People have a chance to give their views on proposals to change some of the age restrictions on vehicles which can be used as taxis in Leicester.
The number of hackney carriages operating in Leicester has declined in recent years due to a number of factors, one of which is the cost of buying a suitable vehicle. Those working in the taxi trade say there are very few affordable black cabs available secondhand.
Private hire vehicles do not have to meet the same specifications as hackney carriages and so licence holders have a wider choice of vehicles they can buy. However they are also reporting financial pressures affecting their business.
In addition, many private hire vehicles working in Leicester are licensed by other councils, some of which allow vehicles to be kept for longer.
Leicester City Council’s current vehicle age policy requires all vehicles being licensed for the first time to be no older than five years, and for all vehicles being relicensed to be no older than 11 years.
Representatives of the taxi trade have requested a review of the current policy for both types of licensed vehicles.
The taxi policy was last reviewed back in 2012, since which time the taxi trade has experienced the pressures of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and changing customer demand.
People can take part in the consultation online, which runs for six weeks from January 15 to February 25.
All the responses will be taken into account by the council’s Licensing and Public Safety Committee, and the City Mayor, when deciding whether the current age restrictions should be changed.
A decision is expected within two months of the close of the consultation period. If the decision is to amend the existing policy, the implementation date will depend on what changes are being made.
There is still a pressing need to move towards greener, low emission, hybrid or electric vehicles to improve air quality in the city. For this reason, there may be other changes to the vehicle licensing policy made at a later date.
Leicester assistant city mayor Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, whose responsibilities include licensing, said: “Members of the taxi trade in Leicester have asked us to look again at the age policy around vehicles used as taxis, in the light of changes to customer demand and other pressures faced by the industry.
“We’ve been working closely with local taxi representatives and have agreed to review these conditions.
“This consultation gives people across the city and from all walks of life the chance to make their views heard on this subject too, so they can be taken into account when we make a decision on whether changes are needed.”
To take part in the consultation visit here: https://consultations.leicester.gov.uk/comms/taxi-age/
A Bedford cabbie has been sacked and reported to the council’s licensing department after he was accused of holding a female passenger and her baby ‘hostage’.
On Saturday, 13 January, a young mum from Kempston had booked a cab from A1 Taxis on Mill Street to take her and her baby daughter from their home to a doctor’s appointment in Putnoe.
After the three-month-old baby was slightly sick on the car seat, the unnamed driver told her she would have to pay the fare plus a £60 fine.
According to the woman he then contacted his control room who told him to pull the car over. The driver stopped at Bury Court, near Goldington Green and locked her in his cab.
Speaking to the Bedford Independent, the passenger, who asked not to be named, said she was in the taxi for around an hour in total, during which time the driver made her feel terrified.
“I cannot describe how petrified I was,” she said.
“I was locked in the back of a car with my ill baby, I didn’t know what was going on and I didn’t know what the outcome would be. It was terrifying.”
Fearing for her safety, she called 999 and a call handler from Bedfordshire Police was able to speak to the driver and get him to release her and her child.
However, the call handler decided the situation was a ‘civil dispute’ and did not deploy any officers to investigate.
According to the traumatised passenger, after the driver released her, the police call handler asked her to get back into the car.
“I am utterly devastated with Bedfordshire Police,” she said.
“I feel let down that they didn’t send anyone to help me and didn’t contact me afterwards to check if I was ok.”
In an initial statement to the Bedford Independent, a police spokesperson said: “Bedfordshire Police were called on 13 January shortly before 10am to a report of a woman locked in the back of a taxi in Church Lane, Bedford.
“Whilst speaking to her on the phone, a call handler ascertained that there had been a civil dispute between the driver and the customer.
“The call handler was able to safely resolve the dispute between the two parties over the phone and as a result, police presence was not required at the location.”
In a phone call to her yesterday, the victim claimed an officer apologised for the failings of the force and said that the call handler should have sent someone out.
She has now given a full statement to the police and lodged a formal complaint.
Bedfordshire Police provided the follow-up comment, “As with any incident, any further information that comes to light will be assessed and actioned further if needed.”
A spokesperson for A1 Cars on Mill Street said they were taking the matter seriously.
“We want to sincerely address the recent incident involving a customer and the conduct of the driver and controller,” said the spokesperson.
“The driver’s actions were unacceptable, and he has been dismissed and reported by A1 Cars to the licensing department at Bedford Borough Council, which has the authority to revoke his licence.
“The member of staff at our office has received a formal warning regarding the way the situation was handled and will undergo further training to ensure they handle future situations with the utmost care and professionalism.
“We regret that this incident occurred and are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure such an incident does not happen again.
“We pride ourselves on providing a safe, respectful and reliable service for all passengers of A1 Cars.”
Once she was released from the car the woman walked with her baby to the doctor’s surgery on Church Lane where staff consoled her.
A taxi driver who was more than twice over the limit when he careered "all over the road" in Bassetlaw must find a new line of work, magistrates have heard.
According to the Worksop Guardian, police officers stopped Ayub Kassaar in a red Toyota Corolla, on Straight Mile, Ranby, in the early hours of December 22, said prosecutor Andrew Conboy.
He smelled of alcohol and a breath test revealed he had 83 microgrammes of alcohol when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
The court heard he has no previous convictions and he received full credit for his early guilty plea.
Kassaar, who represented himself, told magistrates: "I have never been in court before. I am really, really, deeply sorry.
"I have been going through a lot of stress. I have been struggling financially. I have lost my job."
Kassaar, 33, from Peterborough, admitted driving with excess alcohol when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Tuesday 16 January.
