Glasgow Taxis make desperate plea for fuel subsidy from Holyrood



SCOTLAND’S largest black taxi firm have penned a desperate letter to the Scottish Government asking them to consider a fuel subsidy so that drivers can continue to operate a 24-hour service.

Glasgow Taxis Ltd, representing more than 2000 drivers, claim the rise in the price of diesel has seen the cost of running taxis double over the last 10 to 15 years.

They claim that GTL and other taxi companies are being treated unfairly because buses – which do not operate a 24-hour service in and around the city – receive funding, which subsidises their running costs.

In a letter to Transport Minister Keith Brown, shown to The Glaswegian, they have urged him to visit their Glasgow HQ to discuss their concerns.

Stephen Flynn, vice-chairman of GTL, wrote: “The reason for writing is to ask you... to consider introducing a fuel subsidy (or equivalent scheme) for public transport taxi drivers.

“The context to this is the fact that over the last 10 to 15 years the costs involved in providing a taxi service in the city have risen dramatically, mainly via rising diesel fuel costs, as well as insurance.

“Much of the burden of this falls to the individual member or driver.

“Some estimate a 100per cent rise in the costs of running their vehicle when compared with costs in the late 1990s.

“At the same time the tariff for Glasgow Taxis Ltd – decided by the Transport Commissioner and Glasgow City Council – has risen only marginally.

"So while outgoings have risen dramatically, the cost to customers has been almost static.

“The situation as it stands is simply unsustainable.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are aware of the contribution taxis make to local transport provision.

“However, responsibility for fuel duty is reserved to the UK Government and any grant scheme or rebates for the private sector would have to gain EU State Aid approval.”

source: http://www.theglaswegian.co.uk/glasgow- ... -23804642/

Neatly side stepped, Lets hope the Nasties remember this before they start promising the earth to all and sundry in their pursuit of Independence...they seem at odds with themselves between that which they can do and that which they cant do, and even after any independence this would still be a "Cant do" because they want to remain puppets of the EU.

Yadda yadda yadda...........you can't leave it alone, can you?

Pwerhaps the real answer is to remove the fuel subsidy for all other forms of transport.

Low transport pricing simply subsidises bad planning.

For example, the move of financial services to estates in the suburbs, permission granted by politicians helped by a skewed planning process, simply makes the use of public transport more difficult, as the hinterland staff lives in extends beyond the city boundary to File, the Lothians, the borders and even the West, like Glasgow. Public transport can't deal with this efficiently, because the critical mass on any single route is missing, subsidies therefore required to keep these services running.

So staff then have to use private transport, which is not the best option for the environment.

If transport was not subsidised, then there would be no incentive to locate to the suburbs.

In our trade, if the fuel subsidy was removed, how many night buses could be afforded to run empty to the satellite towns? The service would therefore (rightly) disappear on cost grounds.

So, let's start with what is achievable. Let all forms of transport operate in a free market, priced according to cost and profit recovery alone. Only then will the total number of journeys reduce and benefit the planet.