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PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2024 12:11 pm 
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I'd guess this is no idle threat, since probably not a lot of street work in Rutland, so not much to give up :-o

But I'd guess the sector in Rutland is less straightforward than it's portrayed here, at least as I vaguely recall it, but I'm sure some of the 'locals' can provide the nitty gritty 8-[


New policy will end hackney carriages in Rutland with new costs unmanageable for operators

https://oakham.nub.news/news/local-news ... ors-245857

Rutland's oldest taxi firm says changes coming into force this week could see the end of hackney carriages in the county.

As part of its new taxi licensing policy, the clock starts ticking from Friday (November 22) for hackney carriage owners, and they will have two years to buy vehicles that reach certain specifications to enable wheelchair access for any passenger who needs it.

But Trevor Kyte, who runs Oakham-based Berridge Taxis which has been in business for 40 years, says the new demands are too expensive for the industry and he thinks many will give up the hackney license and change their fleet to private hire instead.

Hackney carriages are the only taxis that can be flagged down without a pre-booking and can wait for passengers at a rank. Currently there is not one wheelchair accessible licensed vehicle in Rutland.

Rutland County Council is the taxi licensing authority and the new policy is that hackney carriages must be of a certain make and model, such as a TX4, LEVC TX, or Mercedes-Benz Vito.

Vehicles over 15 years of age will not be licensed and those that are 10 years old will undergo six monthly checks. There is a caveat in the new policy that where 'justifiable reasons exist' the council's licensing committee may decide to approve a vehicle which does not conform to the new standards.

The new policy dictates private hire cars cannot be older than 10 years and will be checked twice a year once when they reach eight years old.

Trevor said: "We are being totally disadvantaged. We can't afford to replace our vehicles with black cabs, which are £56,000 brand new. We have a fleet of 15 vehicles – we could not afford to do it.

"Currently it works a treat. But it is all in the melting pot now.

"At the moment I am leaning towards moving to private hire, but I would like to think that we will see a little bit of common sense before then."

He said his firm is called infrequently by people who need wheelchair access and when that happens he recommends Voluntary Action Rutland, which can accommodate.

The new policy was adopted by Rutland County Council in November last year and comes into force on Friday (November 22).

Rutland's taxi operators received a consultation from the county council before last November, but Trevor says the changes were not made clear and he felt it was more 'broad brush than specific'.

It was not until taxi owners received an email two weeks ago that they became fully aware of the implications.

The council is also currently consulting on new licensing fees, which could increase the cost of private hire licence renewals for firms that have between 11 and 30 vehicles from £385 to £668.

New drivers would have to undertake competency tests which would mean a new driver getting licenced would double in cost to just under £500.

The new charges, which do include some reductions, would come in from April.

Trevor says another issue is that Rutland County Council has outsourced its taxi licensing department to Peterborough, which means vehicles have to be checked in Peterborough and drivers have to go there for courses. He said this adds costs and is inconvenient.

Shaun Bennett, who has run A1 taxis in Uppingham for 12 months, says buying new vehicles will be difficult.

He has four vehicles in his fleet, two of which are Vauxhall Insignias licensed as hackney carriages. As the Vauxhall insignias are not on the new approved list they will not be able to operate as Hackney carriages from November 2026.

Shaun said: "In the county there are 15 to 20 hackney carriage-licenced vehicles. That, as of two years time, could be none. We will have to go private hire, which is going to lead to complaints."

He said the rise in costs of the licences would not affect his business so much, due its size, but would make a difference to bigger companies such as Berridge.

Trevor has contacted the cabinet member for transport at Rutland County Council, Christine Wise (Uppingham – Lib Dem), who has responded to him.

Cllr Wise said there had been 82 replies to the consultation carried out last year.

In an email to Trevor, which she shared, she had said it is vital taxis are regulated appropriately because drivers will encounter vulnerable people on a regular basis.

In the email she added: "The council has a duty to ensure that the public are protected, that vehicles are safe, accessible and fit for purpose, and that drivers can provide the service that is expected of them."

The message went on to say the proposed fee increases to taxi firms were under consultation, but are designed to cover the council's costs fully so private businesses were not being subsidised by taxpayers.

She added: "Whilst the proposed fees are approximately 20% higher than the existing fees, this is deemed to be reasonable and necessary. The current fees have not been reviewed (other than annual inflationary increases) for a number of years and are significantly below what other local authorities currently charge."


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2024 6:27 pm 
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Berridges probably do 95% of their work off the phone but there is a rank in Oakham which is worked by mostly the one or two man bands and even one in Uppingham which as far as I know isn't regularly worked. There is also Oakham railway station which is the main source of rank work in the daytime.

I wonder if the new licensing policy will require meters to be fitted ? I also doubt the customers would be happy about a wav on the rank instead of a saloon so maybe Rutland will become 100% PH in the next couple of years although servicing the train station might be tricky but then again most users there are young so have smartphones.

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2024 8:05 pm 
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WOW that males Meltons policy of a WAV if you want 5 vehicles, Hackney or PH seem reasonable.
Rutland licensing is now done by Peterborough I believe.


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2024 9:08 pm 
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New WAVs are not viable for the vast majority of taxi drivers in the UK.

Not only are they unaffordable, if drivers can get up to £100,000 worth of credit, but no one is converting them anymore in any great quantities.

A mate of mine has recently bought a second-hand Mercedes (71 plate) for £6,000 more than the price it was when it was new.

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PostPosted: Wed Nov 27, 2024 9:03 am 
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there was an earlier taxi point story on this that we missed

https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/rutland-taxi-and-private-hire-licensing-fees-set-for-changes-from-april-2025#google_vignette

not posted the whole article but there is no mention of the outsourcing to PCC of the licensing but it does state on the council website so not sure when that happened

The council has made provisions for public scrutiny and objections. The notice will be displayed for inspection at Rutland County Council’s reception in Catmose, Oakham. The consultation period allows the public to voice objections until 27 November 2024. If objections are received, they will be reviewed before the final implementation of fees, with modifications if necessary.

There are no testing stations in Rutland as previously only a standard MOT was required but I'm surprised they haven't considered authorising the testing stations in Stamford as an alternate.

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PostPosted: Wed Nov 27, 2024 9:13 am 
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Location: Stamford Britains prettiest town till SKDC ruined it
Quote:
If byelaws are adopted, all hackney carriage licensed by this authority are required to have a working
taximeter fitted in the vehicle, some private hire vehicles may also have a taximeter fitted. Where a
taximeter is fitted, it must be calendar controlled, must not be set at a higher fare than the current
maximum fare as agreed by the council. The taximeter must be sealed by a person authorised by
the authority.


Why is a bylaw required for the requirement of a taxi meter in a hackney carriage ?

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PostPosted: Wed Nov 27, 2024 12:29 pm 
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edders23 wrote:
Quote:
If byelaws are adopted, all hackney carriage licensed by this authority are required to have a working
taximeter fitted in the vehicle, some private hire vehicles may also have a taximeter fitted. Where a
taximeter is fitted, it must be calendar controlled, must not be set at a higher fare than the current
maximum fare as agreed by the council. The taximeter must be sealed by a person authorised by
the authority.


Why is a bylaw required for the requirement of a taxi meter in a hackney carriage ?

I don't know but I think taxi meters fitted here are supposed to be callendar controlled but none of them are.


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 27, 2024 6:29 pm 
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Quote:
Why is a bylaw required for the requirement of a taxi meter in a hackney carriage ?

Because the council doesn't know what the f*** they are doing.

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