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A TAXI firm boss is demanding action over red tape surrounding driver applications which he claims is threatening the trade.
Newton Aycliffe-based Horndale Taxis owner James Crowe last year appealed to Durham County Council (DCC) for a change to the licence application process in response to a “shortage” of drivers across the county.
Almost one year later he says nothing has improved.
“They are butchering our trade,” said Mr Crowe. “The length of time and costs involved (in getting a badge) is ridiculous.
“You used to get people doing it (driving taxis) as a part time job but you don’t get that anymore, that’s stopped.”
In the period from April 1, 2016, to February 3, 2017, DCC received 121 applications for private hire and hackney carriage licences.
In the same period it granted 41 licences and refused two applications while 32 applications were withdrawn by the submitter and 74 lodged applications were not completed by the submitter.
Mr Crowe believes the low numbers of drivers completing the process or pulling out is a result of a “rigorous” system with “harder tests”.
Drivers wanting to obtain either a hackney carriage or private hire licence are required to pass a knowledge test, locality test, practical driving test as well as passing a number of checks such as medical and criminal record.
It is understood the cost of the process is about £160 and drivers must continue to renew their licence after obtaining it, either every year, two years or three years.
“People who have not completed it is because they might not pass the test so they have given up,” he said. “It’s because of the hassle and hoops you have to jump through.”
Mr Crowe is calling on the authority to make the tests easier by scrapping the requirement to know in full the locality, as he believes drivers should be able to use satellite navigation systems.
He believes the authority should look to Newcastle City Council which no longer requires prospective private hire drivers to sit a specific locality test, but rather an updated statement of knowledge, while prospective hackney carriage drivers take a formal topographical test.
“If they had tests like Newcastle it would help the trade massively and would help the shortage of drivers in the trade in County Durham,” he added. Mr Crowe believes Newton Aycliffe is short of around 20 drivers and his company alone has four full-time vacancies.
He said he was losing at least £2,000 in business a week, adding: “We can’t cover what is coming through the door.”
Joanne Waller, DCC’s head of environment, health and consumer protection, said the authority disputed suggestions it had become more difficult to gain a licence, adding: “We believe it is only right that all our licensed drivers should be knowledgeable, professional and competent.
“Whilst ensuring that barriers to entry are not unnecessarily high, we require applicants for a hackney carriage or private hire licence to satisfy a number of criteria, including that they pass a knowledge and locality test.
“Changes were made to the locality test for private hire drivers last year to make it less of a burden.
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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector
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