NOT SO KEEN ON GREEN
BLAENAU GWENT TAXI DRIVERS NOT POSITIVE ON ELECTRIC TAXI SCHEME
Feedback on an electric taxi scheme running in Blaenau Gwent has not been “particularly positive” a senior council officer has said. At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Place scrutiny committee on September 5, councillors asked for details of the take-up of a “green taxi” scheme which offered the use of two EVs to taxi drivers on a trial basis. Since November 2021 as part of the Cardiff City Region Deal and Welsh Government Green Taxi – try before you buy initiative, Blaenau Gwent taxi drivers could hire a fully electric wheelchair accessible taxi, free of charge for 30 days. In total 44 of these EV taxis were available for hire in the Cardiff City
Region Deal area, with two allocated to Blaenau Gwent. The trial includes free charging, insurance, and breakdown cover. Deputy leader of the Independent group Cllr Wayne Hodgins said: “Has anyone taken up the offer of the two electric chargers?” Trading standards and licensing team manager, Steve Osborne said: “Uptake of the scheme has been low, we’re talking about a
handful that have been trialled. “Feedback from the drivers hasn’t been particularly positive. We have shared that with the scheme organisers. “There’s been issues with the location of the charging points and the vehicles not being able to hold a charge for long enough to do contract runs for some drivers. “One driver returned the car after two days. He could have kept it for 30 and said that he didn’t feel the vehicle was fit for purpose.” The electric taxis are purpose-built Nissan Dynamos and cost around £45,000 brand new. The two-year trial will continue until the end of November 2023, with the total funding for the scheme being £3.4 million.
ELECTRIC CAR EXPERT: EV DRIVERS MAY FACE NEW FEES TO PARK UNDER RULE CHANGES
Electric car owners will be slapped with hefty parking fees under a series of new driving laws, accord- ing to some experts who claim drivers of EVs will likely pay more for parking permits as councils are desperate to secure more cash. Councils across the UK have dished out free parking permits for zero-emissions vehicles in a bid to encourage their take-up but this could be about to change with some areas now bringing in changes to secure permits. London boroughs, such as Richmond and Newham, have already ditched free resident parking permits for electric and hybrid vehicles.
PHTM OCTOBER 2023
Tim Alcock, spokesperson for LeaseElectricCar said: “With councils across the UK under immense financial pressure, they are looking to make cuts and find ways to bring in more funds. “Kirklees Council predicts they will save around £600,000 a year by charging EV owners for permits, and other councils will be eagerly watching on to see where they can make similar changes. “Incentives like free parking and charging grants have helped the uptake of EVs and getting rid of these will have a severe impact on new EV registrants and hinder government targets.” According to the Local Govern-
ment Association, without an increase in funding even well-run councils could struggle to balance the books. However, lawmakers have defended the plans to charge EV owners with officials deflecting the blame. Cllr Graham Turner backed the new EV parking permit fees at Kirklees. He stressed the new fees were being introduced due to the “current financial situation”. He said: “The introduction of a fee for EV and hybrid permit holders still presents a big saving on standard parking fees across the year at council owned car parks so should not deter people from switching to an electric vehicle.”
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