Taxi fares could be going up in Wigan if cab drivers get their way - which will see them take home £50 a week more.
The Manchester Evening News reports that the Wigan Taxi Drivers and Owners Coalition has put forward a new fare price which would increase the current rates by £1.
Higher costs of fuel, an increased cost of living and insurance premiums for drivers were all factors that led the drivers to ask for this pay rise, a report states.
“Due to circumstances out of our control, cost of living going up, we would like to put in a hackney carriage fare increase,” the request to Wigan Council states.
“This time it’s not a big increase percentage wise, it’s just a flat rate £1 per job increase. So in a nutshell it’s a pound a job increase and no increase on mileage charge.
“That will help with the cost of living rise, it will give drivers an increase of about £50 per week and more.”
Breakdown of the new tariffs and charges:
Currently tariff three, when you get more than four people in a vehicle, is £1.50 per person (tariff one/two price). The coalition wants to double that to £3 per person on tariff three to bring it in line with double tariff one.
This decision from the Wigan Taxi Drivers and Owners Coalition came after a survey involving 81 licensed hackney carriage drivers between January 13 and February 3, 2023. A total of 58 voted in favour and 23 voted against.
“Some of the comments received state that they feel the proposed variation is not enough, and others state the current rates are enough,” a report said.
A comparison table comparing Wigan to other Greater Manchester boroughs showed the new fare would bring them from second lowest to being more expensive than Rochdale, Salford and Bolton in that order.
The coalition will appear before the Regulation Committee on Friday March 17 in Wigan Town Hall which will decide whether these new fares are agreeable.
Source: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/price-taxis-could-go-up-26490697#
The age limit on wheelchair accessible taxis is set to be relaxed in Blaenau Gwent.
The South Wales Argus reports that this will be done in the hope that it will increase the number of fully wheelchair-accessible taxis in the county borough.
At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s General Licensing committee on Monday, March 13, councillors debated tweaks that need to be made to its draft ‘Policy Relating to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licences’.
This follows changes made by central government which has seen the Welsh Government publish it’s ‘Guide to Harmonisation of Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing in Wales’ and the UK Government’s Department for Transport’s ‘Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards’.
Trading standards and licensing team manager, Steve Osborne told councillors that following a consultation, the main changes for the council’s policy are around CCTV and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs).
Mr Osborne said: “There was a request to change the council’s WAV policy and lower the age limit to ten years as these vehicles are expensive.”
The policy currently requires this type of vehicle to become a licensed taxi within five years of the vehicle being registered.
Mr Osborne said that the council’s transport department which examines the road worthiness of taxis “have no objections in principle,” to the proposal.
Cllr Malcolm Cross asked how many taxis have wheelchair access in Blaenau Gwent and whether these are grants available to help taxi drivers buy them.
Senior licensing officer Helen Jones said: “We have around four to six vehicles that can carry a particular size wheelchair on to the vehicle without being dismantled and the passenger having to get out of the wheelchair. That’s out of about 120 licensed vehicles.
“If it were easier for people, we’d get more vehicles in the fleet.”
Committee chairwoman, Cllr Lisa Winnett said: “It would help so many people.”
Mr Osborne said that “if it’s the will of the committee” he would also investigate whether there are grants available to help buy these vehicles.
If there are, Mr Osborne would write to taxi drivers to tell them.
Councillors were also asked to decide whether CCTV should be voluntary or “mandatory” for taxis to have them,
Cllr Cross said that if he owned a taxi firm he would be “far happier” if his drivers had cameras.
Cllr Cross added: “I feel that a CCTV protects both the operator and the passenger and alleviates any doubt.”
Data protection officer, Steve Berry, explained that the problem with compelling taxi firms to have CCTV is “who controls” the data.
Mr Berry said: “The problems we face is by mandating it, we do exercise an element of control and responsibility and would need to tell taxi companies when and how to use it.
“With a voluntary one there’s nothing to stop the taxi company seeing the worth and need of it and putting that system in place – they take full control of that data and how it’s used.”
Councillors voted unanimously to support the changes to the policy and also to investigate whether there is grant funding to help drivers buy wheelchair accessible taxis.
