Campaigners desperate to revive Aberdeen’s Union Street fear its resurgence is being held back by a lack of taxis to take people there.
The Press and Journal reports that queues are often seen snaking along city centre streets as impatient punters await a lift home at the end of an evening out.
And the Our Union Street taskforce is concerned the long-running problem is putting people off even venturing into Aberdeen.
In a newly published document, they say the predicament is “having a negative impact on the local economy”.
The taskforce contends that once-controversial proposals to bring Uber to Aberdeen need to be considered again.
A new white paper addressing the state of the Granite Mile explains that Our Union Street leaders have spoken to local taxi operators in a bid to understand the problem.
The dossier states: “There appears to be a serious under-supply of taxis that seems to have a negative impact on the local economy – especially the night-time economy.”
And the group is concerned that people, perhaps at the end of a night out, are more likely to engage in antisocial behaviour if they “can’t get away from the city centre”.
Meanwhile, taxi problems are just as severe at Aberdeen International Airport.
Our Union Street says it “creates a very negative experience for visitors and damages our reputation”.
The volunteer-led city centre crusaders say there will be “no simple actions”, but “further discussion is needed”. And that discussion, they argue, must involve app-based operator Uber.
Our Union Street wants to “understand” whether an Uber service in Aberdeen would “solve the problem”.
The white paper continues: “All Uber drivers need to be licensed, and we don’t have enough licensed taxi drivers in the city.
“It might be part of the mix in the future.”
Uber was granted a licence to operate in Aberdeen in 2017, but the outfit never made it to the city.
Two years later, amid speculation the downturn made it a less attractive proposition, the company confirmed it wouldn’t be driving the plans forward.
Meanwhile, another issue Our Union Street wants to tackle is the “local knowledge test” that Granite City taxi drivers have to take.
They say it’s “very demanding”, with a “low pass rate” prohibiting much-needed cabbies from stepping foot into the trade.
As Our Union Street ramps up its efforts in the weeks and months ahead, bosses have lifted the lid on their five “action areas”.
And one of the main themes they will now explore in the background is: “The impact of more or fewer taxis on our economy and what options are available. ”
The number of available taxis in Barrow has reduced because drivers cannot make a living, a councillor has claimed.
The NWE Mail reports that Les Hall (Hawcoat and Newbarns, Conservative) made the comments as councillors agreed to bring forward proposals to increase the maximum taxi fare in light of the cost of living crisis.
Members of the regulatory committee for Westmorland and Furness Council voted unanimously to raise the maximum fare hackney carriages charge.
Councillors will agree on a set per cent or set amount fares will rise by at a further meeting.
Cllr Hall said: “The price of insurance has gone through the roof and the number of taxis available, I can only speak for Barrow, is much reduced because drivers can’t make a living.
"We’ve got to do something, doing nothing is not an option.”
A report prepared for the meeting recommended councillors consider whether to modify the current table of maximum fares in each of the former districts or make no modification to the current tables of maximum fares.
Hackney carriages in the former district council areas of South Lakeland, Eden and Barrow Borough charge different fares and a unified taxi policy is due to be discussed in January 2024.
The report added: “To undertake a fare review at this time will result in extra workload for officers at a time where the officers are currently in the process of updating all policies in relation to licensing functions and developing a unified policy for taxi licensing.
“If members consider that a review is to be undertaken now, work on the new taxi licensing policy would be delayed.”
Cabinet member for finance, councillor Andrew Jarvis (Windermere and Ambleside, Lib Dems) was critical of the recommendations put forward by officers and said he recognises officers are busy but would have liked to have seen an increase in fares proposed as an interim measure before a tariff review.
He said: “I don’t think it’s fair at a time where we’ve had 10% inflation we should say to taxi drivers we’re going to stick our heads in the ground and not consider a fair increase.”
Tariffs were last reviewed in South Lakeland in April 2022 and in Barrow in September 2022.
