Taxi Driver Online

Some on here might be familiar with the slavishly pro-SNP The National newspaper. Well the Scottish Daily Express is the obverse of that, and vehemently anti-SNP. Which partly explains the headline, and also why this seems to be the only national title that's featured this.


SNP/Greens accused of handing redundancy notices to hundreds of taxi drivers in Low Emission Zone row

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/ ... s-27778036

Glasgow City Council has been accused of making hundreds of black cab drivers in the city unemployed next year.


Image: Daily Record/Scottish Daily Express

The SNP/Greens have been accused of serving redundancy notices to hundreds of Glasgow taxi drivers as the row over the city's low emission zone rumbles on.

Unite's Glasgow Cab Section have long called on the council to delay the introduction of the zone until 2024, bringing it in line with the three other major cities, Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

They claimed that their drivers were unable to afford to swap their vehicles for more eco-friendly ones, especially during a cost-of-living crisis.

However, their calls fell on deaf ears, with the SNP/Greens coalition instead pressing ahead with the plans which will ban vehicles of a certain age from the city centre.

The low emission zones ban all vehicles which emit too much fumes with the minimum emission standards for vehicles being Euro 4 for petrol cars and vans (generally vehicles registered from January 2006) and Euro 6 for diesel cars and vans (generally vehicles registered from September 2015).

If they were used in those cities the driver could face a fine of £60 which doubles for each contravention. This is capped at £480 for cars and light good vehicles and £960 for buses and HGVs.

Unite took to social media to reveal their frustration over the situation as they confirmed that their drivers had been sent out notices by the council warning them of the changers ahead.

They wrote: "So this truly awful @SNPforGlasgow/@glasgowgreens coalition of economic pygmies has just served redundancy notice on 100s of taxi operators, right at the start of an unprecedented cost of living crisis. Bravo!"

"Let’s be clear, @GlasgowCC has the choice to delay #LEZ and relieve some of the extreme pressure being felt by taxi operators. No right thinking local or national government would impose financially crippling costs on businesses at this time."

They posted an image of the letter from the council which warned that all drivers must have a compliant vehicle before the June 1 date.

In it, the local authority do offer grants for taxi operators but according to the union a set date of October 31 has been set, meaning that if drivers don't apply by then, they will not be able to get funding.

One angry taxi driver pointed out that the council made it sound like the funding was first come first serve which he blasted in a rant on Twitter.

The letter read: "Please note that retrofit grant funding is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. Funding is also only in place for this financial year, with future funding rounds not guaranteed.

The taxi driver wrote: "How lovely to receive my letter from @GlasgowCC informing me that if I don’t put my family into serious debt and buy a new cab they’ll take my job away from me! Cost of living emergency anyone? Shame on you all!

"Not only forcing our families into hardship but support is being provided on a first come first serve basis! My livelihood is being treated like I'm in a queue for concert tickets."

Glasgow Unite believe that up to 1000 taxi drivers could be forced to give up their jobs as they cannot afford to upgrade their vehicle to an electric one, or one with lower emissions.

Glasgow City Council has been approached for comment.

By coincidence, noticed this on TaxiPoint, and it's pure PR from Sherbert, which is both trying to punt EVs to HCDs in Sheffield, and also trying to promote itself as a specialist provider in schemes like this one in partnership with Sheffield City Council.

Also a bit of gaslighting in this kind of stuff, in my opinion at least


Cabbies feeling ‘optimistic’ about change after Sheffield electric taxi trials says Sherbet CEO

https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/cabbi ... herbet-ceo

Taxi drivers are feeling ‘optimistic’ about the change to greener electric vehicles after cabbies get the chance to trial the purpose built cabs in Sheffield.

Sherbet’s CEO, Asher Moses, visited South Yorkshire to talk to licensed taxi drivers about their experiences driving a new electric black cab.

Earlier this year, Sheffield City Council opened a new scheme giving local taxi drivers the chance to trial an electric taxi. Eight “Black cab” style London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVCs) will be available for two weeks.

The council chose to work with Sherbet, who were the winner in the competitive tender to deliver the scheme. Sherbet currently operate 500 electric taxis around the country.

All of the electric taxis are wheelchair accessible and aim to give drivers a hands-on experience of an electric taxi, while being cleaner, greener and saving on the cost of diesel.

The scheme is open now for drivers licensed with Sheffield City Council.

Asher Moses said on social media: “I have spent 2 days talking to drivers about going Electric and the conversations have been great. Everyone is so optimistic about wanting to make the change, now we just have to make it happen!

