Historic 'cap' on Worcester taxi drivers makes no difference - three years after kicking in AN historic 'cap' on taxi numbers in Worcester has failed to make a jot of difference - three years after it was introduced.
That's the verdict from an independent report, which reveals how the number of hackney carriages in the city is 14 per cent ABOVE the actual cap.
Back in February 2014 Worcester City Council decided to put a limit of 231 on the number of licensed hackneys.
That meant a ban effectively came into place on allowing any more in, as the number at that time stood at 265, with concerns rife for years about over-ranking, congestion and pollution.
But the number today stands at 264, just one less than three years ago, despite hope back in 2014 that natural wastage would lead to a steady reduction.
A team of consultants based in Scotland, Vector Transport Consultancy, was hired to assess the current situation and has now produced a 72-page report detailing its findings.
The dossier, which involved three weeks of observation in areas like Foregate Street and The Cross, found "approximately 24 per cent of hackney carriages left the ranks empty".
In the worst week there were 1,636 occasions when drivers were observed leaving the ranks without having a passenger to pick up.
The findings threaten to reopen the debate about the effectiveness of the cap, which was aimed at bringing numbers down over time.
But drivers say many members of the trade would find it difficult to find other jobs in the current climate, which is keeping the numbers high.
Back in 2014 the council did a survey where 84 per cent of people believed Worcester had too many taxis.
In 2001 the number stood at 100, with councillors consistently saying the figure has is too high.
Lesley Borthwick, from Worcester Taxi Drivers Association, said: "Drivers are certainly working longer hours - they will sometimes sit on a rank for one-and-a-half hours waiting for a job.
"They can be sat there for a while not earning anything, but in this day and age a job's a job.
"It's not a case of 'why haven't they left the trade', it's more a case of what can they do otherwise?
"It's a difficult one - in this current climate it's about having a job."
The report will be discussed by the city council's licensing and environmental health committee on Monday, starting from 7pm at the Guildhall.
Councillor Simon Cronin, the vice-chair, said: "Ideally we'd say '231 is the number' and keep it at that.
"But we're not allowed to tackle it from that angle."
The council says it is recommending them to "retain the current numerical restriction", despite the actual figure of hackney carriages being significantly above the cap.
Official Government guidance rules against caps being in place at all, unless councils can get an independent assessment done which show there is 'no unmet demand'.
source:
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/151 ... icking_in/
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