Taxi Driver Online

Reading taxi drivers oppose plan to phase out fuel cabs

Taxi drivers in Reading have opposed measures that could phase out fully petrol and diesel cabs from the town's roads.

Cabs, which are also known as hackney carriages are a convenient mode of taxi transport, where drivers can be hailed from a street and taken to a customers' chosen destination.

Reading Borough Council has had a hackney carriages emissions & age policy since 2019.

The council now wants to update this policy, which would remove 15 Euro 5a diesel cabs from the road, and require that all replacement vehicles are at minimum ultra-low emissions (ULEVs) and under eight years old by October 2025.

To be considered a ULEV, a vehicle must be hybrid or fully electric.

Also, by October 2028, it would require that all replacement cabs to be ULEV and under five years old.

A statutory consultation was held from September 9 to October 7, which had to be conducted prior to any changes being made.

The chairman of the Reading Taxi Association (RTA) which represents hundreds of drivers has objected to the changes.

He earlier stated the measures would be a 'noose around the necks' of drivers.

Asif Rashid, the chairman of the RTA said: "The focus of these policies is disproportionately directed towards the Hackney Carriage trade.

Our members feel the Hackney Carriage trade is being unjustly targeted.

"The current approach implies that emissions problems in Reading are solely due to the Hackney Carriage trade, which is incorrect.

"The new proposals would impose high costs on the trade, which could have a detrimental impact on many of our members."

He went on to argue that the council has ignored the pollution created by private hire taxis and school transport vehicles in its policy measures.

Instead, Mr Rashid suggested that electric vehicles aged eight to 10 years should not be phased out but subjected to inspections to ensure they are in good condition.

Furthermore, he asked for the maximum age for ULEVs should be increased from 15 to 20 years.

Other than Mr Rashid, the consultation received four responses from residents.

One person suggested that diesel cabs should all comply with Euro 6 emissions standards, meaning cabs would have to be from 2016 or later.

They went on to argue that hybrid petrol or battery electric vehicles (BEV's) would be preferable and wondered whether all new cabs could be required BEVs, which has been the case in London since 2018.

The aims of the policy is to phase out polluting vehicles, improve air quality and meet the council's goal of a net zero carbon emissions Reading by 2030.

Another respondent to the consultation opposed the measures, arguing that drivers should receive support from the council to decarbonise.

They said: "I disagree with this proposal as doesn’t consider any financial benefit to drivers.

"If it’s all about the environmental impact then vehicle owners should be helped by the council as much as Reading Buses."

Another respondent raised alarm about the number of cabs demonstrating the licence details of the cab owner, but the vehicle being driven by someone else.

They called this situation 'frightening' and asked for licensing checks to be held more often to ensure drivers are licenced.

Drivers who do not own cabs but possess licences are allowed to hire their vehicles from owners.

Changes to the council's hackney carriages emissions & age policy are due to be discussed at a meeting of its licensing applications committee on Thursday, November 14.

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IDFIMH

I can safely say that if the above policy was implemented in 2024 or 2025 it will be removed by 2028.

Only people such as licensing officers and councillors, who do not have to pay for these vehicles, can think that such a policy is a good move.

Buffoons, the lot of them.

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IDFIMH

Phase out of petrol and diesel cabs in Reading changed

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news ... g-changed/

The phase-out of petrol and diesel cabs in Reading has been changed after complaints from taxi drivers, with one saying strict rules would be a 'noose around the neck' of drivers.

Cabs, officially known as hackney carriages, have been in Reading for decades to get customers from A to B.

These taxis can be hailed on the spot, with customers being charged for the amount of distance they travel.

Since 2019, Reading Borough Council has had a hackney carriage vehicle emissions and age policy, which aims to gradually phase out petrol and diesel taxis by October 2028.

The council's preference is that all cabs should be ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), which are defined as fully electric and hybrid vehicles.

But cab drivers have opposed the change raising fears the expense of ULEV cabs would 'destroy the trade'.

Asif Rashid, the chairman of the Reading Taxi Association (RTA) said: "We feel like we've got a noose round our necks.

"Every so often, another knot is tied around our necks. We know the problems we've got [with pollution] but it's not all by hackney carriages.

"It's suffocating us. This policy is going to destroy the trade."

Mr Rashid claimed new ULEV cabs cost £72,500 during a meeting in July.

By comparison, a new Euro 6 emission standard LPG and petrol cab can be found being sold for £39,999.

Adjustments to the policy were discussed at a recent meeting.

The policy states that all replacement taxis must be a ULEV and a minimum of seven years old.

Furthermore, the policy sets the maximum age of a ULEV cab at 15 years old. Once a taxi reaches that age, it must be removed from the road.

A caveat allows an age extension of a maximum of three years following an assessment and compliance test by council licensing officers.

Elements of the policy were made less strict after conversations with the RTA.

Initially, the council wanted all replacement cabs to be a minimum of five years old, which was changed to a minimum of seven years.

Additionally, the cab age extension past 15 years was increased from two years in the draft policy to three years in the approved policy.

The rules are unlikely to change for some time, as councillors agreed that the age policy should run for 11 years until 2035, at which point it would be reviewed again unless changes prompt a review sooner.

The decision was made at a licensing applications committee meeting on Thursday, November 14.

The policy was instituted in 2019 after the council declared a 'climate emergency' with an objective of achieving a net zero carbon emissions Reading by 2030.

Cab drivers can only legally operate in the town after obtaining a licence from the council. The current limit of cab licenses is set at 216.

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IDFIMH