Concerns about public safeguarding and “the thicket of bureaucracy” facing new drivers as they attempt to navigate licencing regulations have been raised by the Thanet Private Hire Association.
Isle of Thanet News reports that issues were initially raised in a meeting with South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay and have now been highlighted with Thanet council once more ahead of a meeting to discuss possible changes to the knowledge test taken by drivers.
The TPHA wants to streamline the process of licensing new drivers with Thanet council because of a shortage of private hire drivers since the covid pandemic with most companies operating with just half the number of drivers they had three years ago.
“A drop of over 50% of both licensed vehicles and drivers”
Chairman Andy Doody, on behalf of TPHA, said: “The Covid pandemic and lockdown periods resulted in a drop of over 50% of both licensed vehicles and drivers. This has led to widespread complaints from the public to the firms as well as negative reports across press and social media platforms.
“All of the private hire operators, firms and the staff are and have been under pressure to cover work or to even take bookings.
“This has resulted in abuse to staff and in turn to drivers. This has affected the general public attempting to go about their daily lives, employees getting to their jobs, care workers and essential members of the NHS and the emergency services being unable to get to their places of work on time or home in a timely, safely manner.
“The school transport system, not just from the taxi services point of view but from parents and KCC tender’s department, is seriously affected too, leaving schools, children, and their parents/guardians very frustrated.
“There has been an enormously negative push back from the hospitality sector including hoteliers, publicans, restaurateurs, entertainment venues and concerned parents, youngsters and vulnerable members of the public wanting to get to and from home safely. This is especially at weekends and nights as this has historically been the busiest times.
“Since not only the pandemic and the problems that brought to us all but also since changes that were implemented by the licensing department, the numbers of drivers either new to the trade or renewing, has fallen at an unsustainable rate with the result being the continuing and frustratingly difficult communication from all the operators with the licensing department to find a solution.”
Safeguarding concerns:
Mr Doody says there are concerns that drivers’ badges no longer include the name of the operator they work for, something he says could represent safeguarding dangers.
He said: “The council has started renewing drivers badges with no company that they work for named on them.
“Previously if there was a problem licensing knew where the driver was registered to work from. Now they’ll have no clue if there’s an emergency, accident or God forbid worse. They didn’t formally notify operators they were doing this.
“It’s an absolute recipe for disaster. My wife, daughters or friends could be picked up by a driver that’s ‘working’ for the taxi company I call so I know who to get in touch with if there’s a problem but drivers will be able to swap companies and (for instance) cover school runs for anyone that asks.
“I’ve asked on behalf of the Thanet Private Hire Association repeatedly over the last two plus years that licensed drivers and their cars must be clearly identifiable and that the licensing department should know what company every driver is registered to be at and regularly check with the various companies that they’re records are right but now they rely on the drivers to notify them.
“In mine and the operators -Thanet Cars, Thanet Taxis, Central Cars and United Cars – opinions this is utter madness and totally unsafe for the public.”
Knowledge test:
The TPHA say things like the knowledge test are “outdated and unnecessary” due to all companies and drivers have modern despatch systems and satellite navigation built into the drivers equipment which give directions to the pick-up point and customer information and the correct prices.
One of the solutions proposed is to have one practical test with a licensing officer or external locally licensed testers to check driving aptitude, English language, basic maths, highway code knowledge and a visual check of the vehicle.
Mr Doody said: “This would streamline the at present multi-step process solving many parts of the application in one appointment, just leaving the safeguarding, medical, tax, and DBS checks to be carried out beforehand. This type of process has been implemented in many other areas nationwide and led to the private hire and hackney services getting back to a healthy level for the needs of the community and creating a much-needed increase in revenue for the councils.”
He said a report published for the licensing meeting next week looks to “weigh in favour” of the TPHA requests although it doesn’t cover the safeguarding concerns.
Robust checks:
Thanet council says there are robust checks in place to protect passenger safety and that most drivers are self-employed, so may work for more than one operator. The council adds that knowledge tests are necessary for tourism.
