Taxi Driver Online

Think there's about 300 old threads that this could be added to

Anyway, since this reads like it's only going to be for new licences, not sure why the incumbents are up in arms about it all...

Of course, they may think it's the thin end of the wedge. And, as per, some portrayed as humble 'taxi drivers' are often actually fleet/office proprietors worried about the affect on new blood coming into the trade


Fears voiced over new taxi rules for North Yorkshire

https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes. ... yorkshire/

Changes to North Yorkshire’s taxi licensing rules threaten to push drivers out of the industry and lead to towns being “swamped” by unscrupulous Uber drivers, councillors have been warned.

North Yorkshire Council is revising its hackney carriage policies in a bid to increase the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV) available to passengers and to meet equality legislation.

The council is working on a new hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy, as well as adopting an inclusive service plan for the trade to meet Department for Transport recommendations.

Under a draft plan which is due to go out to consultation shortly, the council is proposing to only allow new taxi registrations for WAV, electric or potentially hybrid vehicles.

Wheelchair user Ian Lawson, chair of the North Yorkshire Disability Forum’s Accessible Transport Group, addressed the council’s executive on Tuesday, where he urged the authority to do more to increase the number of WAVs on the county’s roads.

He said previous efforts by North Yorkshire’s local authorities over several decades had failed to address the problem.

He said: “From personal experience and countless conversations with other wheelchair users, I know the devastating impact of this accessibility barrier.

“Medical and dental appointments are missed as are work commitments, and lives are stifled by social isolation, all because we cannot access a basic mode of transport.”

But Ripon-based Richard Fieldman, who represents about 100 members of the North Yorkshire Taxi Drivers group, warned that limiting the type of vehicles taxi drivers could purchase would lead to fewer, not more WAVs being in operation.

He said: “Many drivers have already expressed that if this policy is adopted, they will simply leave the trade and seek employment elsewhere due to the constant restrictions you are putting in place.”

Mr Fieldman said taxi drivers felt they were being made “scapegoats” for previous flawed decisions made by councillors, adding: “We are being beaten with a big stick and forced into a purchasing a WAV vehicle as a lesser of evils.”

The taxi driver said he feared the proposed policy would lead to regulated taxi drivers being replaced in North Yorkshire towns by Uber drivers who he claimed were registered outside the county and were using unscrupulous practices to get trade.

“We are already being swamped and overtaken by a massive influx of Uber cars in North Yorkshire.

“They have a distinct advantage over us regarding licensing conditions and we must be able to have equal choice of vehicle over them.”

The meeting also heard from Selby taxi driver Graham Watson, who said he had driven 260,000 miles in four years in his WAV.

He said: “In the four years I have had my WAV, I have only ever carried six wheelchairs. I advertise that I am wheelchair friendly, I advertise on local radio, I advertise in local magazines and amateur dramatics programmes.”

Taxi drivers have urged the council to follow the lead set by City of York Council which is allowing taxi drivers to use cars with low emission Euro 6 engines.

Councill Gareth Dadd, deputy leader of the authority, said he sympathised with both the taxi drivers and those who wanted to see more WAV taxis in operation.

“It’s a really hard circle to square and I don’t think there is a single solution to it.

“I’m keen for this to be a very genuine, open consultation where all options are on the table to be considered.”

A 12-week consultation is due to be launched in the new year.

I wonder when the penny will finally drop and councillors and their officials realise that owning a WAV is not a viable option for the vast amount of drivers.

Ten years ago you could get a smaller WAV for around £20,000, now they are over £40,000 unless you are paying cash. That is simply not affordable even if drivers could get the finance.

_________________
IDFIMH

Not sure if this brings anything new to the party...


Taxi drivers urge council to do more research ahead of policy change

https://www.hambletontoday.co.uk/taxi-d ... cy-change/

North Yorkshire Council has been urged to conduct more research before introducing new rules to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis.

The authority is proposing to only allow new taxi registrations for wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV), electric or potentially hybrid vehicles.

The council, which has launched a consultation on the proposed policy change, licenses about 70 WAV taxis, representing around one for every 9,000 residents.