The presiding magistrate told him: "If you had veered across the road and driven into someone the consequences could have been significant.
"You were a professional driver. That's gone. I am sure we won't see you again. We have been exceptionally generous to you today."
He was banned from driving for 18 months but a rehabilitation course could reduce the disqualification by 25 per cent if he successfully completes it before a set date.
He was fined £120 and he was ordered to pay a £48 statutory surcharge which is levied on all fines and £85 court costs.
Rotherham Council is set to consider allowing hackney carriage drivers in the borough to raise their fares by almost seven per cent.
The Star reports that the current charge for the first mile is £4.50, with each additional mile costing the passenger £1.50.
Drivers have requested that the council allow them to charge £4.80 for the first mile, an increase of 6.7 per cent, and £1.70 for each additional mile thereafter – a 13 per cent increase.
If the plans are approved, the waiting charge will be increased from 20p to 30p per minute, and to raise the soiling charge from £50 to £60.
Rotherham’s Hackney Carriage Association has requested the changes as the cost of running a vehicle has increased since the the current rate was set in 2022.
The charge for night time, Sunday and bank holidays will also increase from £4.70, to £5.10, with each additional mile also raised from £1.70 to £1.90.
Drivers have also proposed that the time this tariff can be charged is brought forwards from 9pm to 8pm.
A report to be considered at the next cabinet meeting on January 22 states: “Fewer people using hackney carriages may also lead to difficulties in clearing the areas of high demand during peak hours.
“The trade has previously expressed concern that a reduction in the number of hackney carriages will increase the likelihood of private hire drivers illegally plying for hire.”
If approved by cabinet, the proposed charges will go out to public consultation.
If no objections are received, the amended tariffs and soiling charge will take effect immediately.
A proposed increase of taxi fares in Darlington has been refused after opposition from drivers.
According to The Northern Echo, Darlington Borough Council considered several proposals to increase black cab tariffs following a formal request for an increase by the trade.
Fares in the town are currently the highest in the Tees Valley, costing passengers £6.30 per every two miles compared to neighbouring Durham, which currently charges £6.50.
The lowest fare, in Middlesbrough, costs £4.90.
Of the 134 hackney carriage drivers in Darlington, only 24 responded to the proposals. They favoured increasing fares in the first 1760 yards and time. In total, 21 out of 24 responders favoured an increase.
However Andrew Heaney, a taxi driver of 30 years in the town, appealed to councillors not to raise fares.
Speaking at a licensing meeting, he said: “When tariff increases are proposed, the guys who work in the market place feel like they don’t have much of a voice because the companies always vote in favour.
“We tend to feel we’re outvoted. When I saw the number of people who responded I thought it was very low, so I collected a list of 18 drivers who oppose a tariff increase.”
Cllr Sonia Kane, of Northgate ward, said: “I am a regular taxi user and what I have to pay currently from where I live to town is a lot of money. Getting the bus is a nightmare, so I’d have to leave an hour earlier. Six pounds is as much as most people want to pay.”
Cllr Jonathan Dulston backed the black cab driver’s plea. “I agree there isn’t an appetite from the trade to raise fares and struggle to approve any changes,” he said.
Cllr Kevin Nicholson added that the lack of responses showed raising fares is not a pressing issue for the majority of taxi drivers.
The committee also considered adding an extra ‘button’ to metres which accounts for additional charges such as those imposed at Teesside Airport. But members also refused imposing the measure.
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.
Cleethorpes taxi drivers are breathing a sigh of relief after council enforcement officers cracked down on vehicles illegally parked in designated taxi ranks.
A Barry man has avoided jail after launching a drunken attack on a taxi driver who refused him entry to his vehicle.
Jersey’s taxi service is in crisis, with driver numbers plummeting by more than a quarter since 2014, a new report has revealed.
On Wednesday 27 July, more than 300 vulnerable youngsters were taken on an all-expenses paid trip to Southport.
Taxi drivers in the town will be able to charge passengers more following a decision by the borough council on 31 July.
A taxi driver has been sentenced to a community order after admitting causing the death of a pedestrian by driving at excessive speed.
A joint operation by council, police, and DVSA officials has seen three taxis taken off the road in Oldham due to safety concerns.
Taxi drivers licensed by Mid Sussex could soon be forced to accept card payments, following a surge in complaints about cash-only services.
Two men have avoided immediate jail time after a high-speed race left a taxi driver with serious injuries.
BYD, manufacturer of new energy vehicles and power batteries, has announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Uber, designed to bring 100,000 new BYD EVs onto the Uber platform across key global markets.
Ways of increasing the amount of wheelchair-accessible taxis across the city are set to be explored to make it easier for those who need one to get one.
Cumbrian taxi drivers are fighting back against proposed licensing changes they fear will cripple their livelihoods.
Bolton taxi drivers are urged to sign up for free safeguarding and disability awareness training before the deadline on October 31st, 2024.
A Conwy Council meeting on Monday revealed a critical failing that allowed a taxi driver whose license had been revoked to continue transporting children to school.
Worcester City Council is seeking public opinion on a proposal to make safeguarding training mandatory for taxi and private hire drivers.
A proposal to increase driver, vehicle and private hire operator licences was discussed on Friday 19 July 19 at Sheffield City Council’s waste and street scene committee.
Through this collaboration, FREENOW willl provide additional benefits giving drivers up to 25% off pay-as-you-go rates across the entire bp pulse electric charging network and discounted fuel at all UK bp branded sites.
Wakefield Licensing, working alongside West Yorks Police Roads Policing unit, NPT, Off-Road Bike Team, Police Intercept Team, DVLA & DVSA, held a Partnership Day of Action at Thornes Park.