..ROUND THE COUNCILS HIGHLANDS: 50 TAXIS AND PHVS STOPPED AND CHECKED
A joint police and trading standards operation recently stopped more than 50 taxis and private hire cars across Fort William and Easter Ross. One vehicle had its taxi licence sus- pended due to mechanical defects. In addition, one taxi stopped had no valid MoT and another held no insurance. According to the Press and Journal, officers were checking to see if drivers were operating within the terms of their taxi licence and ensuring their vehicles were roadworthy and had the correct documentation. Mark McGinty, Trading Standards Team Leader said: “This is the second joint operation Trading Standards has conducted with Police Scotland to meet with the taxi and private hire trade in recent weeks. Officers have taken the opportunity to discuss the challenges faced by the trade at this time as well as ensuring that those involved and the vehicles are operat- ing in a safe and legal manner. “I’d ask operators and drivers to ensure that they meet these obligations at all times whilst conducting their business. I’d like to thank all for their co-operation.”
WELWYN HATFIELD: INFECTION CONTROL TRAINING FOR DRIVERS
Free online training is being offered to taxi drivers across Welwyn Hatfield, to help them travel safely. Drivers who suc- cessfully complete the course and become accredited can display ‘Travel with Confidence' stickers on their taxi or PHV. The course has six different sections which take about 10-15 minutes each and focus on topics such as current legislation, personal hygiene and vehicle cleanliness. Drivers can fit the training in around their work day, as the e-learning platform allows people to stop and pick up where they left off. Those who complete the course will also qualify for £100 reimbursement towards the cost of a screen to separate the driver and passengers and reduce the risk of infection. The course builds on the success of an initiative first devel- oped in Watford. Other district and borough councils across the county are signing up to the scheme using funding from Hertfordshire’s Director of Public Health, Jim McManus. Councillor Fiona Thomson, Executive Member Governance, Public Health and Climate Change, said: “Taxis and PHVs are often used by people travelling to and from hospital so it’s especially important that the vulnerable are protected, as well as ensuring the safety of the drivers. If your travel is essential, then I would urge people to look out for the Travel with Confidence logo, to make that safe choice.” The training course is open to all drivers licensed by Welwyn Hatfield Council. Further information can be found at
www.travelwithconfidence.org.uk
JANUARY 2021 READING: DRIVERS GIVEN LIFELINE OVER PANDEMIC
Taxi drivers in Reading have been given an extra two years to replace old high-emission vehicles, with the council acknowledging the ‘disastrous’ impact of the Covid pan- demic on the trade. In October 2019, the council passed a new policy meaning all licensed black cabs will have to be electric or Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV) by 2028. This policy has remained in place, but drivers of the oldest and most polluting vehicles will now be given until 2022 to get their taxis off the fleet. Asif Rashid, chair of Reading Taxi Association (RTA), which represents around 90 per cent of licensed drivers in Read- ing, told the Reading Chronicle: “We worked with the licensing officers and committee in agreeing the previous emissions policy. We were quite happy with the outcome of that but Covid has come along and had a huge impact on us. “We have all lost work for the whole year and we cannot see that improving in the near future.” The Reading Taxi Association requested a delay in the implementation of the policy, asking for a three-year reprieve. However, at the meeting Mr Rashid said the taxi association would accept council officers’ recommendation of a two- year pause. Reading Borough Council’s (RBC) Licensing Applications committee backed the officers’ recommendations at the meeting on Wednesday 9 December, with the break taking place from now until October 2022. Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Transport, said the taxi trade has been “trashed comprehensively” by Covid and said the council is “very understanding and sympathetic” with drivers. The council will review the policy again within the next 12 months, with councillors agreeing it is important to be “nim- ble and agile” in response to how the coronavirus crisis develops and its long-term impact. Councillor Page added: “The extent to which the economy will recover in the town is anybody’s guess. There is under- standably quite a lot of guess work taking place at the moment.” According to the RTA, Reading licensed taxi drivers are cur- rently running at a loss of 70 -75 per cent of their work in the daytime and up to 95 per cent after 10pm, with only half the fleet currently working.
Mr Rashid added: “It is a huge mark down for us and we are really struggling.” The pause means 139 vehicles need to come off the fleet by 2022 in one go rather than incrementally over the next two years, with all vehicles still needing to be ULEV or electric by 2028.
49
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
