Taxi Driver Online

This issue has been rumbling around for a while, but this is a bit odd, and there's no mention of the elephant in the room - LEZ.

To that extent a 10-year age rule would primarily apply to petrol motors, but that's not mentioned anywhere. Diesels have to be Euro6 because of the LEZ, which is 2015 on, effectively.

On the other hand, in years to come and the Euro6/2015-reg rules become less relevant in terms of age, then an age rule for diesel cars would then become more important. But that's not mentioned here either.

Also, some of the stats look a tad dodgy.


Glasgow private hire taxi drivers bid to raise age of cars ferrying passengers on city roads

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glas ... s-27727936

The Scottish Private Hire Association (SPHA) has been leading a campaign to have the age limit increased to ten years due to the high cost of living, high cost of fuel and used car prices.

Private hire drivers are calling on Glasgow City Council to increase the age limit on cars in a bid to boost the industry.

Licensing chiefs are set to make a decision next week on the age limit for private hire taxi cars and could return to the maximum age of seven years, which had been limit since 2006 until the pandemic.

A decision was taken to extend the limit to help private hire drivers and operators cope with the financial effects of lockdown. The suspension has remained in effect until now.

The Scottish Private Hire Association (SPHA) has been leading a campaign to have the age limit increased to ten years. The move is being backed by other organisations such as Saltire Private Hire, Raz Private Hire and the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU)

In November of last year, licensing bosses instructed the council’s executive to prepare a report on the age limit policy “with a view to the upper age limit being increased”. As part of that process a public consultation took place this summer.

The council’s report has since been released and it shows support for the SPHA’s proposal to increase the age limits of private hire cars to ten years. 67% of respondents agreed that there should be a change to the seven year age limit while only 24% do not think the age limit should be increased. Of those responding in favour of a change to the policy, the majority view was that 46% favoured an age limit of 10 years.

Eddie Grice, the SPHA’s General Secretary, said “With high cost of living, high cost of fuel and used car prices being at an all time high the trade needs mitigatory measures such as this. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the average asking price of a three year old car in the UK increased by 38% last year. The asking price of a three year old petrol car increased by 35% while the average price of a used diesel car went up a staggering 43%. The long term outlook for trade is one of high operating costs from here on out.

“The sole trading owner-operators in the fleet, who make up a massive block within the fleet, are the ones that will suffer most from the reintroduction of the seven year rule. Only a small number of operators can afford to put cars on the road from age zero.

“The primary reason for bringing in an age limit was to ensure vehicle safety, and in turn, public safety. But, since the policy was introduced in 2006, many car safety features have been developed or improved.

“It appears widely accepted, statistically, that the average expected lifespan of a car from the early 2000’s was around 7 to 8 years. At the time, the age limit policy matched this, fair enough. However, the average expected lifespan, today, is now 11 to 12 years. The policy no longer matches up to this."

He added: "The cars of 2006 are not like the cars of 2023. They are built to last longer and cover more miles. They are built with far higher safety standards. The reasons in 2006 that led to a seven year limit are no longer in play.

“For those cars that reach the age of seven and are still cosmetically good, still mechanically good, still passing MOTs, still passing council inspections, still not being weeded out by enforcement checks - then there really is no reason to be taking it out of service other than to satisfy what, in those cases, would be an arbitrary number.

“It is the SPHA’s view, overwhelmingly amongst our members, that the upper age limit on private hire cars be increased from seven to 10 years

“We are also supportive of the proposed measure to introduce a third annual inspection on cars beyond the age of seven years old."

The Licensing and Regulatory Committee is set to make a decision on the extension on Wednesday.

Off the top of my head, I wouldn't have thought expected lifespans have increased by that much since 2006.

I mean, cars only had an average lifespan of 7 to 8 years in 2006? Really?

And there's the wider environment of LEZs, EVs and the like to consider.

Not that I'm disagreeing with a 10-year-age rule, but all the above just doesn't seem to consider the issue in an, er, holistic sense

I don't think it's unreasonable to raise the PH age limit to 10 years from 7.

When one considers this council now licenses wife beaters, a 3-year PH vehicle extension should really be a given.

_________________
IDFIMH

Not much to see here, but certainly a victory for the campaigners.

Of course, if it's a diesel then any currently older than c.2015 will be off the road anyway because of the LEZ Euro6 requirement.

But anyone with a Euro6 diesel will now be able to keep it until 2025 or thereabouts as a minimum (although I think there are 2014 cars around that are Euro6 diesels).


Private hire drivers in Glasgow win battle to keep cars on the road longer

https://planetradio.co.uk/clyde/local/n ... ds-longer/

They will now be able to use the same vehicle for up to 10 years as long as it meets health and safety rules.

Private hire drivers in Glasgow have won a battle with the council to use the same car for longer.

They will now be able to use their vehicle for up to ten years as long as it meets health and safety standards and continues to pass the M.O.T.

They could previously only use the same car for seven years.

Neil Schofield does private hire jobs around the city and told Clyde 1: "This additional three years will help to alleviate financial pressures on drivers.

"It could also mean we stop losing drivers from the trade and they will continue to operate."

Drivers have been campaigning for years to get the rule changed and argued that cars are more advanced nowadays as well as being built to last longer.

Neil added: "Many of us are running more modern cars with better engines or even hybrid and electric vehicles.

"The cars we are buying today are capable of doing more mileage and the residual value of vehicles - especially taxis - starts to fall after seven years.

"This is a big win for us."

Not often you read of vehicle spec and compliance testing referred to as health and safety standards.

And who writes M.O.T. these days? It's like we've gone back several decades.

You can quibble about whether it's MOT or MoT (I prefer the latter), but M.O.T.?

Still come across people online who type the likes of S.N.P.

Takes me at least three times as long to type S.N.P. rather than SNP