Taxi Driver Online

Call for taxi register ahead of Leeds Clean Air Zone charges

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... -1-9226473

FEARS have been raised that taxi and private hire vehicle drivers from Leeds could be unfairly penalised under a proposed Clean Air Charging Zone for the city.

Leeds City Council’s Conservative Group leader Coun Andrew Carter has called for the Government to set up register of all taxis and private hire vehicles.

He made the comments as proposals for a Clean Air Charging Zone – which would tax high-emission buses, HGVs and taxis in the city – were put before Leeds City Council’s Executive Committee.

Coun Carter said: “I am very concerned that it seems to me to be essential that the Government needs to come up with a register for taxis and private hire vehicles.

“It would be very easy for private hire vehicles to drive in through our charging zone and not be charged, where a vehicle from Leeds can travel elsewhere and will be charged. This is unacceptable and unsustainable.

“We will be writing to secretary of state Michael Gove urging him to make it happen sooner rather than later.”

Following the meeting, Zahid Mahmood, vice chair of Leeds Private Hire Drivers Organisation, said: “They need to build a database of drivers. We don’t want to see drivers with ten-year-old cars from Bradford being exempt from the clean air charge when drivers from Leeds will have to pay it.”

Coun James Lewis, deputy leader of Leeds City Council, told the meeting: “I don’t think anyone would argue against doing this work, and in the directive we are under we have to work very quickly.

“There will be a report next month looking at the additional measures around the areas of illegal air quality to improve it.

“In addition to the charging zone, we are looking at things that we can encourage the take-up of low emission vehicles, working with the government on Highways England roads, such as the M62 through Leeds.”

He added that the council has ambitions to set up a scrappage scheme for high-emission vehicles.

The scheme would see high-emission HGVs and buses being charged £50 a day, while taxis and private hire vehicles registered in the city would pay £50 a week.

It is hoped that the measures will encourage motorists using the city centre to drive modern, greener vehicles – which would not be charged.

Bunch of limelight grabbing green Zealots who'd rather see folk on the dole as in a car working...

Such people can take their green mumbo jumbo and stick it where the sun don't shine...sure it's good to be Green, but the ability to earn a reasonable living in order to feed a family is more important still!

Not much more info on the national database here, but surely we should have heard more about this if it's to be in place in a year-and-a-half's time

And haven't heard anything from the other cities required to implement Clean Air Zones, which will presumably also be impacted by cross-border HC and PH working.

Councillor worries taxis from outside city could work in Leeds for free

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/tr ... -1-9334000

Concerns that taxi drivers from outside Leeds could work in the city and avoid a proposed clean air charge have been raised at a council meeting.

The city’s clean air charging zone (CAZ), which is due to come into force in January 2020, would see high-emission taxis and private hire vehicles registered in the city paying £50 a week. Cars used by members of the public would be exempt from the charges.

It is hoped that this will encourage taxi drivers to invest in lower-emission hybrid or electric vehicles and help improve air quality in the city.

But members of the Leeds licensing committee are worried that taxis registered elsewhere could work in the city for free.

Coun Neil Buckley (Con) asked: “If the CAZ came in tomorrow, any private hire vehicle could arrive in the city, drive through the zone and appear as a private car.

“What has happened to ensure this can’t happen?”

Leeds City Council deputy leader James Lewis (LAB) responded: “We are one of the five cities the government has instructed to introduce a CAZ.

“For the government’s policy to work, the onus is on them to produce a (national) database of taxi and private hire vehicles so each city has access to that information. We are putting all the pressure we can on the government to make sure that is in place by January 2020.

“My understanding is that there are no concerns that it will not be delivered by 2020, so we have to have faith that it will be delivered on time.”

Coun Buckley asked: “Given we operate in West Yorkshire, would it not be helpful if the authorities near us worked together and we had our own list?”

A council officer said a working group would be set up with other West Yorkshire authorities and York. He said assurances had been given by the government that a national taxi licensing database would be available by 2020.

He added: “If it becomes apparent the national database will not be available, the councils can share data quickly with each other.”

Not sure how this is going to work - does it mean that if a driver took a one-off job to Leeds then they'd have to pay the £50 weekly charge for maybe being in the CAZ for ten minutes, thus the same charge as a car working in the CAZ all the time?

Or is it aimed at cross-border Wolverhampton-plated (say) cars working in Leeds all the time?

And of course there's a multitude of different scenarios in between the two extremes, so this £50 charge would look like a sledgehammer to crack a nut for thousands of drivers across the country.

And even that's assuming a national database of HCs and PHs can be compiled within a year-and-a-half

you know talking to yourself is the first sign of madness

this story is nonsense the national database is not for this and as far as I have read has not been implemented it's just a councillor trying to hide his allegiances in mumbo jumbo

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Second sign is listening to what you say to yourself.

_________________
Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related