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PostPosted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 6:21 pm 
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There's been at least two previous threads on this (or at least one on the Shropshire de-zoning and another on the WAV/emissions spec specifically relating to Oswestry).

But recall last time round that there was some discussion on here about whether it was the WAV thing or the emissions spec that was the real problem, as well as confusion over the dates. And what's not mentioned in the piece, but was discussed on here previously, was that Oswestry seems to have been affected by an influx of Wolverhampton-plated cars, so that might explain some of the claims regarding the reduction in numbers plated locally.

So apart from the fact that the piece below drones on a bit, probably best to take it all with a pinch of salt.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=34046&p=388615

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33353


'No taxis left' if disabled measure brought in, warns Oswestry firm

https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co ... stry-firm/

There will be no taxis left in Oswestry in a couple of years warns one taxi firm.

Drivers from Higgins Taxis, based in the Maesbury Road Industrial Estate, have warned residents that they fear there will be no taxis in service in the town from as early as 2021.

The concerns come after an amendment made to the county’s taxi policy in March this year, in which it states that all Hackney carriages should be wheelchair accessible.

Now owner of the firm, Tim Higgins, and his brother Mark Higgins, are voicing their concerns surrounding the outlay of purchasing such vehicles and have called for councillors to back their request for Shropshire Council to reconsider its updated policy.

Addressing councillors at Oswestry Town Council Markets and Town Centre Committee meeting last week, [del Sep 18] Mark said that the firm was concerned with the cost of having to purchase a new fleet of taxis that met the criteria set by Shropshire Council, and of the extra running costs that come with them.

“The policy for all Hackney vehicles for the whole of Oswestry to be 100 per cent wheelchair accessible, has raised great concern,” Mark said.

“New wheelchair accessible vehicles with modifications can cost around £40,000 and are limited to a range of larger vans or MPVs which will cost more to run.

“The sensible solution would have been to have a mixed fleet.

“What should really concern the council, is that it has been predicted that by April 2021 there will be no taxis in Oswestry.”

And his concerns were echoed by owner Tim who said that having to replace each of his vehicles in order for them to be wheelchair accessible, would not be viable.

“For a number of years we’ve had a wheelchair accessible fleet,” said Tim.

“Our issue has now become that our vehicles are coming to the point where they’re going to need to be replaced because of emission standards and everything else in the council’s policy.

“The message I’d like to relay to Oswestry Town Council now, is that we shall not be replacing our fleet because it is not economically viable.

“And the reason for that is that we are almost in 2020 now and if we were to go out and purchase three wheelchair accessible vehicles, it would be very expensive and a significant outlay.

“The biggest issue for us is that in 2024, Shropshire Council are again going to review the policy.

“So if we had assurances that we would be fine for five years say, we’d consider it. ‘You’d think okay, so in 5 years time we’d have recuperated the cost of that’. It would be a sensible business decision.

“If the council would think about reviewing in 2026 it would give me a realistic time scale, but in 2024 to have that hanging over you is just not viable.”

Shropshire Council’s licensing officer, Mandy Beever, was in attendance at the meeting to clarify taxi regulations and the recent de-zoning of taxi service areas.

She said: “We’ve been asked to come here today to discuss with the committee some complaints that we have received due to lack of wheelchair accessible vehicles in Oswestry.

“We also had requests for taxi zones to be removed and to have one administrative area for Shropshire council.

“The council has now put forward that all Hackney carriages have to be wheelchair accessible.

“There is an option there for all those Hackney carriage drivers to transfer the vehicles that they currently use to private hire vehicles and carry on doing what they’re doing under the private hire regime instead.

“This was all put out within the consultations and brought back to the Strategic Committee for consultation.

“We took on board the financial difficulties that the trade would have and this is why the original proposal that we were to de-zone from April, 1, 2019 was extended to allow a transitional period, to April, 1, 2021.

“We consulted on this from 2018 so it’s been quite a lengthy lead-up already to what’s going to happen in reality and the de-zoning has now gone through the committee process and it has been accepted.

“The final bit now is to report to all councils that it is in place and the decision has been made.

“We’ve done our legal duty for that process and that’s where we’re at right now.”

Councillor Duncan Kerr, also had concerns surrounding the policy review date being in 2024 and called for Oswestry Town Councillors to back him in asking Shropshire Council to extend the period by another two years to prevent turning a ‘difficult situation into a catastrophic one’.

“This is obviously quite a serious, complex and vitally important issue,” cllr Kerr added.

“It does seem like this review in 2024 is tipping what is a difficult situation into a catastrophic situation because the time frame it gives operators is just not long enough for them to recoup the investment they need to make in their fleet.

“So I am asking for the support of the councillors here that we ask Shropshire Council to give a far longer period - to take it through to 2026 perhaps.

“You of your own volition can give some certainty here at a time where we desperately need to attain and build on the services currently being offered.”

The operations manager of another taxi firm in Oswestry, spoke of the difficulties which had arisen from the change in policy but stated that ‘there is nothing you can do about it’.

Rachel Groome, from Jeff and Burgess Taxis based in Oswald Road, said that the changes in the taxis policy has been an ongoing situation.

“This is not the first time they've implemented these changes,” she said.

“Previously we have invested in new vehicles to fit the criteria.

“It's obviously a big investment and drivers might not make a return on their investment as you can't charge any extra for wheelchair users.

“Due to the council’s criteria, you can't really buy second hand and new vehicles are expensive.

