Taxi Driver Online

Echoes of some of the recent Aberdeen and Glasgow stuff here

Local businessman moans about local 'taxi' provision, and thinks the solution is Uber, because 'access to PHVs must be wider'...presumably he means via Wolverhampton, or whatever.

And seems to have the inside track to the views of licensing officials


Column: Why we must focus on getting people home after a night out

https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/ne ... ome-night/

If nighttime leisure is to improve in Basingstoke, maybe getting people out is more important than getting people in.

Previously, I wrote about the new Post Box Sports Bar and why it was vital that the local community support new ventures like this and the other independent restaurants and bars in the town.

I am delighted to hear that the Post Box has received a fantastic response since its opening in November.

Getting people into the town for their leisure is key to the growth and regeneration of the high street.

I walk through the top of town now and see vacant properties that once housed established and popular venues such as the RhuBar, The Bakers Arms and Vaultz. These properties are the heartbeat of this fantastic part of the town. Older readers will remember The Litten Tree, Chicago’s and Martines?

So, what is stopping new ventures in these spaces? There are venues that are working and bringing people in, so there is an appetite for a quality product.

Perhaps, more importantly, it is the issue of getting them back out safely.

Over recent months, I have heard horror stories about trying to get a taxi home at the weekend after being out in the town.

Consistently, people queue in the rain for over an hour and book taxis that can’t be fulfilled.

As a result, people (including young women) have to walk home in the middle of the night because they can't get a taxi.

Understandably, people are reluctant to “come out” because they know they won’t be able to get home safely.

Because of this ongoing concern, there is a huge knock-on effect: not only the pure safety element but also a reluctance for people to visit the town.

This is hurting our businesses, and it will certainly put off new ones from investing.

I have enquired whether a town like Basingstoke could support an Uber or similar service, and there are some encouraging signs.

My council contacts have made it clear that they would support this. At present, we have somewhat of a monopoly in place with the taxi companies, making it difficult to challenge them on our issues.

What we need is access to private hire vehicles to be wider, for it to be more encouraging for potential drivers to come out to work, and (most importantly) to be safer for the people of Basingstoke.

At the end of the day, why would you come in when you can’t get out?

If you would like to speak to Jackson Wright Property about any of your land or property matters, then please visit our website; www.jackson-wright.co.uk

This article was written by Andy Jackson, from Jackson Wright Property

Surely all this is rather moot.

If Uber wanted to work there they would by using out of town cars.

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IDFIMH

Sussex, that's precisely what I was saying on here when the Aberdeen press and business 'community' started suggesting that Uber might be the answer to the 'taxi' availability problem there, particularly since they'd had a licence there before, but let it lapse.

But, of course, that's not how things panned out, and it subsequently became clear that the business elites had been negotiating with Uber behind closed doors, and that it would obviously help if they got the council onside and the street knowledge test was abolished

Of course, the rest is history, as they say.

So, who knows, there could have been soundings going on behind the scenes here. And the piece above suggests that the council would be playing ball here, and of course as things stand cross-border cars could be used to serve Basingstoke, thus any pesky knowledge test or any other hurdles wouldn't be the same problem as it's turned out to be in Aberdeen.

One oddity in the article, though, is that the author seems to think it would be up to the council whether or not Uber 'launched' in Basingstoke. The reality, of course, is that whether using local or cross-border cars, it would be more down to hard commercial logic on Uber's part, as opposed to the supposed panjundrums at council HQ