Taxi Driver Online

Taxi age limit increased

THE allowed age limit of taxi vehicles throughout Dumbarton has been increased following concerns raised by a driver. Locky Cameron told Wednesday's meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Council licensing committee it was unfair to impose an eight year age limit if a vehicle was well kept and passed both its MOT and taxi test.

He told councillors: "At the moment, I'm driving a Mercedes and, to me, you can't get any better vehicle on the road. "My motor is kept to the standards that the council tells me to. "All I can ask the council to do is to give me the same consideration [as non-private cabs]."

The recommendation was to increase the limit to 10 to 14 years for saloon and multi-purpose vehicles.

Council officers - who admitted the regulations were "arbitrary" -also recommend adapted wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) can operate until vehicles are 14 years old, with no restriction on age at first use and that purpose-built WAVs can operate indefinitely with no restriction of age at first use.

Councillors approved all recommendations meaning West Dunbartonshire has one of the highest age limit for vehicles set within nearby Scottish councils, which range from seven years at Glasgow City to 12 years at East Lothian. While neighbouring council Argyll and Bute – as well as Inverclyde, East Dunbartonshire, Stirling, Falkirk, North Ayrshire and Clackmannanshire – have no upper age limit.

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