Taxis to receive bus lane access in return for license fee rise
A taxi using the bus lane in Stafford Street, Hanley. They could soon be able to use them across the city. Left, Abdul Rauf.
TAXIS will soon be able to cut traffic queues by using all bus lanes across Stoke-on-Trent.
Plans are being drawn up to give hackney carriages access to routes which are usually for buses only.
It is one of a number of measures Stoke-on-Trent City Council is bringing in to support cabbies.
As a result, drivers have scrapped a petition against plans to increase vehicle licence fees.
Abdul Rauf, chairman of Stoke-on-Trent Hackney Carriage Association, submitted the 228-name petition.
Drivers warned the increase in the cost of the yearly licence from £235 to £242, when fuel prices have rocketed, could force them out of business.
But now Mr Rauf says cabbies have met with the city council and are happy that long-standing concerns, including rogue taxi drivers illegally picking up fares on the street, will be tackled.
Mr Rauf, from Shelton, said: "The council has made us aware that they need to put the fees up because of the extra workload they have taken on.
"They are putting out more services for hackney carriage drivers and they need to have more staff to do that.
"They have promised there will be more staff out there to root out the problem of rogue drivers picking up bookings.
"They also say all bus lanes will be made available to hackney carriage drivers.
"That will make it easier for us to get around the city and reduce our costs.
"The city council has to approve that at meetings, but we are told it could be done by August."
Mr Rauf added: "The city council has made us confident they will be taking action over issues we have raised.
"On those grounds we have decided to agree with the licence increase and the petition will be withdrawn."
The Hackney Carriage Association has often called for more to be done to tackle rogue cab drivers.
Cabbies say unlicensed drivers have beaten them to pick up passengers, while other drivers have overcharged people to top up takings.
The issue came to a head after cabbie Mohammed Qaddier, of Macclesfield Street, Burslem, was found guilty of causing the death of 21-year-old Katie Bennett by dangerous driving.
Katie, from Newchapel, fell from Qaddier's cab when he drove off with the door open after demanding more than the agreed fare.
Cabbie Dave Burgess-Pearson, from Bucknall, said: "The main problem we've got is taxi drivers overcharging and we have not been seeing any enforcement from the city council.
"We want them to come down hard on drivers who overcharge or don't keep their vehicles maintained."
Glynn Cross, the city council's principal licensing officer, said: "We have spoken to the hackney carriage drivers about the licence increases, and we are ready to work with them on identifying private hire drivers who pick up fares without pre booking.
"A report will also go before the city council to discuss allowing hackney carriages to use bus lanes."
First Bus chief executive Paul de Santis said he was aware of the move and is supportive – as long as the taxis do not obstruct buses.
He said: "We don't have any strong objections provided this is used sensibly to disperse traffic better.
"As with many cities, there seem to be too many taxis fighting over too little trade, and it does create traffic problems.
"However, it may lead to more cars trying to use the lanes, so we would want the council and the police to ensure that proper enforcement action is taken to prevent that."
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