Taxi Driver Online

Quite a lot going on in this article


Nottingham city taxi drivers stripped of licences appeal council decision in court

https://westbridgfordwire.com/nottingha ... -in-court/

Nottingham City Council has more than 200 vacant licences as drivers have refused to move over to the new vehicles or left the trade to take up private hire work instead.

Hackney taxi drivers stripped of their licences for not moving over to expensive low-emission vehicles are appealing the council’s decision in court.

The Labour-run authority wanted around 400 of its fleet to be upgraded to low emission vehicles by the end of June 2020.

So far, 177 drivers have ‘compliant’ vehicles.

Drivers had to take out loans to buy the new cars, which can cost between £36,000 to £60,000, a sum which one driver described as being like “a second mortgage”.

The council says it is part of its plan to improve air quality in the city.

At a meeting due to be held next week, the council said due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a number of drivers not wishing to move over to new vehicles, “a large number of hackney carriage licences” have been surrendered or not renewed or may otherwise become available.

The local authority says hackney drivers have been aware of the proposed changes since 2017/18 and have had over 18 months since the policy became effective to make arranagements to purchase the compliant vehicles.

Now, it says it is giving previous holders of hackney driver licences an extension due to Covid-19 and a downturn in business.

They are being given until the end of September and then a further three months to either licence a compliant vehicle or confirm that they have ordered one.

Some drivers have asked for longer to buy the vehicles, April 2022, and want more time to get their finances in order.

The council says it is not in a position to offer loans but is offering up to £3,464 of financial support including contributions to vehicle licence fees and MOT.

From August 2021 – 177 vehicles are complaint with the council’s policy, but 50 drivers have informed the local authority that they did not wish to renew their licences and obtain the new vehicles.

The council says reasons include moving to private hire work or retiring.

Thirty-three vehicles have been refused a licence as they are not complaint vehicles and drivers have appealed against the decision to the Magistrates Court. The outcome of these appeals is still pending.

Also, 160 licences have either expired or were refused (and have no appeal outstanding) with no application for a policy compliant vehicle having been made.

The council says: “The council currently limits the number of Hackney Carriage Vehicle licences it will issue to 420.

“The change in vehicle specification coupled with a loss of trade due to the impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic has meant that for the first time in many years the council has a (potentially large) number of licences that it could issue before it reaches that number.

“This potentially means that the council will have 243 licences which it could issue before reaching the limit of 420 licences.”

The council says it will need to look at reallocated licences to ensure there is enough provision as “more people are coming back into the city.”

The low number of licences is also causing a loss of income for the council.

The allocation policy and findings of the report are set to be discussed at the council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee on Monday, September 6.

So of the previous quota of 420:

177 have upgraded

33 are have not updated but have appealed to the magistrates' court

50 have told the council they won't update and renew their licence

160 expired, or were refused because no compliant vehicle was presented


So of the 160, presumably the latter reapplied but were refused, while the former simply expired. So I don't know why the ones that simply expired aren't included in the 50 that told the council they won't renew, but presumably the difference is that the 50 actively informed the council they wouldn't update, while others simply let their licence lapse without telling the council.

So surely a better way to categorise them would be to add the expiries together (whether or not they actively informed the council) while providing a different figure for those who tried to renew but were refused

Anyway, as things stand, only 177 of the previous 420 quota have complied with the policy, so that's 42%, while 58% haven't complied.

That's a brutal realignment




But presumably they've ALL been allowed the extension to present a suitable vehicle before the end of the year.

And to that extent the council is presumably not entertaining new applications for the vacant plates until the previous holders have been given a second chance during the extension period.

So presumably some of the vacant plates would be taken up if new applications were being considered, therefore the reduction in numbers might eventually not be as brutal as it appears from the figures above

Maybe the difference between the "50 drivers have informed the local authority that they did not wish to renew their licences and obtain the new vehicles", and the ones that are categorised simply as 'expired' is that the former still had an existing licence but didn't present a suitable vehicle before the deadline, but the latter simply expired while their old vehicle was valid, but they didn't renew.

Anyway, no real point in getting bogged down about the precise details of how they've categorised the numbers.