“The drivers who have taken the trials with us so far have been nothing but positive about buying the Electric Taxis after the trials and helping their city go green.

“Another 8 taxis going out on trials today. It's so exciting to be part of this stage of helping Sheffield become clean and green and it's so important for every city to make these changes for all our benefit.

“If you're a city thinking of doing taxi trials why not get in touch. We're happy to share our knowledge with any city or transport organisation who wants to know how to turn their cities green using licenced taxis!

Compare and contrast:

The SNP have become the Lap Dog of the Scottish greens ever since the Greens held the balance of power.

Nothing particularly new here, but interesting that the Scottish Sun has taken this up, and it's echoing an article in the Daily Record. Think they're still Scotland's biggest selling daily newspapers, although that's not saying much these days


COSTLY ECO ZONE I’m a taxi driver – I’m scared I’ll be put out of work if my cab is not ‘green enough’

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/9 ... ion-zones/

HUNDREDS of Glasgow taxi drivers have been left worried that they could be out of work in the next year if their cabs aren't green enough.

Glasgow City Council sent letters to around 1,000 drivers on Friday warning that both diesel and petrol vehicles must be low emission zone (LEZ) ready by June 2023.

That gives them around 10 months to get their hackney carriages ready - or they wont be allowed to drive in the city.

Drivers face forking out around £4,000 to get their cabs “retro-fitted” to become LEZ compliant.

Or they could opt for an LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) conversion which would cost around £12,000 to complete.

It could also cost drivers around £42,000 for a brand new taxi or around £60,000 for a new electric taxi.

As it stands, only around 420 hackney taxis out of a fleet of 1,420 are currently compliant with the city's LEZ standards.

According to the Daily Record, taxi drivers union Unite warned that majority of members won't be able to afford these prices, leaving them out of work.

Union official Steven Grant, who has also been a taxi driver for 13 years, called on the council to delay the programme for another year.

He added that it's another financial blow while many are still recovering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: "These letters are effectively redundancy notices from the council to taxi drivers.

"The guys do not have the money to meet the cost of fitting their vehicle to make it LEZ ­compliant or buying a new taxi and instead will have to give up and find another job.”

“We would like to see the Scottish Government pause this LEZ programme to give taxi drivers more time."

In February 2019, it was first reported that the council agreed to the implement the LEZ in the city to all vehicles.

This meant that petrol cars had to have an emissions standard of Euro 4 while diesel cars had to have Euro 6 by December 2022.

For petrol vehicles, this mainly applies to motors registered after 2006 and for diesel vehicles it mainly applies to those registered after 2015.

But this date was pushed back for taxis until June 2023.

The LEZ already applies to buses, which were effected from December 2019.

Penalty charges are set to be handed out from June 1, 2023, and locals will have an extended grace period to around June 1, 2024.

This includes a £60 charge by the registered keeper of the non-compliant vehicle if it enters the LEZ.

But it will be halved to £30 if it is paid early.

The LEZ have been designed to encourage drivers to use less polluting vehicles in the city in a bid to protect public health and improve air quality.

Other cities across Scotland are implementing similar taxi pollution measures.

In Edinburgh and Aberdeen it still start on June 1, 2024, while in Dundee enforcement will begin on May 30, 2024.

A council spokeswoman said: “Following recent approval of Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone by Scottish Ministers, we have written out to the city’s taxi operators to confirm its operation.

"The letter follows extensive previous engagement with the sector and highlights the funding support available from Transport Scotland for operators to achieve emissions compliance ahead of all vehicle enforcement from next June.

“As with all finite funds, early application is the preferred option.

"We have however advised taxi operators that should they make a valid application for retrofit funding before the end of October then a time-limited exemption to Glasgow’s LEZ may be applied for in the event that funding issues arise.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “To protect public health and improve air quality, it’s important that vehicles which routinely operate in city centres, including buses and taxis, are compliant with local authority Low Emission Zones.

"This step will also protect the health of taxi drivers who spend the majority of their time on the roads.

“The Minister for Transport has met with Unite, representing taxi drivers, to discuss their concerns.

"The LEZ retrofit fund provides up to 80% of the costs towards upgrading taxis to the Euro 6 standard.

"Over 200 taxis have already been retrofitted to LEZ standards with over £1.8 million in funding support made available by the Scottish Government.

“The Scottish Government also provides interest free loans for electric taxis which are delivered through the Energy Saving Trust.