But it says other rural authorities have one WAV for every 2,000 to 3,000 people.

To reach a similar ratio, the council would need to license around 200 more WAVs.

But Ripon-based Richard Fieldman, who represents around 100 members of the North Yorkshire Taxi Drivers group, has warned that the policy change could damage the trade and mean there are fewer taxis for everyone.

“The policy isn’t going to create more wheelchair vehicles, all it’s going to do is put a lot of people out of the trade.

“By forcing this onto drivers you’re just creating a bigger problem because a lot of drivers like me who are in their 60s won’t make that kind of investment needed to buy a WAV.

“They’ll just retire early or go find another job.”

The taxi driver is calling for an unmet demand survey to find out the true demand for taxis across North Yorkshire.

He added: “The council has done no research at all other than look at what other councils have done.

“If you ask the general public they will tell you they can’t get a taxi when they want them, just the same as wheelchair users are saying.”

Mr Fieldman said taxi drivers would like to be allowed to use Euro 6 petrol and diesel cars, which meet strict EU emissions standards.

Charity Disability Action Yorkshire is urging the public to contribute to the consultation on wheelchair-accessible taxis.

Chief executive Jackie Snape said: “For many of us, calling a taxi is the answer to a simple need.

“We want a convenient, economic service that will take us to our destination.

“However, for disabled people, the provision of wheelchair-accessible licensed taxis across the district is low, and the alternatives are expensive specialist private hire vehicles which are beyond the means of most disabled people.”

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for licensing, Cllr Greg White, said the authority recognised the difficulties that passengers who need accessible vehicles faced.

“It can affect their mental health and leave them isolated, so we need to ensure the trade serves everybody, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, or sex.

“We recognise that taxis should be accessible to all, and we need to strike a balance that supports users and is feasible for the trade to adopt.

“Although WAV provision is typically lower in rural authorities than in urban areas, we know that we can do better.”

The consultation will run until Wednesday, April 30.

Details can be found at www.northyorks.gov.uk/taxi-consultation

This rambles on a bit, although at least there's a couple of new voices and some more detailed arguments rather than the usual suspects and debating points from this area.

Quite a lot of questionable stuff here, though, but can't really be bothered with the nitty gritty


Taxi drivers urge North Yorkshire Council to reconsider proposed policy changes

https://yorkmix.com/taxi-drivers-urge-n ... y-changes/

Local taxi drivers are feeling “bitter” about North Yorkshire Council’s proposals regarding the future of taxi licenses.

The proposed changes would only allow new taxi registrations for wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs), electric vehicles (EVs), or potentially hybrid vehicles, with the aim of increasing accessibility.

However, taxi drivers warn that these changes could “push drivers out of the trade and discourage new drivers”, leading to fewer taxis available for everyone.

The council launched a consultation survey, which was distributed to both taxi drivers and residents of North Yorkshire, to assess the need for WAVs.

The council currently licenses around 70 WAV taxis, which is one for every 9,000 residents. By comparison, other rural authorities have one WAV for every 2,000 to 3,000 people.

To achieve a similar ratio, the council estimates that about 200 more WAVs would need to be licensed.

Graham Watson, from G’s Taxis, told YorkMix that the proposals have not been properly thought through. He explained that the vehicles the council is mandating aren’t suitable for all journeys or passengers.

He noted that electric vehicles don’t have the range for long trips or rural areas, and that there aren’t enough EV charging points across the UK for drivers to rely on.

“Parliament themselves stated in the house last year ‘that the UK government has not met its targets for EV chargers throughout the UK and that there are not enough charging points,’” Graham said.

He also pointed out that his Ford Tourneo Custom allows him to travel to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and the Port of Southampton without stopping.

“There isn’t one EV available as a taxi that will do that without stopping and charging,” Graham added.
Accounting for all customers

Although Graham currently operates a WAV, purchased in 2020 when other taxi licensing laws were in place, he believes they don’t accommodate a large group of customers.

“Some people cannot or just will not travel in WAVs,” he said. “Corporate business people don’t want to travel in them, and a lot of older customers cannot access them because they’re too high up for them to step in.”

