Following claims of a 'distorting story', we update our recent opinion column on a 26-year wait for a taxi plate.

Our recent opinion column 'A very long wait!' highlighted the fact that a Brighton private hire driver had just been granted a taxi plate after a 26-year wait.

A contributor to our forum pointed out that the driver in question had been offered a plate on several previous occasions, and that our failure to disclose that fact made for a 'distorting story'.

Following further information received by Taxi Driver Online, we can confirm that drivers have in the past turned down plates, but what the contributor in turn failed to disclose was that these offers had been conditional on operating a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV), which would obviously put the owner at a severe financial disadvantage as compared to running a saloon car.  Is it surprising that drivers might hold out in the hope of being treated equally to other taxi plate holders?

Indeed, it is not clear whether all the 19 drivers recently granted plates will actually take them up, but perhaps there is now a general realisation that no further saloon plates will be issued in Brighton in future, thus perhaps running a wheelchair accessible taxi is preferable to the even more disadvantageous position of running a private hire car, although we cannot know the views of individual drivers.

A further irony is that many existing taxi plate holders have in the past tried to impose additional onerous conditions on new WAV plates that would not apply to saloon plates, as outlined in correspondence with Brighton and Hove Council.

These conditions included:
- pre-owned vehicles disallowed;
- attached to 24-hour fully staffed office and supplied to wheelchair bound on request;
- non-transferable for five years.

Indeed it appears that the imposition of these conditions was sought to protect the interests of saloon car plate holders in that it would help satisfy demand for WAVs and thus ease threats to impose WAVs on saloon owners.

Moreover, the WAV condition attached to new plates seems designed as much to appease existing saloon car plate holders than to meet the demands of wheelchair users, since the report by independent consultants Halcrow stated that there is: "...little evidence to support an increase in the required number of wheelchair accessible vehicles serving the hackney carriage ranks."

It thus seems somewhat hypocritical of some in the trade to highlight the fact that past offers of plates have been refused, when they have endeavored to impose onerous conditions on new plates that they themselves would have no truck with.

Sadly, the murky world of plate premiums has already raised its ugly head before any new vehicles have even been licensed, with successful applicants allegedly being offered £10,000 for transfer of the license.

However, this does underline the discriminatory nature of the WAV condition, since saloon plates are changing hands for at least three times this sum, ably demonstrating the lower costs associated with running a saloon.

Read 'A very long wait!'