. Addressing such mismatches is likely to benefit passengers.”
The monitoring of waiting times can be incorporated within a rank review.
AVERAGE TAXI FARES LAGGING BEHIND INFLATION
The average taxi fare (based on Private Hire and Taxi Monthly [PHTM] fares tables) for a two-mile trip has not kept pace with inflation in recent years. The graph overleaf illustrates a comparison of changes in the average two-mile fare, against CPI inflation and against the cost of passenger transport by road [derived from bus fares, coach fares, private hire fares, taxi fares, home removal charges and self storage fees].
If we compare CPI (Consumer Price Inflation) between April 2017 and August 2023 (the latest available data at the time the calculation was made) with the increase in the average two-mile fare over the same period, we can see that average taxi fares increased by a similar amount to CPI, until around October 2020. After this time, whilst average taxi fares have increased, the growth in fares has lagged behind inflation. The cost of passenger transport by road has increased by more than CPI inflation in recent years, potentially driving passengers to other modes of transport (including taxis and private hire vehicles), or indeed suppressed demand for travel.
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