Taxi Driver Online

This reads like something from around 15 years ago, but according to the website the article was published 2 hours ago.


Council removes restriction on limit to number of Hackney carriage taxis

https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/17787733 ... age-taxis/


Image: NW Evening Mail

LICENSING bosses have lifted a cap on the number of hackney carriages taxis that can operate in Barrow.

Previously Barrow Borough Council limited the number of licences that could be given out to 120.

Hackney taxis can pick passengers up from off the street rather than having to be pre-booked.

At a recent meeting of the council licensing regulatory committee, members agreed to remove the cap on the limit of Hackney carriage vehicles.

The council said the decision could increase the supply and choice of taxis and shorten waiting times for passengers.

Members also said there would be greater demand for ‘black cab’ taxis with an increase in BAE contractors in the town.

They were advised that removing the restrictions on the number of licences would affect taxi drivers’ ability to transfer Hackney carriage licences to other vehicles for a fee.

Advice from the Office of Fair Trading, which conducted a market study into taxi licensing regulation, said where quantity restrictions were maintained by local authorities, it limited the availability of taxis, lowered the quality of service and suggested restrictions should be lifted.

Taxi drivers expressed concern at the changes at a recent meeting of the Furness Taxi Trade Association.

Bob Mullen, secretary of the group, said: “Nobody knew about it until they did it and nobody is pleased by it.

“It would benefit some people who wanted the plates but didn’t want to pay for them because you could transfer them to another driver for anything up to £1,000.

“This would take £1,000 out of the pockets of drivers because the transfer value is gone.”

He said he was concerned about overcrowding at a ‘very, very poor provision of taxi ranks’.

Councillors had also proposed plans to force all taxis to be wheelchair accessible, but this was not agreed upon at the meeting.

Instead, committee members resolved to create a working group of councillors, council officers and members of the taxi trade to discuss disability provision further.

Ubaro, a mobile app similar to Uber, recently launched in Barrow using licensed drivers.

Must be 15 years or so since that was published.

Never quite got round to reading it all myself (it was hundreds of pages), but well done to the council here for actually getting to the end after such a long time


Well if that's all the plates are worth then probably won't make a huge amount of difference anyway.

Suspect even my plate is worth a wee bit more than that

My view is that by capping Hackney licences that encourages the growth of private hire, which will then lower the standards by encouraging the likes of U**r into the area.

Cannot understand why the so called Association have not raised a complaint against Officers of the Committee for misleading the elected members in the provision of information which was ridiculed by Parliament when the report was first published years ago.

They should have been pointed in the direction of the Law Commission report which recommended that Authorities who limit numbers should continue to do so ,those who wish to limit numbers for first time after Law Commission recommendations come into force do so under a set of rules.

But isn't taking £1,000 out of the pockets of prospective drivers wanting to own their own cabs equally as bad?

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IDFIMH

This was done without any consultation from the trade whatsoever, the first we knew about was after it was done. That is apart from an operator who suspiciously sold his plates shortly before. Strange that he has a councillor on his firm!

Said Councillor should be reported to the Standards Committee so an investigation into misdemeanours can be carried out.(similar to insider trading)

The reasons to delimit are set out at the bottom of this council decision list.

https://democracy.barrowbc.gov.uk/docum ... 0FINAL.pdf

It appears the council had no justification to keep the limit, thus legally they can delimit.

And the council wouldn't have done this on the quiet, so the local trade, should they wish to moan, have only themselves to blame for it.

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IDFIMH

our experience is that it lowers standards anyway due to large numbers of unsuitable drivers moving to areas where HC is unrestricted

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Yes, the council did do this on the quiet, we have asked them to carry out the overdue unmet demand survey several times at liason meetings. They actually have it in the minutes that they would consult with the trade before delimiting. The liason meeting which was due just before the decision was cancelled by them and now they seem to be avoiding any further liason meetings.

a council only consulting with the trade when it suits them I am surprised NOT

all councils treat consultation exercises as a way of fobbing off people,businesses etc.

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Looking at the report to councillors it appears you are correct.

https://democracy.barrowbc.gov.uk/docum ... e.pdf?T=10

Page 59 onwards.

Not sure that is in accordance with the law.

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IDFIMH