Taxi Driver Online

Fears over taxi age limit plans

Taxi drivers in a Worcestershire town say their numbers may be cut if new licensing rules banning old cars are approved by the council.
Redditch Borough Council's scrutiny committee agreed the new proposals on Monday.

Newly licensed cars will have to be less than five years old, those over eight years will need safety checks and any over 12 years will not be licensed.

The plan follows a study which found eight in 10 licensed taxis were faulty.

But Redditch Taxi Association say the recommendations punish good taxi owners as well as bad.

Chairman Mohammed Araf said: "We recommended an eight year restriction to the council a couple of years ago.

Sixteen prohibition notices

"Five years age limit is a bit much for all drivers, there is not a lot of work at the moment and it is going to be harsh on a lot of drivers.

"There is a lot of full-timers, they have families and things to pay, there might be some drivers who have to give it up."

A spokesman for the council said the decision whether to back the recommendations now lay with the full council.

He said they had been considered after police and other agencies conducted a survey of the council's licensed taxi fleet in February.

Of the 20 cars stopped in six hours, 16 immediately had prohibition notices issued.