ROUND THE COUNCILS READING:
TAXI DRIVERS OPPOSE GREEN PLANS
The phase-out of petrol and diesel cabs in Reading has been changed after complaints from taxi drivers, with one saying strict rules would be a ‘noose around the neck’ of drivers. Since 2019, Reading Borough Council has had a hackney carriage vehicle emissions and age policy, which aims to gradually phase out petrol and diesel taxis by October 2028. The council's preference is that all cabs should be ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), which are defined as fully electric and hybrid vehicles. But cab drivers have opposed the change raising fears the expense of ULEV cabs would ‘destroy the trade’. Asif Rashid, the chairman of the Reading Taxi Association (RTA) said: “Every so often, another knot is tied around our necks. We know the problems we’ve got [with pollution] but it’s not all by hackney carriages. “It’s suffocating us. This policy is going to destroy the trade”
Mr Rashid claimed new ULEV cabs cost £72,500 during a meeting in July. By comparison, a new Euro 6 emission standard LPG and petrol cab can be found being sold for £39,999. Adjustments to the policy were discussed at the council’s licensing applications committee on Thursday, November 14. The policy states that all replacement taxis must be a ULEV and a minimum of seven years old. Furthermore, the policy sets the maximum age of a ULEV cab at 15 years old. Once a taxi reaches that age, it must be removed from the road. A caveat allows an age extension of a maximum of three years following an assessment and compliance test by council licensing officers. Elements of the policy were made less strict after conversations with the RTA. Initially, the council wanted all replacement cabs to be a minimum of five years old, which was changed to a minimum of seven years. Additionally, the cab age extension past 15 years was increased from two years in the draft policy to three years in the approved policy. The rules are unlikely to change for some time, as councillors agreed that the age policy should run for 11 years until 2035, at which point it would be reviewed again unless changes prompt a review sooner.
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The policy was instituted in 2019 after the council declared a ‘climate emergency’ with an objective of achieving a net zero carbon emissions Reading by 2030. The current limit of cab licences is set at 216.
NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME PETROL CABS PHASE OUT PROPOSED
New taxi and private hire licensing policy being considered by
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough
Council includes a timescale for a transition to zero- emission vehicles over the next ten years. Changes would include moving away from an age- based vehicle licensing policy to one based on emissions and engine type. The policy will be sent out for a 12-week consultation with the taxi trade and other stakeholders, before being returned to the council for final approval. “Currently, we have a policy that says that all vehicles have to be less than seven years old when they’re first licensed, and after 10 years they have more frequent testing,” said licensing officer Matt Burton. “What we’re looking to do is move away from an age policy altogether, and as suggested in the best practice guidance, move towards an emissions and fuel type criteria.” If the new policy is approved, the first change would take place in April, when the council would stop licensing vehicles that only meet the Euro 4 emissions standard, though this would only affect three taxis in the borough. In 2025-26, the council would accept renewal applications for Euro 5 vehicles for the final time. Licences for new vehicles powered by petrol, diesel or LPG would no longer be granted from April 2027, while no vehicles with internal combustion engines would be licensed from 2030. In 2035, the council would stop granting licences for hybrid vehicles, meaning all taxis would need to have zero tailpipe emissions. Another proposed change would ban private hire vehicles from displaying door livery showing the operator’s name, to prevent confusion between private hire vehicles and hackney carriages. However, concerns were raised that it may make it difficult for some people to identify the private hire vehicles they had booked. Mr Burton added that this had been considered by the council.
DECEMBER 2024 PHTM
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