Taxi Driver Online

This is the P&J's report on the meeting today

Nothing particularly new here to anyone who's been following the debate, except, of course, for the result of the meeting.

And much of the debate presented here is rhetorical as opposed to addressing the substantive issues in play.

(And the usual slew of photos, which I haven't included here. Except a couple of new ones I haven't seen before, although links only...)


Street Knowledge Test to be RETAINED in Aberdeen — as Uber’s call for change rejected

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... -decision/

Licensing chiefs met to discuss Aberdeen's taxi rulebook.

Calls to scrap the need for drivers who take only prebooked fares to have passed Aberdeen’s Street Knowledge Test have been thrown out by councillors.

Uber has led calls to remove the exam since being granted a licence to operate in Aberdeen in summer 2024.

Business leaders too have called for the Street Knowledge Test to be scrapped for private hire drivers, who take prebooked fares and can’t pick up at Aberdeen’s taxi ranks.

And Aberdeen City Council earlier this year launched a consultation on the many facets of the taxi trade following years of complaints about shortages.

Around 1,800 people took part in the survey, and more backed maintaining the Street Knowledge Test for private hire drivers than wanted it scrapped.

The consultation touched on a number of key issues impacting the industry, including the future of the airport taxi fleet, card payments and whether all cabs should have CCTV.

But most interest was in the much-debated need for the Street Knowledge Test for private hire drivers in Aberdeen.

More than 45% of respondents said the exam should should be required for all aspiring Aberdeen drivers.

But the camp calling for its removal only just trailed on 43%.

This came despite business leaders warning of the impact on the night-time economy, claiming a lack of cabs is deterring folk from going into the city centre.

What happened at the meeting?

Aberdeen City Council’s licencing committee met on Wednesday to discuss the future of the taxi trade.

After seeing the slim margin of public support for the Street Knowledge Test, Uber issued a last-ditch plea for it to be axed anyway to “transform how people get around the city”.

Local taxi drivers, Uber, industry chiefs and disability reps spoke at the meeting, while the rowdy, heckling public gallery was threatened with ejection on more than one occasion as debate became charged.

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Councillors united to unanimously agree to keep the Street Knowledge Test for all Aberdeen drivers, committing to revisit the issue in two years.

Taxi chiefs argued a revamp of the exam in Aberdeen was already bearing fruit, with more than 120 people already passing the test this year.

Council licensing solicitor Sandy Munro summarised what had been agreed.

He said: “The upshot is essentially the majority of the policy remains unchanged.

“And obviously leave the street knowledge test as is the current position to require the Street Knowledge Test for all applicants.”

What was said at the meeting?

Matthew Freckelton, UK head of cities at Uber, told councillors: “Removing the test is not a radical experiment. It is an alignment with national best practise.

“Edinburgh and Glasgow, cities with larger and more complex transport environments, do not require a street knowledge test for private hire drivers.

“For the night time economy, a dynamic transport network is the lifeblood of any hospitality sector.

“When people know they can get a ride home safely, they are more likely to stay out longer, pumping money into local restaurants, pubs, clubs and cinemas.”

Mr Freckelton also acknowledged that a female respondent to the public consultation “shared that she had to wait one and a half hours in the cold and rain with no shelter just to get home from dinner”.

He added: “The lack of taxis is a serious health and safety hazard for females.”

‘Organisations are actively avoiding coming to Aberdeen’

At the meeting Our Union Street’s Bob Keiller claimed a lack of taxis is putting off organisations from coming to Aberdeen for conferences and meetings.

Mr Keiller said: “The lack of taxis is also killing inward investment. Organisations are actively avoiding coming to Aberdeen.

“The business development at P&J Live are being told that conferences and meetings that would have otherwise come to Aberdeen are going elsewhere because of the supply of taxis.”

He added: “Removing the street knowledge test will create more jobs for private hire drivers. Local people are avoiding coming in at the city centre and the economy, especially the night-time economy, is suffering.

“Removing the street knowledge test will increase the number of taxis and build confidence in their availability.”

‘The knowledge of the driver can be the difference between independence and isolation for someone with a disability’

But Hussein Patwa, co-chair of the Disability Equity Partnership, shared the perspective of those relying on cabs every day to make their way around the ever-changing Aberdeen.

Mr Patwa said: “My comments come from the perspective of disabled, older and vulnerable passengers who require additional support from licenced vehicles and their drivers.