Graham also highlights that because there’s such a wide variety of wheelchair designs, which come with specific transportation needs, the one-size-fits-all WAV requirement fails to accommodate this diversity.

In his four years of owning the WAV, Graham said he has only ever carried two passengers in a wheelchair.

“I’ll go out and turn up to find that the wheelchair is either too wide, too heavy, too long, too high, it’s unstable for the vehicle, or there’s no locking points on it. So I can’t do the job,” he explained.

“There are so many different variations of wheelchairs, I don’t believe the council have actually sat down with the Disability Forum of North Yorkshire to look at the different designs of wheelchairs. Because if they had, they would have to rethink the policy.”

High Costs

The high cost of WAVs is also a major concern for drivers.

Richard Fieldman, who represents around 100 members of the North Yorkshire Taxi Drivers group, agrees that the proposals would result in fewer taxis for everyone.

He said, “The policy isn’t going to create more wheelchair vehicles, all it’s going to do is put a lot of people out of the trade.

“By forcing this onto drivers you’re just creating a bigger problem because a lot of drivers like me who are in their 60s won’t make that kind of investment needed to buy a WAV.

“They’ll just retire early or go find another job.”

Graham also expressed concern for new entrants to the trade, who would likely not be able to afford the new policies.

“If I replaced my vehicle, like for like, it would cost me £68,000 pounds. I paid £33,000 for this brand new four years ago,” he said.

The costs of meters, pods, grab rails, and side steps, plate fees and tests would also need to be covered before drivers could start earning.

Graham told YorkMix, “For someone new coming into the business, a youngster who is probably going to want to do it for 5-20 years, they’re not going to be able to find that sort of money.

“You’re not allowed personal finance on a taxi, so they would have to have business finance which has bigger interest rates and you need a business bank account.

“So there’s lots of things that make it totally unaffordable.”

Richard believes the council has done little research other than look at what other councils have done.

He said, “If you ask the general public they will tell you they can’t get a taxi when they want them, just the same as wheelchair users are saying.”

Both Graham and Richard, along with other taxi drivers, are calling for an unmet demand survey to find out the true demand for taxis across North Yorkshire.

“​​Myself, Richard, and the executive committee have asked the council to do an unmet survey, paid for by the taxi drivers,” Graham stated.

However, the council has indicated the consultation will end before the unmet survey could be conducted, making it too late to influence the proposals.

Charity Disability Action Yorkshire

Meanwhile, Charity Disability Action Yorkshire is urging the public to contribute to the consultation on wheelchair-accessible taxis.

Chief executive Jackie Snape said, “For many of us, calling a taxi is the answer to a simple need.

“We want a convenient, economic service that will take us to our destination.

“However, for disabled people, the provision of wheelchair-accessible licensed taxis across the district is low, and the alternatives are expensive specialist private hire vehicles which are beyond the means of most disabled people.”

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for licensing, Cllr Greg White, recognised the difficulties that disabled passengers faced.

“It can affect their mental health and leave them isolated, so we need to ensure the trade serves everybody, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, or sex,” Cllr White said.

“We recognise that taxis should be accessible to all, and we need to strike a balance that supports users and is feasible for the trade to adopt.

“Although WAV provision is typically lower in rural authorities than in urban areas, we know that we can do better.”

Alternatives

While Graham acknowledges the need for more accessible vehicles, he believes alternative solutions could be implemented.

He suggests setting new targets for WAVs rather than enforcing a blanket rule for all new licenses.

“The council could say the next 50 cars that North Yorkshire Council registers will have to be wheelchair accessible. Really, we only need nine throughout the whole of North Yorkshire to abide by the government’s figures, so maybe even the next 10,” Graham proposed.

He also urges the council to provide financial incentives or grants to help drivers acquire WAVs.

“They could give new drivers money off wheelchair accessible vehicles, or introduce a grant, or free licensing or plates. There’s lots of things the North Yorkshire Council could do to help new people coming on board,” Graham added.

The consultation is set to run until Wednesday 30 April.

Wasn't expecting that at all