ROUND THE COUNCILS EREWASH:
POLICY CHANGES TO ATTRACT DRIVERS
There has been a significant decrease in the number of registered drivers and vehicles in Erewash Borough since the pandemic, the council reports. Erewash BC is now seeking to make changes to spur an increase. It says there are 67 fewer drivers, 41 fewer HCs and 26 fewer PHVs since March 2020. The council says it has received new applications from drivers but not in sufficient numbers to return the trade to pre-pandemic numbers. As a result the council is seeing less income from applications and the relevant fees owed to maintain both. The council says there’s been an increasing number of drivers operating in Erewash, under licences issued by other authorities, who are competing directly with those registered in the borough. It says a “minority” of drivers have chosen to obtain a licence elsewhere while continuing to work in the borough. The council is trying to make itself “more competitive in the marketplace to encourage new drivers to apply for their licences from the council”. It is now looking to allow vehicles used for taxis to be up to 12 years old, up from 10 years. Meanwhile, a WAV can remain in use to 15 years old, up from 12 years. The council currently requires two mechanical inspections per year for vehicles aged up to eight years and three per year for those aged between eight and 10 (excluding the MOT). This would be changed to vehicles aged up to five years requiring one mechanical inspection per year and vehicles over five years old requiring two inspections per year. The council says the number of WAVs registered in the borough has dropped from 37 to just seven since 2019. A low emission discount for more environ-mentally friendly vehicles is currently operated by the council but this would be changed to apply to EVs only. Meanwhile, five years on from a ban on heavily tinted windows in taxis, opposed by many in the trade, the council is now set to relax its policy. It currently allows a 25% tint on the windscreen and 30% tint on the side windows (front and rear) and rear window. This would be tweaked to allow manufacturer-issued tinting for the rear side windows and rear window,
despite
opposition from Derbyshire County Council which said maximum visibility was preferred for transport of vulnerable children and adults. The police had formed a major part of the tinting policy being strengthened in 2019 due to taxis being
14
tied to CSE, grooming and human trafficking. But a council report says the police can’t provide data for crimes committed by licensed taxi drivers or a passen- ger or third party; and can’t confirm if reported crimes was associated to vehicles fitted with or without tinted windows. Meanwhile, the council says it will not be mandating that taxis must have CCTV cameras, due to this adding a “significant additional regulatory burden”.
CAMBRIDGE: FEARS OVER VEHCILE POLICY CHANGES
Cambridge cabbies have shared concerns about a licensing policy change put in place by Cambridge City Council. They called for the city council to further delay its policy change that would require them to buy a ultra-low emission or electric car when they need to replace their existing taxis. However, the council highlighted that drivers had known about the policy change for four years, and the implementation had already been delayed for two years. Back in 2018 the city council agreed that from April 2020 all new saloon taxis needed to be zero or ultra- low emission. Under this change a phased approach was planned for existing drivers to switch over to zero or ultra-low emission vehicles when their current car came to the end of its taxi lifespan. This policy change did not apply to wheelchair accessible taxis. However, due to issues around the availability of ultra- low emission and electric cars, the city council agreed in 2022 to delay the implementation of the new policy for existing drivers for two years. The council reviewed the policy earlier this year and confirmed the change. However, many drivers called it to be reviewed again, highlighting the financial struggles they are facing. Concerns were also raised that some taxi drivers could be “priced out” of Cambridge if they faced even higher costs to operate in the city. Councillors considered the taxi drivers concerns at a licensing committee meeting on 24 June. They added that if a further delay was agreed it would push back the date the city’s taxi fleet would be ultra-low emission or fully electric to around 2037. Councillor Rosy Moore highlighted that the council had declared a climate emergency and said that they had received calls from the public to not backtrack on the policy. A majority of councillors on the committee ultimately voted in favour of keeping the policy change.
JULY 2024 PHTM
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