Taxi Driver Online

Almost didn't post this, because didn't want to put the effort in in case I put my head in the gas oven

Then I remembered I don't have an oven, not even an electric one, so that's fine.

(Actually, I have a microwave oven, but if I put my head in that it won't switch on )

Where to start with this, though? For a start, I thought the local LibDems have been doing their level best to get all cars off the road for the twenty-odd years I've been working here, never mind those awful taxis

But when it comes to the opportunity for a bit of virtue signalling in the local press...


St Andrews man Paul ‘socially excluded’ due to lack of wheelchair accessible taxis

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/fi ... ble-taxis/

Wheelchair user Paul Bartlett has called on Fife Council to follow Dundee's lead when it comes to taxi licensing.

Wheelchair user Paul Bartlett has felt socially excluded since moving to St Andrews two years ago.

A shortage of accessible taxis makes it difficult to get to events and medical appointments.

And he says his daily life is severely impacted as a result.

The 45-year-old has multiple sclerosis which affects his arms and legs.

He often has to travel to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, which by bus would require two changes and take several hours.

The former sales and marketing executive has discovered there are just 88 accessible taxis in Fife, only 14 of which are in the north east.

Many of those are hired for school or social work contracts and don’t operate at weekends.

Fife Council is aware of the frustration and cites a shortage of drivers as part of the cause.

But Paul has enlisted the help of his MSP and MP to call on Fife to follow the example set by Dundee City Council.

Why are wheelchair users better served in Dundee?

Dundee has more than 300 accessible taxis, around 40% of its fleet and considerably more than the whole of Fife.

And it has a target to up the provision to 60%.

This follows the introduction of a new policy in 2003 limiting the number of new taxi licences but approving applications for wheelchair accessible vehicles.

Paul says: “There aren’t enough in Fife.

“The lack of accessible taxis and public transport generally is limiting the activities I can take part in.

“There is no requirement in local licensing to provide wheelchair taxis. It’s left to individual operators.

“There are a lot of people in St Andrews, and elsewhere in Fife, who are excluded from appointments – be it medical or social.”

‘It’s time to turn the situation around’

North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie wrote to Fife Council asking them to adopt the Dundee model.

He said: “”The policy in Dundee has unambiguously led to a large increase in the number of accessible vehicles there.

“And the contrast with Fife is plain to see.

“It will take time to turn the situation around but I think adopting the policy which worked in Dundee would start to make a practical difference.”

Meanwhile, MP Wendy Chamberlain said she was “quite frankly shocked” at the lack of transport options generally.

“This has to change,” she said.

Fife Council says officers will keep track of whether the changes in Dundee make a practical difference.

And they may then consider a similar approach.

Why is increasing wheelchair accessible taxis such a challenge in Fife?

Miscellaneous licensing lead Gillian Love says Fife operators have told of a number of challenges.

These include a fall in driver numbers since covid, the cost of buying new vehicles and ongoing running costs.

Gillian adds: “Wheelchair accessible vehicles in an operator’s fleet can be used by all customers.

“So their availability will be affected by local factors, such as the tourist trade in St Andrews.

“A number of the larger vehicles are also used for school contracts, which will also affect availability at certain times of the day.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and see if there are any improvements or changes the council can make.”

That must be why I struggle to even get on an official rank space the vast majority of the time, and it's weeks since I've seen any passenger actually waiting at a rank for a taxi

But, aye I'm sure there'll be rush of application for WAVs if they delimit, so they can drive round town looking for a rank space. Or wait 3.5 hours out at the station for a run (which I did the other day).

And where to start with the Dundee model? What about concocting a scam so they could allow saloon operators to sell their plates, a procedure they previously said would be illegal?

And forcing licence buyers to run EVs and put themselves at risk at public charging points, for example, while the former saloon operators cash in?

One of whom (an ex-SNP crony who never actually drove a taxi) seems to spend half his life on cruise ships, that's when he's not on Twitter banging the drum for Hamas and Hezbollah and calling for the destruction of Israel

In the Fife context, does WAV mean purpose-built hackney or just any suitable vehicle with wheelchair access?

Er. the change they're on about in the article happened in 2003


Don't think that's quite right (having read it closely).

It's a long time ago, and a lot has happened since then. But as I recall it, there was an all-saloon HC fleet, with a cap on numbers.

So in 2003 there was no limit imposed on *new* taxi licences (as claimed above).

But at that point anyone presenting a WAV could have a plate. I think that's when all the Doblos appeared, and they later upped with WAV spec a bit (is that the low/high-volume thing?).

Then they capped the whole lot, so new applicants couldn't get either a saloon nor WAV plate.

They later allowed the transfer (ie sale and purchase of plates), despite having earlier said that would be illegal under the legislation

But only on the condition that an EV was presented. So now there are six different HC plates, as I recall it - saloons, full-volume WAVs, and low-volume WAVs. And EV saloons, EV full-volume WAVs, and EV low-volume WAVs.

But apart from that, it's all quite straightforward

There's no WAV requirement in Fife, so I doubt the council has a WAV specification as such.

But as you'll be aware, every UK council has to provide a list of WAVs under the equality legislation (I think).

