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Posted on the 11th November 2024 in PHTM News
VETERAN TAXI DRIVER SAYS TRADE IN GRIMSBY IS THE "WORST HE'S EVER KNOWN"
Taxi drivers in Grimsby have won a temporary reprieve from a council plan to lift a cap on the number of hackney carriages.
Councillors on the licensing and community protection committee voted to defer the decision until a survey of demand is carried out.
The move follows concerns raised by the North East Lincolnshire Hackney Carriage Association that the trade is already struggling due to rising costs and falling demand.
Wayne Crouch, chair of the association, described the current situation as "the worst he's ever known".
"I was sat on Freeman Street today for four hours exactly, I took three jobs, I got £13," said Mr Crouch.
He highlighted the difficulties faced by hackney carriage drivers, who are often unable to fill their shifts.
The council had proposed three changes to the local hackney carriage rules:
- Removing the current cap of 220 hackney carriages
- Requiring all new cabs to be electric or hybrid
- Making all new cabs wheelchair accessible
However, councillors were persuaded to pause the first proposal, citing concerns about the potential impact on existing drivers and the need for a clearer understanding of demand.
The council will now conduct a survey to assess whether there is a genuine need for more taxis in the area. The results of this survey will inform any future decisions on the cap.
Officers also recommended to amend a wheelchair accessible exemption made by councillors in 2013 against advice. Drivers can get medical exemptions off their GP from carrying passengers in wheelchairs.
The 2013 amendment allowed such drivers to change their carriage back from being wheelchair accessible to a saloon. "We feel the link to the vehicles does cause a problem for us," stated Adrian Moody, the council's licensing and environment protection manager. Drivers with the medical exemption had risen from 13 to 75, since 2013, most with lifetime exemptions.
Wheelchair accessible cabs in North East Lincolnshire had plummeted from 70 in 2020 to 43
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