NORTHUMBERLAND: TRADE NEEDS A FARE INCREASE
ROUND THE COUNCILS LEWES:
CABBIES IMPACTED BY WHITE CAR POLICY
Northumberland County Council is facing calls to increase taxi fares just weeks after it was agreed to leave them at their current level. Councillors on the licensing and regulatory committee felt the stabilising of fuel costs meant fares did not need to increase this year, despite acknowledging rapidly rising insurance costs. However, officials from the trade body representing taxi drivers have warned that the current regulations will drive workers away from the trade. New rules in the county mean new or replacement vehicles must be under the age of four years old to be used as a taxi from 1 April 2024, while they will only be allowed to be licensed for eight years from that date. Mark Heston, Secretary of the Northumberland Taxi and PH Association, said: “The licensing committee hasn’t got a clue. For them to say ‘don’t fix it, it’s not broken’ - we’ve got astronomical increases in insur- ance, the cost of fuel and the cost of living is still rising. “The new policy regarding the age of new vehicles means drivers are looking in the region of £20,000 to £25,000. On the current fare tariff, you can’t justify buying a new car. Drivers are earning below the living wage as it is, and it’s due to rise in April. We are working an hour and a half to earn the minimum wage. “The council needs to listen to the trade and engage with us. We just want a fair playing field to be able to make a living. Over 100 drivers have left the trade within a year. I worry about school transport - what happens when there’s not enough taxis to do the school work? It’s not sustainable." The association’s proposal to the council recom- mends increasing the flag price from £2.70 to £3.30. Furthermore, the fare should increase by 20p every 230 yards, the current rate is 10p every 500 yards. Mr Heston added: “We’re not asking for massive amounts. They seem to think we don’t need a fare increase and that’s wrong and we will make sure it gets passed. It is time they worked with the trade representatives quickly to implement a plan to ensure the safety of the public and ensure the trade survives. “Mark my words, if we don’t, in the Berwick area I think we will be left with five or six taxis.” The council said that since the meeting of the licensing committee, it had received a formal request for the tariff to be increased and that this would be “appropriately considered”.
PHTM MARCH 2024
Taxi drivers in Lewes are being forced out of the industry because of a council policy which dictates vehicles have to be white, a cabbie has said. Hackney carriages could be any colour until Lewes District Council imposed the scheme in 2019. James Kiernan, shop steward for Unite the Union’s Lewes District for hackney drivers, says drivers are now facing month-long waiting lists for suitable cars in white to become available. He said someone he knows waited 18 months. The 46-year-old said this is resulting in many drivers, including himself, deciding to work in the private hire industry instead. Lewes DC said there are “numerous reasons” why people are leaving the trade and that there are shortages nationwide. Mr Kiernan, who has been a driver for 22 years, said taxi drivers are also experiencing abuse from frustrated passengers who are struggling to get a taxi when they need one. “We can’t get the desired vehicles now in white,” he said. “Myself included. I tried to find a white vehicle because I needed a minibus and I couldn’t find one. There’s plenty of other drivers the same as me. “So now we’ve had to become private hire just to stay doing the job. Now there’s less than 100 hackneys left. When I first started there was nearly 400. “People cannot get a taxi; operators are getting abuse because they can’t provide a taxi when they ring up for one. It’s a mess. It’s shocking.” Mr Kiernan wants the council to reconsider its position and revert to the previous policy allowing cars to be any colour. But a council spokesman said its policy is not responsible for the fall in driver numbers. “There are numerous reasons why people are leaving the taxi trade, but the white car rule has had a negligible impact on the number of drivers,” he said. “We recently carried out a wide-ranging consultation with the taxi trade and 112 drivers and operators responded. Only four said the white taxi rule should change. Since the pandemic, most parts of the UK have seen a reduction in the number of taxi drivers. “Demand for taxis during the pandemic was obviously low and it was inevitable that drivers looked for alternative employment opportunities. “Bodies representing the taxi trade have confirmed this trend.”
also 41
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