Not sure precisely how it's done, but when I reapplied for my plate last year I think you have to declare whether or not it's wheelchair accessible - a kind of WAV self-ID - and that is what the council uses to compile the list, presumably.

The list for the East Fife zone can be seen on this page here, about half way down:

https://www.fife.gov.uk/kb/docs/article ... r-licences

All but two of the 14 on the WAV list are run by one operator. And he's got more than 20 plates in total, and most are PH, and most are not saloons

But you'll see from the list that his WAVs are a mixture of vehicles from 4- to 8-seaters, so from likes of the Peugeot Premiers to those huge Citreon Relays and Peugeot Boxers, which must be some of the biggest vehicles around suitable for an 8-seater PH plate.

But deffo no purpose-built hackneys.

Funny thing about that operator, though, is that as well as the sheer size of the fleet owned by a single person (most around here just own a couple of cars at most) the other odd thing is that as far as I know the vast majority of those vehicles are used for council school and social work contracts. And certainly not the kind of firm and vehicles you'll see zipping round the town on Friday or Saturday nights, or even on a Monday afternoon. A dedicated fleet like that just didn't exist when I started in the trade here in the mid-90s.

In fact the chap who owns them started not long after me, and was a one-man band back then. And, ironically, for a spell ran the only purpose-built hackney that I've ever seen working the ranks locally. It was a Metrocab (that was 20 years ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was a 1980s model, or at least 1990s - it was certainly quite old), and you could hear it coming throughout the town centre

But that's no doubt why the chap in the piece has difficulty booking a WAV - the vehicles won't really be around at weekends and evenings, I would guess, but I'm not sure precisely how the operator works - they don't even have a website, as far as I know.

And of the other two WAVs on the council's list, one is in the town of Cupar, so presumably wouldn't do a local run in St Andrews.

So, going by the council's list, only one WAV in the area is available via a traditional-style taxi office

Oh look a wheelchair user who can't get a wav at the snap of his finger want's the council to use a pile driver to crack a nut.

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Any councillor/MP/MSP/official that gets involved in the taxi WAV issue is a numpty of the highest order.

They are not viable unless you have a substantial contract that justifies such a huge outlay.

_________________
IDFIMH

Don't understand why a lot of people think Dundee City Council has a good taxi policy.
It is a complete disaster.
Now where do I begin.
1) The EV vehicles are not fit for purpose. Just about ten weeks ago there was a Dundee City Council taxi liaison meeting where the RMT put forward that EV vehicles were not fit for purpose. every member on that committee agree, which the city of Dundee is now started a consultation for to look at the taxi policy in Dundee.
2) Another main reason for a lack of WAV taxis is the price. If you are a single operator the council expects you to pay anything from £45,000 to £75,000 for a cab. I remember years ago at a legal meeting a solicitor gave out a Quote of, IF THE COUNCIL WANT WHEELCHAIR TAXIS GET THEM TO PUT THEM ON.
Now coming back to EV cars. If you notice in Dundee at about teatime it is very hard to get a taxi as most of the EV fleet is heading to the Chargers ( which is another story ) for the back shift drivers coming on.
I would also like to remember people you are less likely to get Ev going out of town because of the distance involved, every meeting there is there is always complaints about the size of batteries.
So come January there is a chance that Dundee will be changing its taxi policy. Wait and see.

Interesting information, Mr RMT Dundee, and will be interesting to see if there's any change.

But, of course, the only people who really think the Dundee scenario is a good option for NE Fife are the MP and MSP who've suddenly developed an interest in the trade. Not to mention, of course, the chap in the wheelchair, whose purpose is self-evident.

But, equally, it's all about the MP and MSP and what they want, rather than what's good for the trade or individual drivers.

I did nights in Dundee back in the 1990s, and when I heard about the EV thing 20 years or say later the thought of charging the car at the end of the night gave me the heebie jeebies (I lived in a Hilltown tenement...).

And that was when the clubs closed at 2.30 am, thus things were generally done and dusted by 3.30, even on Sunday morning. Now I think it's 3.30 when the clubs close, then there's the all-night venue on the West Marketgait

But, aye, get the drivers into EVs and the whole world is sorted

As SW alluded to, the only people who think WAVs, be that EVs or petrol/diesel, are the answer are numpty politicians and numpty officials.

In other words, the people who don't have to fund them.

_________________
IDFIMH

(Just remembered about this when reading the stuff from Dumfries and Galloway. Very similar issues with the WAVs, but chances of any unmet demand being found here as likely as me winning the £202m Euromillions jackpot tomorrow )

Basically we've got a 5-year-old 'on' rule, and 10-years-old off. That's extended to 12-years-off for WAVs.

So this is the council's 'pilot scheme' to increase the number of WAVs, and this was sent out this week to the trade.

So although it doesn't say so explicitly, it looks like it's about extending the WAV 'on' rule to 7-years, basically.

