Taxi Driver Online

These increases look quite hefty, but in fact I think some of the new fees like look they're for the longer duration licences under the Deregulation Act, thus to that degree look like good value - as the LEO's report says, some have been reduced pro rata (thus cheaper per annum).

And interesting (in view of recent discussions on here) that according to what the LEO's report says, the longer duration licenses has meant less staff required


New charges for taxis in Coventry

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/ ... y-16477144

Fees are increasing for taxi companies operating in the city

Taxi firms are to be charged more money to operate in the city.

Coventry City Council is looking at increasing the charge as part of a review of licence fees.

The new charges will affect hackney carriages and private hire vehicles and come into force in August 30, pending a consultation.

Operators will have to pay more for a new or renewed licence, increasing from £1,668 to £2,000, while a re-grant – made within six months of a licence expiring – will increase from £1,708 to £2,040.

A new three-year licence for drivers will increase from £518 to £585 for hackney carriages, and £458 to £515 for private hire vehicles.

Driver licence renewals will increase from £223 to £310, an additional driver licence will increase from £223 to £260, and a licence re-grant increases from £243 to £330.

For vehicles, a new vehicle licence will increase from £217 to £275, a vehicle licence renewal will jump from £187 to £245, while a vehicle licence re-grant will increase from £207 to £265.

As part of the prices, a new three-yearly mandatory driver refresher training course is also being included, costing a £50.

Changes are recommended to be approved at a licensing and regulatory committee on Tuesday, June 25.

If approved, the increase in fees will be advertised with objections and the survey result considered on August 20, and come into force on August 30 if no objections are received, with fees reviewed annually.

Mick Coggins, Senior Licensing & Enforcement Officer, said in a report: “In 2015 the introduction of the Deregulation Act changed the timescales for the issue of licences to drivers of hackney carriage and private hire vehicles from annual renewals to three yearly renewals.

“It also amended the renewals of private hire operators licences to five yearly only.

“A fee review was undertaken on 25 August 2015 to address the charges made for the processing and issuing of licences to drivers and operators to reflect the changes and associated costs.

“This review resulted in an overall (pro rata) reduction in fees over the new respective licence periods.

“Subsequently a review of the impact of the changes within the taxi licensing office was undertaken resulting in an overall reduction in administrative staff and the introduction of a new role to provide support across the service.

“Following this a further review of fees has been undertaken to reflect the staffing changes and current costs.”

There's a video on the website, but in truth it's little more than the drivers saying to camera what they're quoted in the article below:


'A disgrace' - taxi drivers furious at licence change

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/ ... e-16754573

The city's cabbies say the change puts the taxi trade at risk of extinction


Image: LDR Tom Davis/Coventry Telegraph

Taxi drivers in Coventry have branded planned licence charges a “disgrace”, claiming the city council is putting their trade “in danger of extinction”.

New fees for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles are recommended to be approved at a licensing committee on Tuesday, August 20.

Costs and total increase will vary depending on the type of licence sought.

Driver licence renewals could increase 39 per cent to £310, vehicle licence renewals rise 31 per cent to £245, and operator renewals increase 20 per cent to £2,000.

A new three-yearly mandatory driver refresher course costing £50 is also being introduced.

In consultation, 93 objectors responded with some labelling the move as the “final nail in the coffin” for an industry struggling with the rise of Uber – a firm currently operating unlicensed.

Others said the new fees will force them to be licenced by neighbouring authorities, or see them quit the industry altogether.

Taxi driver Simon Roberts, 54, who has been in the industry for 35 years, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The increase is, what – a 28 per cent increase?

“The rate of inflation is about three or four per cent so how can they justify a 24 per cent rise over the rate of inflation when this business is in decline as it is?

“My daily taking is around about £30 a day. It costs £25 a day to run the vehicle.

“Our business has massively declined due to outside influences and app companies.

“We barely survive now.

“It is totally unrealistic. I am relying on my wife’s job to get us through and I can’t see me being here in six months time.

“There is no future for the taxi trade in Coventry. It is dead.”

Robert Parkinson, 50, a taxi driver for 30 years, said: “It’s meant to be a non-profit organisation – how you can justify putting the prices up and we are making less money?

“They’re saying the prices are going to go up, we are saying we can’t afford for them to go up, but the council do their own thing.”

Jasvir Grewal, 66, who has been in the industry since 1983, added: “There should be more support. The price should be coming down, not up.

