I know this post is repeating the news, but there are issues in this report that I want to comment on;
Curb on city’s black cabs
Apr 1 2010, South Wales Echo
No more black-and-white cabs will be allowed to take to Cardiff’s streets after a report found there were too many clogging up the city’s ranks.
Independent consultants found that Cardiff has one cab per 349 people, more than double the one for every 726 people seen in Birmingham.
The huge number of hackney cabs has been blamed by police for city-centre traffic jams and has sparked a rise in illegal ranks, which have become hot spots for drunken fights on weekends.
Taxi drivers have also complained they are struggling to make a living as there are now too many cabs for two few customers.
Mathab Khan, chairman of Cardiff Hackney Association, told the Echo he believed the city had about 400 taxis too many.
Cardiff council’s public protection committee had imposed a temporary moratorium at the beginning of March after lobbying from police and taxi drivers, and has now decided to make that permanent.
Mr Khan said he welcomed the official decision, claiming many drivers had been heading for bankruptcy.
“We were on the road to disaster,” he said.
“If they had carried on dishing out licences we wouldn’t have been able to remain in the trade for another year.
“But I appealed for this cap two years ago and it should have been imposed then.
“We are at least 400 taxis oversupplied. They should have kept it to a maximum of 600.”
A Cardiff council spokeswoman said: “In view of the report finding that there is an oversupply of hackney carriages in Cardiff at this time, the committee decided to confirm the decision to place a limit on the number of licences to be issued.”
The key recommendation of the independent survey, which was funded by the council at a cost of between £10,000 and £20,000, was that the number of hackney carriage licences in Cardiff should be capped at the present level of 875.
Consultants AECOM found there was a “significant” oversupply of hackneys, with one cab per 349 people in Cardiff, compared to one for every 726 people in Birmingham and one per 450 people in Manchester.
Over three weeks in January and February, the consultants watched the city’s 14 main official and unofficial taxi ranks for a total of 946 hours and found that, apart from “short-term spikes” of excess demand, there were too many hackney cabs.
They even recommend improving enforcement around Cardiff Central Station to prevent cabs clogging up the roads.
AECOM found there were so many cabs in Cardiff, passengers waited less than five seconds, on average, at a rank.
But the oversupply means drivers often have to wait an hour or more between fares.
However, a survey of 1,000 people in the city centre between February 6 and 16, also carried out by the consultants, found the public do not feel there are too many hackney cabs in Cardiff or at least do not perceive it to be a problem.
The survey also found many passengers would like to see improvements to taxi services. Suggestions included reduced costs, improved customer service and improved driver and vehicle appearance.
Mr Khan blamed rogue drivers, who cherry pick the highest fares and park on illegal ranks, for tarnishing the reputation of Cardiff’s cabbies.
He called on the council’s enforcement team to take tougher action against those who break the terms of their licence.
Source; WalesOnLine.co.uk
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