A spokesperson said: “We have a robust process in place to manage the accreditation of taxi drivers in our district. This is to protect the welfare of our residents.
“Most private hire drivers are self-employed and may work for one or more operators. We have removed the need for the operator name to be included on the badges that we issue. This means that drivers will no longer have to pay for the issue of a new badge if they change operators, and this is in line with the majority of other councils.
“Badges do show the driver’s name, a picture and their badge number however, and we ask drivers which operator they are going to work for and retain that information on our files.
“The knowledge test is held every fortnight, typically with up to 20 candidates, who are booked on to the next available test should they need to resit. DBS clearance can be applied for prior to taking the test and this is stated on our website.
“The knowledge test ensures that taxi drivers can give customers information about the local area, including places of interest and local attractions. This is an important part of our offer as a tourist destination.
“Ensuring that our residents are safe is a key council priority, and safeguarding is an important part of this. We have a duty to protect all of our residents and visitors.”
The content and cost of sitting the knowledge test will be discussed at a meeting of the Licensing Board on Tuesday 21 March.
Plans to hike taxi fares in Inverclyde by 12 per cent have been backed by councillors.
The Greenock Telegraph reports that members of the local authority's General Purposes Board have approved taxi trade proposals to increase 'flag fall' fees and running mile rates.
The council has now launched a further statutory consultation on the rates, with the new tariffs expected to take effect from May 14 this year.
Councillor Chris Curley, who chaired the meeting, stated that he hoped the decision would help the local taxi trade through a difficult time.
He said: "The committee reviewed the submission by the taxi operators and individual operators and, looking at that, decided to approve the recommendations.
"The general increases in costs for the trade were considered as part of our decision-making.
"We want to see a sustainable taxi industry locally and hope that this decision helps achieve that."
The proposed changes affect all four of the area's taxi tariffs - which outline standard rates for pre-hired and 'flag' bookings over set periods.
Hirings from ranks or 'flag' hirings between 6am and 11pm will now have an initial charge of £3.08, up from £2.75, with the first mile of the journey costing approximately £4.13.
For the same types of hirings started between 11pm and 6am, a initial charge of £3.19 will apply, with the approximate cost of the first mile rising by 50 pence to £4.59.
Certain types of hirings on Easter Monday, May Day, Fair Saturday and September 26 will carry an initial fee of £3.42.
Pre-booked hirings and those from ranks or 'flag' hirings on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and January 2 will have an initial cost of £5.99, which is also the first mile cost for such bookings.
The board's decision came after a consultation Inverclyde Council held with local taxi operators, which saw eight of the consultees call for an increase in rates.
A ninth respondent said they felt a significant rise would not be appropriate given the rising cost of living.
Many of those consulted raised concerns about the increases cost of fuel and maintenance to their vehicle, with reference also made to the cost of living crisis and spiralling inflation.
In a letter sent to Inverclyde Council, local operator Inverclyde Taxis said that the last three years had been 'extremely challenging' for the taxi trade.
They cited a number of factors which had put the industry in an increasingly difficult position, including what was described as 'limited' financial support from the Scottish Government.
They added: "Likewise, Inverclyde Council continues to offer limited or no administrative support/guidance to the trade yet endorse year-on-year taxi and test fees increases without any consultation/notice nor indeed consideration to extended fee packages to secure trade commitment for the medium to longer term.
"It would appear decisions are for here and now and only looking short term."
The council will now ask for views on the proposed new scales, with local people able to have their say by writing to the council before April 7.
A private hire driver who continued to pick up passengers despite being suspended over a filthy car has been handed a four-week ban.
According to the Glasgow Evening Times, Usman Shoukat was pulled over in December last year as he had failed to display required signs in his rear windows and his car was “filthy”.
He was given a suspension and told he couldn’t operate until the problems had been fixed, but he was spotted carrying passengers by police later that night.
Mr Shoukat claimed there had been a misunderstanding and he didn’t realise he had been suspended.
On 15 March councillors on the city’s licensing committee handed him a four-week suspension.
Councillor Alex Wilson, who chairs the committee, said the driver had been “putting the public at risk” as once he was suspended his insurance was invalid.