I'd be more surprised if anyone actually took advantage of this than if no-one at all did

Particularly when you consider the conditions attached:

Well the first part would necessitate multi-driver vehicles. Not so many of those around these days. And certainly most of the rank cars tend to be singled, and a lot of them actually stay in Dundee nowadays

Then there's the 'throughout East Fife' thing. Does that mean you could be hiked 10 miles or more to do a one-mile run, or even just a flagfall trip?

As for PHVs, very few of them around doing on-demand office-style work, as opposed to airport tranfers and golf trips, etc etc.

Another point is that if pushing the age rules to the limit under the current rules you could have the WAV plated for a lifespan of seven years, as opposed to five years for saloons. So under the pilot you get an extra two years at the 'on' end, but that means its plated lifespan is decreased by two years.

Can't see them queueing up at council HQ to take advantage of this, to be honest

I wish even the media would stop misusing the ampersand (&). If this was from an area in which I didn't know the name of the local politicians I'd guess Rennie & Chamberlain were a firm of accountants or estate agents etc. It's actually Willie Rennie MSP and Wendy Chamberlain MP

Anyway, yet another article misleading about the age-rule, correct me if I'm wrong. It's normally a five-year on rule for saloons and WAVs, but that's being extended to seven-years for WAVs. But since even the council's notice to the trade didn't specifically say that, what chance the press?

Anyway, I suspect 'Rennie & Chamberlain' and the WAV user will end up disappointed. But note the threat from Willie Rennie at the end


Fife accessible taxi pilot scheme welcome - Rennie & Chamberlain

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/community/f ... in-5059350

North East Fife’s MP Wendy Chamberlain and MSP Willie Rennie have welcomed Fife Council’s pilot scheme to improve the provision of wheelchair-accessible taxis. It comes after they raised the case of one of their constituents and called on the council to act.

Following an investigation into the low number of wheelchair accessible vehicles licensed as taxis and private hire vehicles in East Fife, Fife Council’s Regulation and Licensing Committee agreed at a meeting earlier this month to launch a six-month pilot scheme which aims to improve the provision of wheelchair-accessible taxis.

Fife Council currently has 91 accessible taxis, but there is a particular shortage in East Fife where the council’s website lists only 15 vehicles. In contrast Dundee City Council has over 300 accessible taxis, approximately 40% of its fleet. The council also has a target that 60% of the city’s vehicles will be accessible.

Wheelchair users face additional challenges in booking transport as some firms do not operate at the weekend, and many vehicles are hired for school contracts or social work services. It has also been suggested that a lack of drivers is contributing to the problem.

The pilot scheme will allow new and existing taxi operators to use wheelchair-accessible vehicles for up to seven years from the date of first registration. This is longer than the current period allowed for all taxis of up to five years. Some taxi firms have said that the higher cost of accessible vehicles means that they need to be used for longer in order to be economic.

The scheme will also involve taxi operators agreeing to make their vehicles available to wheelchair users throughout East Fife on a daily basis including evenings and weekends. Those taking part in the scheme will record data on the use of their taxis by wheelchair-users during the pilot.

Mr Rennie and Ms Chamberlain have previously raised the case of one of their constituents, Paul Bartlett, with Fife Council. He requires wheelchair-accessible transport and contacted them to describe the severe problems he was facing. The two parliamentarians called on the Council to take action to increase provision.

Paul Bartlett said: “My daily life has been severely impacted by the extremely poor provision of wheelchair taxis in Fife and in particular, the St Andrews area. The lack of accessible taxis is limiting the activities that I can take part in.

“It has already taken a long time to get Fife Council to accept the need for change. I hope that this scheme makes a difference but there’s no time for further delay and the Council has to show results.

“The simple problem is that there aren’t enough accessible vehicles and many of the taxis which are listed on Fife Council’s website also don’t operate at the weekend and in the evenings. It’s good to see the pilot includes agreement with taxi companies to ensure they operate accessible vehicles at the weekend and in the evenings.”

Wendy Chamberlain added: “This is a welcome step. There is no doubt wheelchair-users like in North East Fife like Paul face a difficult situation in getting transport. Everyone should be able to get around and go about their daily lives without inconvenience.

“I will be following Fife Council’s pilot scheme to see what impact it has.”

Willie Rennie added: “I am glad that Fife Council have agreed to introduce practical measures to try to increase the number of accessible taxis operating in North East Fife. There’s a stark difference between the provision of accessible taxis in neighbouring Dundee and Fife.

“I hope that the pilot scheme makes a difference, but the Council shouldn’t hesitate to look at other options such as the policy adopted in Dundee if necessary.”

Utter rot, correct me if I'm wrong. The five-year on rule across the board is being extended to seven-years for WAVs. The off rule is 10-years for saloons, and 12 for WAVs, and I don't think that's changing.


That's similar to the article from England earlier today about dedicated school, SEN and social work vehicles. Most of the listed WAVs in East Fife are doing that.


Makes it sound like an opportunity, as opposed to a deterrent...

And it's also misleading because the change has nothing directly to do with 'taxi companies'. It's simply an age relaxation to encourage WAV plateholders.

Can't see many offices taking advantage of a two-year relaxation of the WAV 'on' rule to run multi-driver cars that must be available all the times across the whole zone, and that require details of all WAV trips to be recorded