Taxi Driver Online

Council to cap number of Hackney cabs in Bristol



BRISTOL City Council will put a cap on the number of new Hackney cab licences granted in the city following calls from drivers that ranks are becoming too busy.

The council has agreed to carry out a new survey to determine demand for hackney carriages in Bristol. The last survey was carried out in 2008, and drivers say it is no longer relevant.

At yesterday's Public Safety and Protection committee meeting, members backed proposals to carry out a new survey. They also agreed to delay the implementation of the new vehicle policy by 12 months and not to grant any new hackney cab licences until the results of the survey have been considered.

Chair of the committee, Estella Tincknell, said: "Back in 2008 the committee made a number of changes to regulation, meaning that a significant proportion of the existing hackney carriage fleet will need to be replaced in the next 13 months to meet higher standards.

"There have been a lot of changes in the last seven years, both in terms of the council's strategic direction and the night time economy in the city, and for this reason we thought it only right to take another look at these policies to see if they are still reasonable and relevant in 2015.

"The council's continued drive towards sustainability and the down-turn in the economy are particularly relevant. We have also been lobbied hard by the taxi trade, and we need look closely at a number of their suggestions."

Taxi Driver Tim Lloyd, former chairman of the Bristol branch of the National Taxi Association, said the council's decision was a "step in the right direction".

He said: "The 2008 survey showed they needs 39 more Hackney cabs in Bristol to maximise trade but the decision was taken to keep it unregulated. There have since been around 250 new licences granted. It is definitely time to review the situation.

"We are also hoping that the new survey will highlight the problems with ranks. There are insignificant ranks for the amount of vehicles, and some are due to be removed for the MetroBus so we hope this is reviewed."


Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Council-ca ... z3XaFfJmCn

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