“The amount of Hackney taxis in Shropshire has decreased over the last few years due to the changes in regulations, this is the reason most of ours are private hire.

“We even had to get rid of a number of our vehicles as they weren't suitable after changes in the criteria during the last review

“I’d say that soon the general public won't be able to access wheelchair accessible vehicles as easily as there won't be as much availability.

“The outlay is already a lot of money so the review will make it harder for existing business and for potential new drivers

“I understand the emissions given its a global issue, but with regards to other restrictions I think the criteria is hard enough.

“But there's nothing you can do about it I suppose and it will affect all of Shropshire.

“We lost a lot of contracts earlier this year because the vehicles we had didn't meet the criteria and there wasn't enough time to be able to buy new ones.

“It's more cost effective to have to lose work for us then rather than invest tens of thousands of pounds in new vehicles.

“They [Shropshire Council] don't make it easy but there's nothing you can do about it.

“The demand for taxis far outweighs the supply at the moment.”


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 6:23 pm 
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Oswestry HC proprietor wrote:
“What should really concern the council, is that it has been predicted that by April 2021 there will be no taxis in Oswestry.”


Which nonsense underlines why it should all be read with a pinch of salt :roll:


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 8:02 pm 
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Location: Stamford Britains prettiest town till SKDC ruined it
Locally there are no WAV's I persevered for many years but the reality is the general public hate them so unless they all get them those that do will find work drying up the rest will probably find that PH using saloons is more popular.

I can see it happening with some small towns up and down the UK becoming Hackney free zones IF councils insist on big expensive vehicles which are unpopular with the customers

That said in Spalding (slightly larger than stamford) numbers are up to about 40 all Wav as opposed to 80 plus in Stamford non wav but there are no big PH operators and many are company owned vehicles with a vast army of drivers down the road in Peterborough willing to drive a company vehicle as taxi ownership in this part of the UK is dying out and most drivers are looking for a good cheap rent on a company vehicle as licensing and vehicle costs continue to rise

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 26, 2019 3:57 am 
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StuartW wrote:
Oswestry HC proprietor wrote:
“What should really concern the council, is that it has been predicted that by April 2021 there will be no taxis in Oswestry.”


Which nonsense underlines why it should all be read with a pinch of salt :roll:

Indeed, a load of old fanny.

Not sure what the hackney criteria will be, but you can get new WAVs for about £20,000. Less than a Skoda Superb.

Clearly there may be some who can't afford a new WAV, but then they can drive a PH, be they licensed locally or via the Wolverhampton swamp. Thus punters will always be able to book a car to take them from A to B.

In short the world will not end.

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 12:09 am 
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Councillors getting in on the act now :?

Of course, the availability issue could also be related to all the other stuff that's going on...


Oswestry councillors raise fears over future of town taxis

https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co ... own-taxis/

FEARS have been voiced that Oswestry could soon be left without a taxi service as a result of new legislation on vehicle accessibility.

Under section 165 of the Equality Act 2010, which came into effect in 2017, all taxis deemed ‘wheelchair accessible’ must be capable of transporting wheelchair users either in a seat or in their chair.

Drivers must offer to assist passengers to get themselves and their chairs in and out of the vehicle, and cannot refuse passengers who are wheelchair users or charge them extra.

Shropshire Council adopted a new licensing policy in 2019 incorporating the new legislation.

But at a meeting of Oswestry Town Council on Monday evening, councillors said the new rules had led to a sharp decline in taxi availability in the town.

Members voted to set up a working group with Shropshire Council, community transport provider Qube, local taxi operators and the Business Improvement District (BID) to discuss the problem, and to ask Shropshire Council to carry out a review of its policy.

Councillor Duncan Kerr, chairing the meeting of the finance and general purposes committee, put forward the motion. He said: “We have all expressed concern about taxi availability in the town.

“I think it’s appropriate for Shropshire Council to review the impact of this decision.

“I understand the need to comply with the Equality Act, I understand why [the council] has had to make some difficult decisions.

“But I do think we need some data on the impact of that decision on the availability of taxis in various locations in Shropshire, so we can just see what the outcome of that policy is. Sometimes policies have unintended consequences.”

Councillor Kerr said he had been told by several taxi operators there would be “no taxis left in Oswestry” by next year. There are however several private hire operators serving the town, but Councillor Kerr said vehicles were not always wheelchair-friendly.

He said: “The Shropshire Council policy as I understand it clearly applies to taxis, it’s a lot less clear what applies to private hire vehicles.

“This is one of the problems. People are not able to get taxis but they are able to get private hire vehicles, but the private hire vehicles that I’ve seen around here are not wheelchair adapted.”

Councillor Kerr said the idea of forming a working group was so that the organisations involved could investigate options for running or supporting alternative wheelchair-accessible services, “if the very worst happens and we do end up in a situation where there is practically no provision in the town”.

He added that taxi availability was a matter of safety.

He said: “As a White Ribbon authority we don’t like to hear of stories where people are having to take lifts from friends or lifts from people they don’t know because they just simply can’t get a taxi to go home.”

Councillor John Price said the decline in availability was because wheelchair accessible vehicles were much more costly.

Councillor Les Maguire recalled a warning given by local taxi firm Higgins Taxis before the new legislation came in, “that the changes to be made would lose us taxis”.

He said: “The council was warned back then that this would have a detrimental effect, and it’s evident now.

“We need to go to Shropshire Council to re-evaluate the changes that they’ve made.”

Councillors unanimously voted in support of Councillor Kerr’s motion.


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