GREEN MEANS GO
COVENTRY CABBIES BUY JUST 26 ELECTRIC TAXIS AFTER £1.2MILLION SPENT ON CITY’S CHARGING POINTS
Just 26 cab drivers bought electric taxis in Coventry in the two years after a £1.2 million investment in rapid charging points. Thirty-nine of the charging stations were installed in the city between 2018 and 2020. According to the Coventry Telegraph, funding for the charging points came from the government’s Ultra-Low Emission Taxi Scheme, set up in 2015 with £20 million available for local authorities to bid on. But as of 2022 there are still more charging points than electric taxis driving around to use them, according to the council. Figures on uptake of the vehicles in Coventry were revealed in papers for the council's Communities and Neighbour- hoods Scrutiny Board, which met on Thursday 31 March. At the meeting, councillor John Mutton told the group that drivers to whom he has spoken say the switch to electric taxis is too costly. The Labour councillor for Binley and Willenhall said: “In the
taxi service the cost of electric taxis is prohibitive.” He called for more government grants to help drivers make the switch, saying: “I think we should be encouraging the government to put their money where their mouth is.” A £7,500 ‘plug-in’ grant is available from the government for cabbies who buy specific models - the Dynamo Taxi or LEVC TX. But these purpose-built electric cabs cost well over £40,000 to buy new, and only slightly less second-hand. Last year there were 4,000 electric taxis operating in London after TfL made changes to licensing, meaning new licences could only be given out to zero-emission capable vehicles. The authority also set up a dedicated fund to help drivers get rid of their polluting petrol vehicles. Similar licensing changes are also on their way to Coventry. By 2024 the city, made famous as the producer of the London black cab, will only renew licences for its hackney cab drivers with zero-emission vehicles.
NEW GREEN INCENTIVE FOR REDDITCH TAXIS AS PART OF NEW LICENSING POLICY
The lower a taxi’s emissions the longer it can be used in Redditch Borough, under new rules to incentivise green transport. Fully electric taxis may now remain licensed in the borough until they are 15 years old, ULEVs until they are 13, vehicles that meet Euro 4 (petrol) and Euro 6 (diesel) emissions standards can be licensed up to the age of 11, and others up to ten years – with two more years added to these limits if the vehicle is wheelchair accessible. The scheme replaces and increases a blanket nine-year maximum operational age for all taxis, or 12 if they are
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wheelchair accessible, regardless of type. Whatever their age all licensed taxis in Redditch must pass twice-yearly safety inspections, and any random spot checks, to continue to be licensed. The new categories also determine the minimum emissions standards and maximum age for vehicles to be newly licensed as taxis. That’s now eight years old for electric and hybrid vehicles, seven for ULEVs, and six years old for Euro 4- and 6-standard vehicles. Vehicles that do not meet those emissions standards can no longer become licensed. Furthermore only fully electric vehicles have been made exempt from the requirement for all additional new taxis to be WAVs. The changes were agreed as part of the council’s new Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy at Redditch Borough Council’s Licensing Committee meeting on 21 March, and while that full policy will come into effect on 1 September, the new age limits apply now. Head of Worcestershire Regulatory Services, which provides licensing services to the council, Simon Wilkes, said: “This licensing policy provides incentives for greener taxis to cut pollution. And as well as supporting environmental objectives on emissions, it also extends how long taxis can be used for, recognising and supporting people who choose to invest in lower-emission and wheelchair-accessible vehicles, which was something that was raised by the trade during the consultation over this policy.”
MAY 2022
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