CAPITAL NEWS ... HALTING THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM
Last month the London Assembly Transport Committee published a fol- low-up report on the taxi and private hire industry, affirming that the cur- rent approach to regulating the private hire market in London needs to adapt to reflect changes in the sec- tor and give TfL the ability to raise standards.
According to the report, TfL needs to bring in higher standards in the industry and the London Assembly is proposing a Charter Mark scheme to give passengers confi- dence.
The number of licensed private hire vehi- cles in London has increased by over 66 per cent since 2014, from 52,811 to 87,921. The report says the impact of taxi and pri- vate hire services on congestion and pollution must be addressed. TfL needs to think about ‘smart’ ways to achieve this, given that new powers to cap licence num- bers are unlikely to be forthcoming.
The move to a cleaner black cab fleet is hindered by the slow progress on rapid taxi charging points. The latest available figures show that the Mayor is halfway to reaching his target of a minimum 300 charging points by 2020.
The introduction of a new ‘tier’ of regula- tion that recognises the need for a different approach to high-volume, app- based operators is required, similar to the system in New York City.
Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM, Chair of the Transport Committee said: “When we published Future Proof in 2014, it was clear the taxi and private hire indus- try was going through unprecedented change and was careering uncontrollably down a very steep hill.
“Five years down the track, the ongoing challenges facing the industry remain largely unresolved and driver despair is setting in. TfL must get a grip on the situa- tion and prioritise this sector in a way it has never done before. A new Charter Mark scheme to set higher standards is a logical step to increase passenger confidence.
“Regulation, or a lack of it, is still London’s blind spot. New York has introduced a new
‘tier’ of regulation that recognises the need for a different approach to high-vol- ume, app-based operators. London needs to learn from other cities grappling with the increase in minicabs.
“Cleaning up the black cab fleet is imper- ative – but without the charging infra- structure, licensed taxi drivers are under- standably reticent to make the switch to electric vehicles. And passengers need to be reassured that enough wheelchair accessible vehicles are available to those who need them.
“There is still a lot of work to be done and it needs to be done urgently, for both pas- sengers and drivers.”
RECOMMENDATIONS
We set out below the nine recommenda- tions contained in the London Assembly report, followed by a brief comment under each one. On the broad assumption that “whatever happens in London today will happen in the provinces tomorrow”, we invite PHTM readers to consider these rec- ommendations and submit comments of your own; and to reflect on whether the recommended changes within London licensing will dovetail with – or indeed take effect before – the recommendations sanctioned by Government from the Task and Finish group.
Recommendation 1
If a decision is taken to remove the con- gestion charge exemption for private hire, TfL should commit to conducting a full and timely evaluation of the effect of the removal of the congestion charge exemp- tion on levels of congestion within the Charging Zone, the knock-on effects for the areas immediately outside the zone, and the impact on operators, drivers and the wider public transport system.
We now know that indeed, the congestion charge exemption for private hire was lift- ed on 8 April as scheduled. Therefore a “full and timely evaluation” of the effect of this removal could not happen too soon, as it is submitted that the scope and impact of these additional charges was not con- sidered. The eyes of the trade in the “next five” will be on this evaluation as well as private hire drivers in the capital – specifi-
cally those drivers in Birmingham and Leeds, where Clean Air Zone charging is on the cards as well.
Recommendation 2
We call on the Mayor and TfL to refresh the taxi action plan and set clear targets; for example, for the wider and accelerated provision of rapid charging infrastructure across London and the establishment of ranks at all Crossrail stations. TfL should also set out to this committee how it will address driver concerns about the lack of options when purchasing new vehicles, and provide an update on its efforts to accredit the Knowledge of London.
We’ve published entire features on the country’s Clean Air issues over the past few months, as the lack of charging infras- tructure and limited vehicle purchase/ lease options is a nationwide problem which is predicted will hit large swathes of the industry sooner rather than later – with Birmingham top of the list. There really is a desperate need for a review of imple- mentation dates for all the Clean Air Zone charging schemes.
Recommendation 3
The Mayor now needs to clarify whether he will continue to press for the powers to cap licence numbers. If he does, TfL will need to demonstrate that they have col- lected the evidence necessary to conduct a thorough public interest test. The Mayor and TfL should consider ‘smart alterna- tives’ to a numerical cap. This should include investigating how current and emerging technologies could be used to identify and mitigate the negative impacts of congestion and pollution at particular times or in particular locations.
As PHTM readers will know, the Govern- ment has said it does not propose to set a cap on private hire vehicle numbers. As far as the TfL licensing region is concerned, the number of PHVs licensed across the 32 London boroughs has increased by over 66 per cent over the last five years; a cap on PHVs at this time would be a “stable door” job:
too late to have any future
impact. They’ll have to think long and hard about “smart alternatives” – and these will have to be clearly defined in light of what might be applicable outside London.
MAY 2019
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