“I myself use taxis on an almost daily basis, I have done for the last 20 years.”

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He continued: “For many people, taxi and private hire vehicles is not simply a life-scale choice or a form of transport, it is a lifeline.

“For someone with a disability or a long-term health condition, the quality and knowledge of the driver can be the difference between independence and isolation.”

‘I don’t remember a time where a test delivered 120 new drivers in a year’

At the meeting, councillor Dell Henrickson asked Aberdeen Taxis boss Chris Douglas if the new Street Knowledge Test “improves greatly on the old one” and if they are seeing “greater pass rates”.

Mr Douglas, said: “I don’t remember a time where a test delivered 120 new drivers in a year.

“To me, that shows a tremendous growth trajectory and looks after everyone in this room’s livelihoods.”

Mr Douglas continued: “Everyone concentrates on driver numbers, vehicle numbers, active vehicle numbers. There are still active vehicles on this road. In the past, some people had a licence they didn’t use.

“Now, most of the vehicles on the road are used by drivers who need this job and want to work. That should be respected.”

Taxi boss: ‘It was a very pleasing decision’

Managing director of Aberdeen’s other main operator, Rainbow City Taxis’ Russell McLeod, stressed that “removing the street knowledge test for private hire drivers will not add one vehicle to the taxi ranks, either in town, at the railway station, or at the airport”.

He added: “The revamped street knowledge test has increased Aberdeen’s fleet by over 120 drivers in just over 12 months.

“Recently attendance at Rainbow’s taxi school has been crazy, I think there have been five requests this week.”

Speaking after the meeting, Mr McLeod told The P&J: “It was very pleasing and the common sense decision” to keep the Street Knowledge Test in place.

Maybe, for once, they'd mention the safety aspect regarding why the *drivers* don't want to work at those hours?


Seriously?

Must be a lot worse than I'd thought


Fair enough, but easy for a multi-millionaire to say

He could at least acknowledge the downside to incumbent drivers if he had his dream of 'hundreds' more drivers in Aberdeen.

That's like a few dozen more in St Andrews, when it's difficult to find a rank space as it is

I'd guess calling it the 'public gallery' is an oversimplification

That's not strictly true, as 7% suggested they bin the PH knowledge but retain the taxi version.

So 50% supported binning the PH knowledge.

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IDFIMH

Yeah right.

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IDFIMH

Bob Keiller: ‘Taxi drivers made council meeting hugely intimidating — after firestorm of online abuse’

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... imidating/

The “raucous and febrile” atmosphere allowed at a crunch meeting on the future of Aberdeen’s taxi trade is being criticised by a leading business figure.

He’s negotiated multi-million-pound-deals, built a business with billion-dollar turnover and spends his Sunday mornings “on his hands and knees digging out weeds and cigarette butts from the cracks between the paving slabs” in his fight to revitalise Union Street.

But Bob Keiller is “disappointed” by the “intimidating” vibe Aberdeen City Council allowed at the Town House on Wednesday, as taxi trade chiefs saw off Uber’s challenge on the Street Knowledge Test.

Mr Keiller and others arguing for the controversial exam to be axed were heckled and jeered from the public gallery.

This, he said, came following a torrent of online “abuse” over the issue.

In the face of ‘firestorm of abuse’ why is Bob Keiller taking a stand at taxi meeting?

“You might wonder, why the hell I keep doing this… it’s because I believe this city is worth fighting for,” Our Union Street chairman Mr Keiller explained during the summit.

His organisation has encouraged 40 businesses to make the Granite Mile their home in the last few years, though it admits around another 20 have left in that time.

Mr Keiller added: “I don’t represent a business interest or multinational.

“I’ve got no connections with any local or international taxi companies or shares in any hotels or bars or restaurants.”

He continued: “But I’ve worked four days a week, every week, completely unpaid, for the last three years to try and bring life and pride back into our city centre.

“I’ve faced a firestorm of abuse online. And as you’ve heard from the public gallery, I’ve been accused of corruption, dishonesty, and fraud – falsely, I would add.”

‘I’ve seen Aberdeen from Piper Alpha to Covid… and we’re at a critical point in this city’s history’

The 62-year-old argued the case for removing the Street Knowledge Test for private hire drivers but made it clear he doesn’t mind which company any new entrants into the industry drive for.

