Perth taxi deregulation fears
Sep 3 2010 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday
FEARS that Perth and Kinross councillors are contemplating driving through plans for a deregulated Fair City taxi industry have set alarm bells ringing.
And yesterday several operators urged the local authority to work in tandem with them before steering through any changes.
Five operators met with the PA to express their “deep concern” at suggestions Perth could break with tradition and create “a free for all” on Fair City streets.
George Fraser (Perth Taxis), Derek Sweeney (A and B Taxis), Andy Lothian (Ace Taxis), Ian Gow (independent) and Derek Petterson (Taylors Taxis) – all members of the Perthshire Taxis Association – fear that the quality of service on offer to the public, and the scale of investment in vehicles and back-up services, would suffer drastically if the council opted to give the green light to radical changes.
The businessmen are urging councillors on the licensing committee to commission an updated survey to see if lifting a current limit of 73 Hackney cabs is warranted.
Numbers have been restricted in Perth since 1979 and the current ceiling was created in 1985 after fears that unlimited cabs would lead to a lack of investment from taxi operators.
Now, with the country in the grip of one of the worst ever recessions, concerns are growing in the trade.
Mr Fraser said: “There is an air of uncertainty and that isn’t good when we are trying to plan for long-term investment.
“An independent review is long overdue. Maybe it is a victim of the cuts. The last one is well out of date but indicated there was no unmet demand and both drivers and the public were happy.
“Given the state of the economy it can only have changed for the worse.”
Mr Sweeney noted: “By limiting the number of Hackney cabs that can pick-up on the streets and from ranks, as happens in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling, the council has paved the way for massive investment in the trade in recent years.
“Operators have ploughed investment into vehicles, computer technology – which has been welcomed and used regularly by police chasing up inquiries – and office support staff.”
Mr Petterson stressed: “We want to work with the council. Deregulation is not the way to improve standards.
“We all have to remember local services and up to 300 full and part-time jobs would be at stake if deregulation was pushed through unnecessarily.”
Mr Lothian told the PA: “If the industry locally was deregulated we would be awash with taxies at the weekends.
“But a free for all is the last thing Perth needs. Standards would definitely fall. After discussions with the council I invested in a vehicle with wheelchair access which was three times the cost of an ordinary car.
“Under deregulation that simply wouldn’t be viable.”
Mr Gow pointed out that Hackneys were on the road an average of 16 hours a day but busy weekend trade subsidised weekdays and nights when drivers were often on stand-by at ranks.
“I have been in the trade for 46 years and have never seen business as bad as it is just now,” he groaned.
“It would be madness for the council to contemplate changes, especially in the current climate. Deregulation would cause chaos and local jobs would go.”
http://www.perthshireadvertiser.co.uk/p ... -27189339/
Login
Register
FAQ
