Would you be happy with a 15-year-old taxi? Kirklees' cabbies urge council to let them use older cars



Drivers bid for five year extension on current age limit

Taxi drivers are urging council chiefs to let them use older vehicles.

Hackney carriage and private hire drivers say they should be able to operate in cars that are up to 15 years old – five years longer than allowed currently.

A petition signed by dozens of Kirklees’ taxi drivers has been handed to Kirklees Council’s licensing and safety committee.

Cabbies also want the age a vehicle is eligible to be licensed for the first time to be increased.

Currently drivers can have a vehicle licensed for the first time if it is no more than six years old.

It must then be replaced once it reaches ten years old.

Kirklees’ taxi drivers say the system should be scrapped and one age limit applied to both first applications and renewals.

If approved, the move would allow cars with registrations as old as the 2001 Y plate to be put in to use ferrying Huddersfield’s passengers around.

London ‘Black Cab’ style cars are exempt from the rules but they must be tested twice a year once they are 15 years old.

Wheelchair accessible vehicles also have different rules, allowing them 12 years.

A report for councillors says it is “perfectly possible” for older cars to be in a good condition.

But it says it is likely older cars would probably require the cash strapped council to do more costly inspections and mechanical testing of taxis.

Taxis have a mandatory annual compliance test but it is thought ones over ten years old would likely be needed to be tested twice per year.

The council’s licensing panel will consider the issue at its meeting on November 4.

Councillors are likely to defer the decision until the spring of 2016 to await the result of taxi policy work from West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which oversees matters for all councils in the region.

source: http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yor ... r-10357873

But it says it is likely older cars would probably require the cash strapped council to do more costly inspections and mechanical testing of taxis.

Licensing authorities seem to focus on the age of vehicles only but that's only part of the picture an older vehicle can be perfectly serviceable provided it's been well maintained and has had light use prior to being plated as a taxi/ph, for example which is likely to be the more reliable and safer a 5 year old car with 250,000 on the clock or a 10 year old car with 100,000 on the clock ?

A lot of LA's are fast becoming the new Champions in the fight against the as yet unproven man made Climate Change, they see Older Vehicles as being the death of the Planet due to their inferior Emissions control, they jump aboard the Zealots Climate Change express faster than you can say Kyoto, yet, even though they haven't a clue as to why they are banging the Climate Change drum they'll bang it anyway just to be seen and heard as a part of that particular oompah band.

I don't think age limits has much to do with Passenger or Vehicle safety these days and are more to do with our Modern Witch Finders seeking out that old Witch called CO2 and her baby sister NO2.

A lot of LA's are fast becoming the new Champions in the fight against the as yet unproven man made Climate Change, they see Older Vehicles as being the death of the Planet due to their inferior Emissions control, they jump aboard the Zealots Climate Change express faster than you can say Kyoto, yet, even though they haven't a clue as to why they are banging the Climate Change drum they'll bang it anyway just to be seen and heard as a part of that particular oompah band.

I don't think age limits has much to do with Passenger or Vehicle safety these days and are more to do with our Modern Witch Finders seeking out that old Witch called CO2 and her baby sister NO2.

Exactly well put most councils seem to think taxis not buses are responsible for urban/rural pollution problems they are quite happy for buses of ANY age to run about

Local authorities have no control over bus ages. For school contracts around here some of the buses could be classed as vintage because the County Council school contracts are so low priced the bus company's can't afford to run newer.

Yes but the County councils do control the issuing of the contracts and the subsidies paid to the companies operating rural bus routes

My point was if councils can insist on age limits for taxis why not age limits for buses used on contracts ?

District Councils insist on age limits for taxis. It is usually County Councils that issue school Contracts to buses.