Source: https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/23822638.cost-living-barrow-taxi-drivers-cannot-make-living/
A taxi driver has told how he tried to spend a penny but has ended up having to pay £105. Hugh Jones says rules state you can’t leave your vehicle and therefore make it unavailable to hire.
The Daily Post reports that the 67-year-old, a taxi driver for 25 years, had surgery on an enlarged prostate in 2019 but still sometimes has to go to the loo urgently when nature calls.
However, he says when he got caught short one day in March he stopped in Rhyl to go to a friend’s toilet, but was promptly fined £35.
Mr Jones, of Rhyl, tried to gather evidence to prove he had had the op but by that time the fine had risen to £105, which he doesn't feel he should pay.
He said: “I had this sudden urge to go to the toilet in March. I parked in the high street in Rhyl to go to the toilet at my mate's newsagent's.
"I was only gone five minutes and I was fined £35. I wanted to spend a penny but have to pay £105!” he blasted.
Mr Jones, a married Dad-of-two, added: “Going to the toilet is a basic human right. I had to wear a catheter bag for six months but I couldn't hack it anymore so I paid £7,800 to go private in Wrexham.
"I even gave the council evidence of my operation from my surgeon but they didn’t want to know.”
Mr Jones appealed to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal Service but has lost.
He had been officially told he can go to the High Court but couldn't afford it.
"I'm a hard working man but I had to take out a bank loan to pay for my operation yet the council could spend thousands (on their case)."
A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “The council does not comment on individual cases.”
Source: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-taxi-driver-fined-27810936
Taxi fares could soon be on the rise for local people and visitors as the new unitary Somerset Council seeks to harmonise the cost of journeys across the county.
The West somerset Free Press reports that the maximum fares were previously separately set by Somerset’s four district councils, resulting in substantial variations in the fees charged to passengers.
Now, the unitary authority which replaced the district councils in April has published proposals to harmonise taxi fares, allowing them to be adjusted across the county at the same time and reduce red tape for drivers.
But in many cases it will mean passengers facing higher fares, as officers admitted they were ‘tending to go up rather than down’ when trying to bring the former districts into line.
A breakdown of the new fares was published before a meeting of the council’s licensing and regulatory committee held in Taunton.
Under the proposals, hackney carriage drivers will all charge £4.60 for the first mile and 30p for every one-tenth of a mile or part thereafter.
This means a regular two-mile journey would cost £7.60 – the same as is currently charged in the former South Somerset area, but higher than in Somerset West and Taunton (£6.80),Sedgemoor (£6.80), and Mendip (£7.10).
Passengers will be charged a further £1 for every two minutes they are left waiting in traffic.
Drivers will be able to charge a 50 per cent premium on fares collected on Sundays or on weekdays between 11 pm and 7 am, and double the price on bank holidays, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve between 6 pm and midnight.
Drivers can also charge £2 extra per passenger if more than four passengers are riding, a £100 charge if the vehicle is soiled, and tolls or clean air zone charges as required.
Council licensing manager John Rendell said: “I suspect there will be objections. We know we have some vehicle licence holders, particularly those operating in the Taunton area, who are not fully on board with the proposals just yet.
“I would anticipate that members of the public may not be completely happy with the proposal either, because as we are harmonising, we are tending to go up rather than down.
“It is fair to say that some travellers would notice increases, assuming that drivers charge the maximum – but they do not have to charge that rate.”
West Somerset Cllr Marcus Kravis, whose Dunster division includes several small villages near Minehead, questioned whether the higher fares would lead to fewer passengers and asked how often the new fares would need to be reviewed.
Cllr Kravis said: “Bearing in mind what is going on with inflation at the moment, and the fare increases a few years ago, which were down to fuel costs, do you foresee this coming back again and again?”
Mr Rendell said: “The intention at the moment is that we will periodically review the maximum fares that we set, just to make sure they are at the right level.”
The council’s executive committee is expected to formally adopt the new charges when it meets in early November, and will set a date for when the new charges will come into effect.
A former Bradford private hire driver has been warned to expect a substantial prison sentence for causing the death of a seven-year-old boy who was knocked down on the city’s Manchester Road.