Most important point is simply that 177 of the original 420 have updated their vehicle, and a relatively small number (33) have appealed. The rest (210) haven't presented an updated vehicle, but seem to have had the deadline extended until the end of the year, at which time any vacant plates will presumably be offered to any applicant presenting a suitable vehicle.

So, who knows, numbers could potentially end up back at 420, but I suspect it'll be substantially below that, but substantially above the current 177 plated HCs.

Assuming the appeals fail, that'll be 243 vacant plates, which seems a lot to fill if only 177 have currently plated a 'compliant' vehicle, even if applications are opened up to all and sundry.

It’ll be years before Nottingham will be back up to 420 hackney carriages when an intending proprietor will have to fork out £66,000. For a new hybrid wheelchair accessible taxi. There may be, or maybe not a few second hand ones coming onto the market, but at what price?
Of course the council could buy 200 new electric cabs and employ 400 drivers to double shift them, paying them say, £15 an hour? That would fill the shortfall.

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Former taxi driver

most have switched to PH work instead so they are still IN the trade just not as a Hackney

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

Not an unreasonable request IMO, but realistically many will need years to get their finances into some kind of order.

As is the case everywhere.

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IDFIMH

This basically seems to confirm that all previous licence holders have until the end of the year to plate a compliant vehicle, even if they've surrendered their licence, or failed to renew it, presumably.

No word of the legal challenge, though.


Nottingham city’s Hackney carriage drivers given more time to change to ultra low-emission vehicles

https://westbridgfordwire.com/nottingha ... -vehicles/

To date, 177 drivers are running compliant vehicles.

Hackney carriage drivers in Nottingham have been given more time to get a greener vehicle in recognition of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under Nottingham City Council’s Age and Specification Policy, all vehicles were required to be Euro 6 diesel or classed as an ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV) by 30 June 2020.

To date, 177 drivers are running compliant vehicles.

The policy, agreed in 2017, was a key part of the council’s plan to improve air quality, to meet national legal limits on air pollution without the need to introduce a Clean Air Zone in the city.

Councillors agreed at a recent meeting of the Regulatory and Appeals Committee to give former drivers who had surrendered their licences an extra three months to buy a compliant vehicle before opening up applications to new drivers.

Councillor Sally Longford, the City Council’s Deputy Leader, said: “We recognise that since introducing the policy, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant and sustained impact on the hackney carriage trade.

“Although the more environmentally-friendly vehicles we’re requiring will provide savings on running costs over their lifetime, they do have a substantial upfront cost, and we appreciate the downturn in business may have made making the switch more challenging for drivers.

“We consulted with them on the proposed extension and have taken their views into account. Any kind of change is difficult at first, but this transition is essential to reduce air pollution, achieve our ambition to make the city carbon neutral by 2028, and protect the health of our citizens.”

Drivers have until 1 October to express their interest in renewing their licence, with a further three months to receive their new vehicle.

Former drivers will be given priority over new applicants.

So they have until 1 October to express an interest, and then until the end of the year to actually plate a vehicle.

So I wonder if new applicants will be permitted before the end of the year if all of the previous quota haven't either plated a compliant vehicle or expressed an interest by 1 October?

You can bet that there will be 'vacant' plates after 1 October, so I wonder when they'll entertain new applicants?

The licensing department should have a register of interest from intending applicants so that when a licence becomes available the lo can set the process in play. But I doubt they have the gumption.
Although with another lockdown not absolutely out of the question, would anyone want to risk having to pay a second mortgage to buy one?

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Former taxi driver

Big f***ing deal.

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IDFIMH

I doubt there will be another lockdown, the issue for me is that most of the drivers/owners will currently be potless and more than likely an iffy credit record for a £60,000+ purchase.

And I can't see that changing for years.

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IDFIMH

Indeed, but looking at the numbers I somehow doubt the quota will be filled unless something drastic happens in terms of the spec and/or the legal challenge (assuming it's still going on).

And I suspect the council panicking slightly at the numbers involved here, so to that degree it's unlike the normal scenario of issuing a handful of new plates.

So barring a last-minute backdown by the council in terms of the spec, I somehow doubt the quota will be filled, thus the lack of any register of interest in the meantime would be academic.

And if the council did back down, there's going to be a lot of 'bitterness' from those who've already complied, as per what's happening in Cheltenham.