Taxi Driver Online :: View topic - Worcester Council thinks few will take up EV fees discount

The number of licences for hackney cabs is capped at its current limit in Worcester but there is no limit on the number of private hire taxis, which currently sits at 59, which means it will have to be either new private hire cabs or old hackney cabs that take up the offer.

“With all these things I think you’ve got a chicken and egg situation and unless people start having a lot more electric vehicles, we won’t have enough charging points and you’re not going to create a whole lot of charging points if you haven’t got a lot of electric vehicles."

“If you do the maths, it just doesn’t make sense,” he said. “The only people who are going to take advantage of this are those taxi drivers who are actually quite wealthy who will jump on it and save themselves £1,200 in the next three years."

but will anyone use it?

Author:	StuartW [ Tue Dec 06, 2022 12:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Worcester Council thinks few will take up EV fees discount
This is presumably about discounted licensing fees, but that's not stated specifically. So maybe members of the public might be a tad confused, but anyone in the trade should be able to work it out. And there's also some some other stuff not properly explained, such as why many of the town's HCs will need replaced in the next three years. It's presumably due to an age rule or emmissions spec, but that's not really explained either. Very top heavy on HCs though - capped at 250 HCs, and 59 PHVs Worcester taxi drivers to be offered £1,200 to make electric switch https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/23 ... ic-switch/ THE council is looking to offer taxi drivers up to £1,200 to switch to make the switch to greener cabs. Worcester City Council has revealed it is willing to offer a three-year discount for taxi drivers wanting to make the swap to electric or for drivers applying for a license for the first time in a green taxi. Based on next year’s fees, the three-year discount for each hackney cab driver would be £1,226 and £1,129 for private hire taxis. A report, which will be discussed by the council’s licensing and environmental health committee on December 12, already admits the council is not expecting drivers to be clambering to take up the discount, having seen a less-than-enthusiastic take-up by taxi firms when neighbouring councils have offered a similar incentive. The number of cab drivers offered the discount would be capped at ten each year and would cost the council around £37,000 if all 30 offers are claimed in the next three years. Half of the city’s licensed cabs are six years or older which means that a lot more than 10 would need replacing each year for the next three years and the council is worried the ‘first-come-first-served’ approach may be unfair. Nevertheless, the council said, having seen similar offers offered in at neighbouring Malvern Hills and Wychavon councils in 2020, where just seven electric taxis have been licensed by the two councils in the last two years, it might not even get close to the cap on 30 licences. The council, which declared a climate emergency in 2019 and is working on cutting its carbon footprint, said its plan could “send out a very strong message” with a “relatively minor financial impact.” The council has handed out more than 300 licences including just over 250 hackney cabs – and whilst just five are hybrid vehicles, none are electric. The average cost of an electric taxi would be around £45,000 according to the council. The number of licences for hackney cabs is capped at its current limit in Worcester but there is no limit on the number of private hire taxis, which currently sits at 59, which means it will have to be either new private hire cabs or old hackney cabs that take up the offer.

Author:	StuartW [ Tue Dec 06, 2022 12:27 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Worcester Council thinks few will take up EV fees discou
Quote: The number of licences for hackney cabs is capped at its current limit in Worcester but there is no limit on the number of private hire taxis, which currently sits at 59, which means it will have to be either new private hire cabs or old hackney cabs that take up the offer. Don't understand that either - presumably by 'old' they mean existing licences, so why can't old PH licences take up the offer?

Author:	edders23 [ Tue Dec 06, 2022 12:43 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Worcester Council thinks few will take up EV fees discou
perhaps what they mean to say is that you must already have a license or be changing vehicle (new PH plate for new PH car) either way £1200 towards a very expensive fire risk of a motor wouldn't tempt me so I doubt it will tempt many there.

Author:	StuartW [ Tue Dec 06, 2022 12:50 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Worcester Council thinks few will take up EV fees discou
Don't know, Edders, but near the top of the article it says that it's for those "wanting to make the swap to electric or for drivers applying for a license for the first time." I suspect the final paragraph in the article is to do with the HC quota, and the author is alluding to that, but I don't think what he says is strictly correct.

Author:	StuartW [ Sun Dec 18, 2022 3:09 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Worcester Council thinks few will take up EV fees discou
Yes to discount for Worcester taxi drivers to make electric switch https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/23 ... ic-switch/ A PLAN to offer up to £1,200 to taxi drivers to make the switch to an electric cab has been backed by councillors – but will anyone use it? Worcester City Council revealed it is willing to offer a three-year discount for taxi drivers wanting to make the swap to electric or for drivers applying for a license for the first time in a green taxi. The ploy has had the backing of councillors who see it as ‘getting the ball rolling’ but others had concerns that many cab drivers will snub the discount because of the expensive price tag of greener taxis – around £45,000 on average according to the council. Cllr Louis Stephen said the city council was making a “modest but fairly significant step in the right direction” at the meeting in the Guildhall on Monday (December 12). “With all these things I think you’ve got a chicken and egg situation and unless people start having a lot more electric vehicles, we won’t have enough charging points and you’re not going to create a whole lot of charging points if you haven’t got a lot of electric vehicles. “So at some point, somewhere, someone’s going to have to start to break that link.” However, Cllr Mitchell, the new leader of the city council, said the incentive was a “hollow gesture.” “If you do the maths, it just doesn’t make sense,” he said. “The only people who are going to take advantage of this are those taxi drivers who are actually quite wealthy who will jump on it and save themselves £1,200 in the next three years. “I just don’t see how it financially stacks up to be attractive … I just don’t think we’ll get much of a take up.” The council has handed out more than 300 licences including just over 250 hackney cabs – and whilst just five are hybrid vehicles, none are electric. The number of cab drivers offered the discount would be capped at ten each year and would cost the council around £37,000 if all 30 offers are claimed in the next three years.

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Author:	StuartW [ Sun Dec 18, 2022 3:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Worcester Council thinks few will take up EV fees discou
Cllr Louis Stephen wrote: “With all these things I think you’ve got a chicken and egg situation and unless people start having a lot more electric vehicles, we won’t have enough charging points and you’re not going to create a whole lot of charging points if you haven’t got a lot of electric vehicles." From the drivers' perspective he's got this the wrong way round - he's saying the charging points will only come once there are sufficient EVs, but a major deterrent to EVs is the lack of charging points from where I'm standing. But I wouldn't even consider one if relying on public charging points anyway Cllr Mitchell, the new leader of the city council, wrote: “If you do the maths, it just doesn’t make sense,” he said. “The only people who are going to take advantage of this are those taxi drivers who are actually quite wealthy who will jump on it and save themselves £1,200 in the next three years." His point has some validity, because it's the better off in the trade who would benefit. But maybe 'better off' is the right way to put it, rather than 'wealthy'

Author:	Sussex [ Sun Dec 18, 2022 5:16 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Worcester Council thinks few will take up EV fees discou
Quote: but will anyone use it? If they already have plans to buy an EV then clearly yes, otherwise no.

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