The Telegraph and Argus reports that Malakye Hall was killed late on August 11, 2020, when he was hit by a Toyota Auris driven by Mohsin Hussain, 32, from Bradford.
On Monday 2 October, Hussain pleaded guilty at Bradford Crown Court, on the day he was to stand trial for causing the little boy’s death by dangerous driving.
The Crown did not proceed with a second charge of causing Malakye’s death by driving without insurance.
Prosecutor Abigail Langford said footage from the night in question would be played during the opening of the case when Hussain is sentenced on the afternoon of November 23.
Judge Jonathan Rose enlarged his bail until that date but told him: “Be under no illusions, it will be a very substantial sentence of imprisonment for the taking of the life of this child.”
Hussain was also banned from driving.
His barrister, Oliver Jarvis, told the court that Hussain had paid for the little boy’s funeral and attended his wake.
He requested a report from the probation service, stating that Hussain was very lightly convicted and the father of three children. He was under no illusions and knew he would receive a lengthy custodial sentence.
Malakye was killed at just after 10pm when he was struck by Hussain’s Toyota Auris on Manchester Road.
He had left his mother’s address and was trying to cross the carriageway.
Malakye was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary but died later that night from extensive head injuries.
In August 2021, his mother Wendy Hall was jailed for neglecting him.
Bradford Crown Court was told at that hearing that Malakye got out of a locked address on the night he was fatally injured. Hall had left him alone there with no electricity or gas.
She left her phone for him to play on while she was away but it appeared that he got out of the house shortly after she left, the court was told.
The damaged phone was found in the boy’s possession and enquiries led the police to the house which was in darkness with the door open.
Miss Langford said that when Hall was interviewed the next day she admitted leaving Malakye at home on his own.
Hall pleaded guilty to the neglect charge and was jailed for three years.
A local councillor has sparked a debate on passenger safety after claiming that using locally licensed taxis is safer than hailing an Uber.
A taxi driver was attacked and subjected to racist abuse after two brothers refused to pay him up front.
Christopher Hilling, 64, admitted to engaging a child in sexual activity at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday 8 August.
Abdigani Ebrahim, 38, of Grangetown, admitted charges of affray and criminal damage following the incident in Northcote Street, Roath, last July.
The crackdown targeted drivers operating across council boundaries to ensure public safety and compliance with regulations.
Lucio Valentino relies on his six-year-old Border Collie, Pixel, to help manage his mental health conditions, including depression and personality disorders.
Taxi drivers across the Fylde Coast are set to receive a briefing note aimed at clearing up confusion over out-of-area private hire vehicles.
Police are appealing to find a taxi driver who may have "vital clues" about the murder of Ryan Passey seven years ago since he was fatally stabbed in a Stourbridge nightclub.
A joint operation by Hull City Council, Wolverhampton Council, and Humberside Police has uncovered a number of safety issues with taxis operating in the city.
French taxi drivers are calling for government compensation after suffering significant revenue losses during the Paris Olympics.
Coventry city centre has introduced a new taxi marshal service aimed at improving safety and efficiency for late-night revellers.
A court heard harrowing details of the moment a drink-driving uninsured motorist killed three people in a 90mph crash.
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was amongst the thousands who enjoyed the Battle Proms at Highclere Castle on 3 August.
Swindon residents could be facing a hike in taxi fares from October after councillors gave the green light to a £1 increase in the standard fare minimum charge.
Ricky Harold, a 20-year veteran of the town’s taxi trade, was parked in a lay-by when his vehicle was struck from behind by a black Audi A2.
Chinese automotive giant Geely has deepened its commitment to the UK electric vehicle market with a £120m cash injection into London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC).
North Tyneside Council is facing a backlash over plans to increase taxi fares by 6.3%.
Nazim Asmal preyed on his victims after nights out in Preston and Darwen, driving them to secluded spots before carrying out horrific sexual assaults.
Newcastle is set to see a surge in pink taxis driven by women as part of a new initiative aimed at improving passenger safety.
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.