Cabbies call for cut in number of taxis in city
TAXI drivers in Bristol are urging the city council to impose a cap on the number of cabs operating in the city.
They believe that re-introducing a limit would safeguard their livelihoods and help them earn a living without working so many unsocial hours.
They feel so strongly about the issue, they are prepared to pay the £20,000 cost of a survey which is needed before the taxi trade could be re-regulated.
The survey would only go ahead if the council agreed to accept its findings. But the council's lawyers say the move would be handing over decision-making to a third party – the author of the survey – which it is not allowed to do.
The cabbies are furious that the council lifted the cap three years ago, which they claim has led to chaos.
About 800 hackney carriages, licensed to pick passengers up from the street without a prior booking, are in operation in Bristol.
This is an increase of nearly 90 since the cap was lifted.
A statement from the drivers to the council said: "This is causing a major, detrimental impact on our city not to mention the severe financial impact on existing drivers and operators, many of whom are now fighting for their very survival."
The cabbies say too many taxis are now causing problems at the city's ranks. At Temple Meads railway station, taxis are blocking the road and parking in a short-stay car park.
The cabbies explain that trade has been taken away from them due to an increase in airport bus services. They say night buses also take business away, not to mention the hundreds of private hire cars in the city at weekends.
In their statement, the drivers say: "One of our main concerns surrounds racial tensions among the various communities within our trade.
The 'gentleman's agreement' which operated successfully for many, many years has all but disappeared. Drivers are racing to get back, which often means overtaking other drivers just to get there first.
"This often leads to arguments on ranks, which often end up with groups supporting 'their own'.
"As members travel around the city, particularly during the evenings, the sheer number of taxis this city now has must be very apparent – our trade is grossly over-subscribed and, clearly, the issuing of hackney carriage vehicle licences in such an uncontrolled manner cannot continue.
"We accept that from time to time there may be the need for additional taxis to join the fleet but this must be by way of controlled expansion or 'managed growth'."
The cabbies' statement will be discussed by councillors at a meeting of the public safety and protection committee on Thursday.
But council lawyer Pauline Powell says the survey cannot be lawfully considered. She said: "There is no need to conduct a survey in order to continue with the council's current practice under which refusals are motivated by purposes other than that of controlling numbers."
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