#THEFORGOTTENINDUSTRY #THENEGLECTED WHO ELSE CAN WE LOBBY??
NOW IS THE TIME TO COME TOGETHER AND SHOUT LOUDER!! This month is an update on the latest developments –
or rather lack of them – of the Government’s treatment of the taxi and private hire industry
In July we presented a funding review across all sectors of UK trans- port, which illustrated the comparative size of our industry against all the other sectors – to highlight the huge funding those other transport industries have received from central Government.
https://phtm.co.uk/july2020/p6 Total Government funding for taxi and private hire: NIL
Then in the August edition came the breathtakingly ill-timed announcement by Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, of the publication of “Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Standards”, which was to bring about “tough new licensing standards” to pro- tect “passengers travelling in taxis and PHVs, including app-based services”. But not one thing to protect the service providers!
https://phtm.co.uk/august2020/p6 Still no support for taxi and private hire. SEPTEMBER SCEPTICISM
This month we look at the current situation to see what has devel- oped over the last few weeks.
On the 8th August it was proudly announced: “Government extends coronavirus support for buses and trams, total funding tops £700 million.” A full breakdown was provided of the additional funding being directed to buses, trams and light railway services
WHAT ABOUT TAXIS AND PRIVATE HIRE?
Our industry still gets NOTHING – and yet our transport provision is crucial to so many sectors of the public. SCHOOL TRANSPORT
There was a Government press release announcing a “Multi-million- pound funding package for school transport: Local transport authorities will receive more than £40 million funding for the autumn term.”
https://phtm.co.uk/news/school-transport-funding
Where is this boost funding going? The DfT said: “The funding has gone to the local transport authorities – this could include taxis and PHVs but that is their decision to make.”
Will any of this funding be allocated to taxi/PHV firms and drivers? Who knows!
Last month the Scottish government announced £7million to be allocated towards upgrading transport to mitigate against Covid-19 to “support interventions by transport operators that will increase capacity by transport operators”.
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We raised the point that taxi and private hire drivers must have the same Group 2 medicals as bus and lorry drivers but HGV and bus drivers were given an extension to this requirement, but: our drivers did not have the same concession. Why?
“The Department for Transport is aware of the current difficulties in obtaining medical examination reports, such as the D4 medical report used for the Group 2 HGV and bus driver entitlements that many taxi and PHV licensing authorities base their assessments on. While it remains a matter for licensing authorities whether to issue or renew a taxi or PHV driver licence, the Government is making temporary provisions for bus and lorry drivers aged 45 and over to
SEPTEMBER 2020
It is our drivers who continue to provide safe, essential, comfortable and confident transport for the entire nation – but still with ZERO support from Government.
Why? We’ve said it before: Is the Government trying to eradicate this industry altogether? Is the entire trade being punished for the activities of a miniscule number of drivers within four out of 362 licensing authorities, amongst the massive hundreds of thousands of honest, caring, hard-working drivers countrywide?
MEDICAL CONCESSIONS NIL
“The funding will be open to support measures on buses, taxi and private hire vehicles, trams, subway and local ferries and planes that are used for public, school and community transport… By fol- lowing these steps, we can all help manage demand on our public transport network and leave space for people who need it most.”
Our industry is actually INCLUDED in these provisions in Scotland; why not the rest of the UK?
ON YER BIKE…
In both the English and Scottish bulletins, everybody from the Prime Minister downward is encouraging more people to use bikes or walk, especially as and when the schools reopen in September.
The PM launched his £2 billion Cycling and Walking Plan a month ago, which includes new segregated cycle lanes, pavement exten- sion and road closures to traffic; pop-up and permanent cycle lanes; subsidies to help people get their bikes repaired, and funding for 1,180 cycle bays at 30 railway stations.
WHAT ABOUT TAXIS AND PRIVATE HIRE? Many of these new lanes were at the expense of ranks and disabled parking bays!!
An astounding amount of £2.3 million was spent on one single cycle- and pedestrian-friendly roundabout in Cambridge. That money could have bought a helluva lot of Covid protection screens and PPE for our licensed drivers. It could also have paid in full for over 5,000 vehicles to be fitted with aftermarket emissions reduc- tion devices to satisfy the Clean Air Zone requirements.
Meanwhile, residents from Brighton to Edinburgh are rebelling against the cycle- and pedestrian-friendly road closures, claiming that these plans have actually increased congestion, blocked emer- gency services and damaged local businesses.
Consider the many people who won’t, or can’t, cycle or walk:-
• Parents with very young children • Seniors, especially the over-70s • Anybody travelling in the early hours of the morning • Disabled passengers: wheelchair-bound or semi-ambulant
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