Taxi Driver Online

Thought this might be slightly more interesting than it actually is.


Aberdeen taxi rules relaxed as extras to be drafted in for two huge city events

https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aber ... s-10184040

The city council's licensing policy has been relaxed ahead of the Tall Ships Races and Offshore Europe to help shuttle visitors around Aberdeen during the busy events.

Rules are to be relaxed allowing Aberdeen’s airport taxis to help shuttle visitors around the city during two major events later this year.

Currently, Aberdeen City Council licensing policy has two distinct operation zones for taxis. The first is specifically for the airport while the other covers the rest of the city.

However, airport taxis can operate within the city zone from midnight on Saturdays to 5am on Sunday to help with night time trade.

A taxi zone relaxation request recently went before the local authority’s licensing committee asking for a temporary change on airport vehicle rules.

Under the brief alteration, Aberdeen’s airport taxis will be allowed to pick up customers at ranks across the city while the Tall Ships and Offshore Europe are in town.

The specific taxi rule has previously been relaxed for the oil and gas showcase and the same will now happen again this year.

It comes just weeks after Our Union Street boss Bob Keiller called for action to increase the number of taxis on the road ahead of the Tall Ships Races.

He argued that thousands of visitors were expected to flock to the festival, but a recent report suggested there was “no need to increase the limit on the number of taxi licences”.

While councillors passed through the “fairly straight forward” application, they were told that work to ensure the event will run smoothly has been moving at pace.

Licensing solicitor Sandy Munro revealed that talks have taken place between the Taxi Consultation Group and Tall Ship organisers to sort out temporary ranks.

Airport taxis will be able to pick up and drop off customers in the city during the Tall Ships festival from 6pm on Friday, July 18 to 11.59pm on Tuesday, July 22.

More than 50 Tall Ships will be docking at the city harbour this summer.

The four-day festival will feature sold out quayside concerts by Deacon Blue and the Kaiser Chiefs, while just a handful of tickets remain for the Ministry of Sound Classical gig.

And to top it all off, the Red Arrows will put on a display to mark the special event.

They will also be free to roam the city for Offshore Europe from Tuesday 2 to Friday 5 September.

The conference and exhibition is expected to draw thousands of people from some of the world’s biggest companies when it returns to TECA.

That sounds a bit odd, but presumably 'they' in the final paragraph refers to the taxis rather than the Red Arrows

What a load of old fanny.

So for most of the year you have licensed cabs in Aberdeen that can't pick up at the airport when they drop there, and you have licensed cabs in Aberdeen that can't pick up in the city when they drop there.

Absolutely farcical.

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IDFIMH

There's been quite a few articles on here about the Aberdeen Airport zoning situation over the years.

Can't be bothered looking back, but I'd guess it's to a large extent about avoiding the airport being clogged up with cars at quiet times.

Not sure how the council's taxi zoning ties in with the management of the airport rank per se, but there are a few earlier articles about it on here someplace

Predictable enough, I suppose, and apart from the Uber angle there's nothing particularly new here apart from the stuff above


Uber hits out at Aberdeen airport taxi rule change

https://www.insider.co.uk/news/uber-hit ... t-35237061

Bob Keiller also claims a shortage of taxis in the city, urging the council to drop the driver knowledge test

Uber has hit out at plans allowing airport taxis to work in Aberdeen while the Tall Ships is on – arguing that it proves there is demand for cab services.

Members of the city council’s licensing committee recently agreed to relax the rules around where vehicles can operate.

But the change will only be allowed during the four-day Tall Ships festival in July and again for Offshore Europe in September.

Uber's head of cities Matthew Freckelton believes the local authority is holding back its progress from growing in the city, due to drivers being forced to take and subsequently pass the street knowledge test.

He claimed Uber “had the data” to show there was a need for more cabs in the city.

The ride-hailing platform soft launched in Aberdeen in October, but thousands of trip requests have gone unanswered due to a shortage of licensed drivers.

“This move from Aberdeen Council clearly shows that there is an unmet demand for taxis in the city,“ said Freckelton. “We know this from the 170,000 trip requests in our app since we launched.

“This huge unmet demand is holding back the city, especially when it comes to major events such as the Tall Ships races.

“In normal weeks however, Uber is already seeing enough passenger demand to add over 100 drivers in the city.

“This would help passengers get to where they want to safely, and boost the local economy.”

However, a recent Licenced Vehicle Surveys and Assessment report stated there was “no significant unmet demand and no over-provision of private hire cars”, although it did suggest there was limited availability, particularly on Saturday nights and peak times during the week.

These results prompted Aberdeen businessman and head of Our Union Street Bob Keiller to claim there was a shortage of taxis in the city, urging the council to drop the knowledge test for drivers.

“The number of licensed drivers in Aberdeen has fallen by about half in the last 10 years and we are about to see another step down in numbers when the LEZ exemption for taxis expires in June,“ said Keiller. “We will be heading into the Tall Ships and Offshore Europe with fewer taxis than we have had for many years.”

The temporary rule change will allow airport taxis work in Aberdeen during the Tall Ships festival from 6pm on 18 July to 11.59pm on 22 July.

They will be able to do the same for Offshore Europe from 2 to 5 September.

Ah, at least that's cleared things up - in the last piece elsewhere 'they' were the Red Arrows

Of course Aberdeen aren't the only ones with stupid, in my view, rules.

Good old Heathrow has a policy where only green badge holders can ply, whereas the yellow badge holders licensed in the same area as Heathrow can't.

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IDFIMH

The reason the airport is zoned is to make sure that there is enough taxis at the airport. If it wasn't zoned when it's busy in the city there would be no cars at the airport. City taxis can pickup at the airport if they are booked.