Mr Keiller claimed removing the barrier for entry would boost driver numbers, providing new jobs amid economic challenges in Aberdeen.

In turn, this would encourage people to spend money in the city centre as they could be more confident of getting a lift home at closing time.

Urging councillors to “release one of the weights dragging Aberdeen’s economy down”, he issued a stark warning.

“We’re at a critical point in Aberdeen’s history.

“I’ve lived in Aberdeen for 40 years and I’ve seen all the ups and downs from Piper Alpha to the Covid pandemic and everything in between.

“The economic future of the city is in the balance and the public, those who are not associated with the taxi trade, clearly want change.”

Pro-change campaign heckled and jeered at ‘intimidating’ Aberdeen taxi licensing meeting

Uber’s UK head of cities Matthew Freckelton also challenged councillors to scrap the test for the private hire drivers the ride-hailing app employs, as did Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s Jason Stewart.

Mr Stewart said the chamber’s research showed punters would spend on average £50 more in the city’s night-time economy if they knew they could get a ride home later in the night.

“AYE, ON UBER!” was the cry from the gallery to the laughter of others, as licensing convener Gill Al-Samarai threatened to expel the rowdy audience on at least three occasions.

All three men were heckled as they argued their case, and faced questions from councillors which appeared to play to the gallery’s majority in favour of the status quo.

Aberdeen City Council’s licensing committee unanimously voted to give the existing arrangements, including a recently revised street knowledge test, another 24 months to increase the number of licensed taxi and private hire drivers.

Bob Keiller tells meeting taxi drivers took part in survey ‘en masse’

So far this year, 120 have overcome the hurdle – while more than 45% of the respondents to a council consultation on sweeping industry change backed keeping the exam for all drivers.

However, it was a tightly contested issue, as 43% wanted the Street Knowledge Test to be removed for private hire drivers.

More than 45% of respondents said the exam should should be required for all aspiring Aberdeen drivers.

Looking at the detailed responses, Mr Keiller reckons taxi drivers took part in the consultation en masse.

Taxi chiefs: Critics bash Aberdeen trade on ‘hearsay’

Taxi trade reps took issue with one claim made by the Our Union Street boss.

Mr Keiller claimed organisations are “actively avoiding” Aberdeen, and that bookers at P&J Live are being told conferences and big meetings are going elsewhere due to the concerns over the supply of taxis.

“Many delegates at the Skipper conference last month at P&J Live could get neither buses nor taxis at the end of their day, not night-time, and ended up having to walk into the city centre, missing all the evening events,” he said, stopping for another heckle.

—- “Excuse me, can I ask you to be quiet in the gallery? I don’t want to clear the gallery, but I will if there’s continual shouting,” convener Mrs Al-Samarai interjected.

The shouting continued and the gallery remained.

Rainbow City Taxis operations director Lauren Bisset, who presented to councillors soon after, jibed: “Unlike someone, I was personally at Skipper Function this year at Teca and have been for the last three years.

“There was zero shortage. You would be lucky if somebody waited five minutes, and no driver for a hire came outwith Dyce.

“So, a false narrative from a key figure in Aberdeen here. I do not leave TECA and any of these functions until the very last person leaves.

“And in all honesty, Skipper was quite quiet for us. The event closed, we left.”

Her managing director Russell McLeod later added: “Unfortunately some of what Bob Keiller was saying was hearsay, things he had heard from someone else.

“We were at P&J Live at the Skipper Expo. We had to be there until the last folk left.”

Licensing convener defends ‘intimidating’ taxi meeting atmosphere

After the meeting, Mr Keiller told The Press and Journal: “The way the meeting was conducted made it hugely intimidating for people not on the side of taxi drivers, especially as there were so many speaking.”

SNP licensing convener Mrs Al-Samarai told The P&J that the bumper list of 15 people allowed to speak ahead of the council vote was allowed “given the importance and heightened interest in the topic”.

She added: “The spectators in the gallery were reminded on several occasions to refrain from commenting on the points being raised within the deputations and to allow individuals the opportunity to present to the committee without being interrupted.

“There is a fine balance to be struck between exercising the convener’s right to potentially remove spectators from a meeting and ensuring transparency and visibility of the committee’s proceedings.”

She defended councillors’ “robust” questioning of Mr Keiller and others who came to speak to them.

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IDFIMH