“How can these people afford the new taxis and the licence fees? I don’t think anybody can.”


Simon Roberts, Jasvir Grewal, Robert Parkinson (Image: LDR Tom Davis/Coventry Telegraph)

In a report, the council’s Senior Licensing & Enforcement Officer Mick Coggins said: “The city council can only charge a level of fees which is sufficient to cover the reasonable cost of administering and enforcing the hackney carriage and private hire licensing function.

“The proposed increases are intended to enable the service to operate on a self-financing basis based on the costs of providing the function.

“The increases have been calculated to ensure that the taxi licensing reserve account can be retained without deficit.”

Methinks someone is telling porkies. Yeah, we've all had the odd time where we've been scratching around for work all day but that's just silly figures.

why is there almost £200 difference between a new licence and a renewal ours is almost the same is there a significant difference in the work required ?

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

City centre hacks are doing absolute garbage business,particularly big cities,so I don't think the guy is far off.a lot of the public avoid the city centres.along with the shift in people's

Taxi drivers 'facing extinction' as licence hike is approved

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/ ... e-16790782

Coventry cabbies will pay 39 per cent extra from the end of August

Controversial price hikes for Coventry taxis have been approved, despite protests from cabbies that it would be putting their trade on the brink of extinction.

As of August 30, driver licence renewals increase 39 per cent to £310, vehicle licence renewals rise 31 per cent to £245, and operator renewals increase 20 per cent to £2,000.

A new three-yearly mandatory driver refresher course costing £50 is also being introduced.

In contrast, neighbouring authority Birmingham charges £164 for a three-yearly licence renewal, while Wolverhampton charges just £140 for the same service.

During a council consultation on the increases, 93 objections were lodged, while a 292-name petition was also handed over by union Unite opposing the new charges.

At a meeting on Tuesday (August 20), council officer Sarah Elliott said the increases has been proposed to cover the cost of administering the taxi service.

She said: “These charges are put forward to make sure the taxi licence process is not putting pressure on the council.

“As we stand here today, we are operating in a deficit.

“If we stay as we are we would move into a significant deficit.”

But Unite’s Lee Clinton said: “I appreciate there are pressures for the local authority in terms of finance but there are also pressures for drivers as well.

“They are struggling at the moment and they are getting £15 sometimes just sitting and waiting as the work is just not coming.”

Cllr Becky Gittins also questioned if charges above the rate of inflation were “reasonable”.

She added: “I recognise what you said about not charging more than we spend, although I do not think that is necessarily a justification to increase it to the maximum.”

Ms Elliott admitted cabbies would likely be paying lower fees if Uber were licenced by the council.

Uber drivers have been obtaining licences from other neighbouring authorities and then operating in Coventry rather than applying through the Coventry licencing system.

Cllr Tim Mayer, the only councillor to vote down the increases, said getting Uber licenced would help to “level the playing field” for cabbies.

But Ms Elliott said the authority has no control over Uber and is only following legislation in regards to its own licenced cabbies.

The council has also not increased fees since 2009, the committee was told.

Cllr Balvinder Kaur said: “We fully support you but we also have pressures.

“This is not a money making exercise for the council. Licence fees cover the cost.”

What is that supposed to mean, precisely?

I'd be quite happy getting £15 just for 'sitting and waiting'.

I don't doubt that it's tough times for the HCDs there, but this kind of stuff and the earlier implication that a driver's profit was £5 per shift is just meaningless tosh.

Council Officer claiming fees would probably be lower if uber were licensed is talking tosh.That Officer cannot be trusted,next thing she will be promoting uber application for a license.

Did I read that article right, and both a Councillor and licensing officer are saying, or implying, that Uber being licensed by the council would be the answer to the trade's prayers?

The world has gone f***ing mad.

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IDFIMH

Think the point about Uber is maybe the council suggesting that if the cars that are actually working in the city are licensed there then that would spread some of the council's costs over more vehicles, thus licensing fees might be a bit cheaper - economies of scale, and all that.

In fact, economies of scale maybe on reason Wolves is on the cheap side. And the whole thing just feeds on itself - more licenses issued means cheaper fees, cheaper fees attracts more drivers wanting to license there, etc, etc, etc.

Well, they ought to read the rpeort at the top of the page (today) saying tht Coventry cabbies are the amongst the country's highest earners at £65k a year.