Quite a few potential talking points here, but life's too short...
Most interesting point possibly the one about the medical exemption from running a WAV
Veteran taxi driver says trade in Grimsby is the 'worst he's ever known'https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news ... de-9696805"I was sat on Freeman Street today for four hours exactly, I took three jobs, I got £13"Councillors have deferred lifting a limit on hackney carriage taxi cab numbers in North East Lincolnshire, until at least a survey of demand is done.
Only up to 220 hackney carriages are permitted to operate in North East Lincolnshire. Council officers had made three recommendations to rules on local hackney carriages. This included limit removal, and all new cabs to be electric or hybrid, and wheelchair accessible.
After impassioned representations from the North East Lincolnshire Hackney Carriage Association, councillors decided to not remove the limit until an unmet demand survey is done.
North East Lincolnshire Council introduced a hackney carriage numbers limit in 2010, but under best practice, reviews it every few years. "There's a minimal amount of authorities that do have restrictions," said Adrian Moody, the council's licensing and environment protection manager, to its licensing and community protection committee.
Future extra carriages having to be hybrid or electric could act "as a little bit of a bar on entry to the trade because those type of vehicles are more significantly expensive" than petrol or diesel. "We do acknowledge it's a complicated and sensitive issue with pros and cons and whilst passengers are the priority, we also recognise we need to support the trade as best we can."
The cabbies' association locally had objected to the limit removal, warning: "The job of being a Hackney Carriage driver in North East Lincolnshire is not the bonanza that many think."
"I'm the eldest wheelchair driver in the town," said the association's chair Wayne Crouch, before describing the difficult economic conditions. "We are in a low-paid area, people are not using taxis like they were."
"Why don't we carry on with the unmet demand [survey] because that gives us a true indication of whether we need any more taxis." This was last done in 2020 and showed no unmet demand. When it shows this, councillors can put a limit on cab numbers.
"I've been in the job 35 years and this is the worst I've ever known the taxi trade," said Mr Crouch. "I was sat on Freeman Street today for four hours exactly, I took three jobs, I got £13."
Removing the limit was "ludicrous" when the ranks did not have space for all cabs as it is. Mr Moody later clarified, "There's only a few authorities that have the rank spaces to cover the number of hackney carriages they've got."
The last survey cost around £12,000, and Mr Moody stated of survey cost: "Whilst it's not a reason for not doing it, it's a factor for consideration, I would suggest."
"If we do these [changes] without the survey, we don't know if there's unmet demand or not," said Cllr Sheldon Mill. He "would feel a lot more comfortable" on removing the limit with a new survey. He proposed it, with a specific focus also on wheelchair demand.
"You must have read my notes," joked Cllr Nick Pettigrew, sat beside him, who completely agreed. "Having data in front of us actually helps," agreed Cllr Robson Augusta.
Officers also recommended to amend a wheelchair accessible exemption made by councillors in 2013 against advice. Drivers can get medical exemptions from their GP from carrying passengers in wheelchairs.
The 2013 amendment allowed such drivers to change their carriage back from being wheelchair accessible to a saloon. "We feel the link to the vehicles does cause a problem for us," stated Mr Moody. Drivers with the medical exemption had risen from 13 to 75, since 2013, most with lifetime exemptions.
Wheelchair accessible cabs in North East Lincolnshire had plummeted from 70 in 2020 to 43. A number of vehicles are shared between drivers.
This recommendation was agreed to be made immediately, as part of the unanimously approved motion passed by councillors. The future survey's costs will be paid by the council, but mostly clawed back by fees on the drivers. The four drivers who attended the meeting left pleased their pleas for a survey were followed.
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