He added: “When someone says to you you’re suspended, that means you do not do anything else, you don’t pick up other passengers.
“You said in your statement you were shaking due to being approached by police, but you still carried on. If you were that badly shaken, surely you wouldn’t have carried on driving.”
Mr Shoukat was pulled over during a joint initiative between the council’s taxi and private hire enforcement unit and Police Scotland, after he was seen with “no rear signage displayed".
An enforcement officer told councillors how the sign was found lying in the back of the car, which was “filthy".
He was suspended and “instructed he couldn’t operate until the vehicle was presented back to officers with the defects rectified".
However, later that night Police Scotland witnessed Mr Shoukat carrying passengers while suspended, the committee heard. Councillors were told the driver had taken two jobs since the suspension was issued.
Councillor Wilson told the driver the incident had been a “catalogue of errors on your behalf.”
Mr Shoukat said he works for two private hire firms and usually switches between their signs. He said he “wasn’t aware” his plates had been removed by enforcement officers as he was inside the vehicle.
The driver also said he had passengers in the car when he was stopped, so continued to drop them off.
However, councillor Wilson said he had picked up more passengers after that journey.
Mr Shoukat claimed there had been a “mix-up".
He said: “If I had known I was suspended, I would have stopped straight away.”
He said he hadn’t read paperwork that was handed to him by the officers.
Councillor Wilson said: “Our enforcement team would have said to you ‘we’re suspending your licence’. They would have told you that.
“You are just making this worse and worse for yourself. You are showing us that you are not a responsible person to be driving around Glasgow.
“There’s nothing to say you cannot work for multiple platforms, but you must have signage showing.”
The driver asked to be let off with a warning as he had never been before the committee before and promised it wouldn’t happen again. However, councillors decided to issue the four-week suspension with immediate effect.
A private hire driver was found asleep in his vehicle in the middle of the road, prompting concerns for public safety.
A private hire driver who continued to work despite having his licence suspended, has been prosecuted by Oldham Council.
The Hinckley Area Taxi Association has proposed new tariffs to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, which could make the borough's taxis the most expensive in Leicestershire.
Shaun Meenan attacked the teenager, who was a stranger to him, both in his vehicle and then in her home after gaining entry under false pretenses
Hillingdon Council launches consultation on PSPO to prohibit PHVs and taxis from waiting in residential streets around Heathrow Airport.
A taxi driver was left shaken after being robbed and assaulted by a knife-wielding passenger in Gateshead.
The proposed changes,which are set to be discussed at the licensing committee this week, would affect fares during weekdays, evenings,weekends, and festive periods.
A 71-year-old taxi driver has had his license revoked by the Stratford-on-Avon District Council due to public safety concerns.
Wolverhampton taxi drivers are set to be given powers to record audio in their cabs if they feel in danger following a spate of attacks.
Residents of Stirling are being invited to have their say on plans for a new taxi rank in the city center, as the local authority looks to address a growing demand for taxi services.
As of this year, only 278 licensed taxis are in service, significantly lower than the government's goal of 310.
Over 200 children from across England suffering from chronic or life-limiting conditions experienced a dream come true this weekend, thanks to a heartwarming initiative by London's black cab drivers.
Residents are being encouraged to participate in a consultation on proposed new taxi charges.
Taxi drivers at Bristol Parkway railway station are expressing frustration over a subsidised bus service that they believe is cutting into their business.
A year after the removal of a taxi rank due to lack of customers, Ipswich Borough Council is proposing to introduce a new five-place rank on Key Street.
A taxi driver who had his licence revoked following allegations of posting offensive material online has been given the chance to reapply.
The Glasgow Low Emission Zone (LEZ) has shown initial positive results in reducing air pollution, according to a new report.
Colin Aylward, who lives in Chittys Lane, Dagenham, captured the shocking incident on his home security system.
Independent Councilor Dave Patrick warned that the proposed increases would make Fenland one of the most expensive places in the country for taxi travel
Bleed kit charity, RAPAID, has already installed over 5,000 kits in UK cities in a bid to put emergency bandages in permanent circulation so that they are on hand whenever needed.