"415 interest free loans have been agreed to help finance new electric hackney taxis.”

What exactly do you get for your £4,000?

_________________
IDFIMH

Glasgow taxi drivers urge council to extend LEZ deadline

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/sco ... -deadline/

GLASGOW cabbies are urging the council to intervene in the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) scheme before the city loses ‘a significant number of taxis’ when it is introduced.

The city’s LEZ final phase is due to take effect in June 2023, but taxi drivers and owners feel that the ‘pressures’ of this plan will result in a considerable loss of trade.

We previously reported that of Glasgow’s 1419 hackney taxis, 72% do not comply with LEZ Euro 6 standards, and cabbies have said they have not had enough time or money to get their vehicles ready.

In a letter submitted to a city councillor last week and mentioned in the Glasgow Times’ Secret Glasgow Taxi Driver column this week, Glasgow Taxis Ltd has highlighted four main requests.

They have called for an extension of the 10-month deadline, as well as more clarity on what is required of them to comply with the plan.

Furthermore, drivers are also urging the council to review what funding support they may need to make their vehicles low emission and safeguard any future switches to zero emission.

Drivers at the city’s George Square rank agree that June is too soon when other councils in Scotland have given their city’s drivers until 2024.

One told the Glasgow Times: “Last week was the first letter issued to owners. It’s been rumours and hearsay for two years but now we’ve been told officially."

Glasgow City Council has insisted, however, that their letter follows "extensive" previous engagement with the sector.

The driver added: “I think Glasgow City Council is hellbent on pushing ahead with this in June when other councils have pushed it back a year for taxi drivers.”

In March, Anna Richardson, Glasgow’s Carbon Reduction Convenor, stated that if drivers who are not compliant by June 2023 can prove that they are in the process of becoming so, they would still be able to work.

But Glasgow Taxis argue that following this, they have requested more clarification on what drivers must do to be considered as having ‘entered the process’ and claim they have received no response.

Another city cab driver feels that while the requirements are clear enough, drivers simply do not have enough time to prepare their vehicles.

He is also frustrated that he has taken steps to be compliant and purchased a new exhaust, but after it was retrofitted, he was told it hasn’t been fitted properly.

He said: “I’ve just bought a new exhaust for £2000 and I’ve been told bits are coming away and it’s not been done right.”

The impact of Covid on the taxi trade has created a ripple effect on drivers’ financial fears. One driver told the Glasgow Times that while recovering from the trade loss, he “cannot afford” to buy a new cab at £60,000.

He said: “I don’t know how they expect us to fork out thousands to retrofit our cars when we’re coming back from the pandemic.”

Calum Anderson, chair of Glasgow Cab Section, previously said that many drivers fell into debts of tens of thousands with no income to see them through two ‘tough’ lockdowns.

Glasgow Taxis Ltd now feels that the impending LEZ deadline is becoming the industry’s ‘greatest ever challenge’, and – if their requests are not considered by the council – they could reach the point of no return.

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Although we’ve made good progress in recent years to improve Glasgow’s air quality, some of our city centre streets continue to have stubbornly high levels of harmful air pollution which is why restricting access to the most polluting vehicles from next year is vital to protect public health.

“The letter issued by the council to taxi operators follows extensive previous engagement with the sector and highlights the funding support available from Transport Scotland for operators to achieve emissions compliance ahead of all vehicle enforcement from next June.

"This funding represents the best value method for operators to become compliant with the LEZ in advance of enforcement.”

With regards to the letter sent by Glasgow Taxis Ltd, a council spokesperson added: "We received correspondence last week from Glasgow Taxis in respect of LEZ enforcement and we will be responding to the points made very shortly.”

This comment is so cliched I'm surprised he didn't mention golf courses

Not sure if this is a genuine olive branch from the council, or just a PR gimmick that won't change the substantive difficulties the trade is facing with compliance


Some taxis could get extra time to comply with Glasgow Low Emission Zone

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/214 ... sion-zone/

Some taxis could be set to be given extra time to get ready for Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone.

Drivers and owners have been telling the council that is unaffordable for many to meet the conditions due to start on June 1 next year.

Now it is being proposed that enforcement for taxi operators who don’t have access to funded retrofit solutions to meet the LEZ minimum emission standards will be granted an additional extension.

Councillors are due to decide to grant a time-limited extension to give another year until June 2024.

The plan is that taxis that can be retrofitted, with the help of a Transport Scotland Grant, will need to comply by June 2023.

All other vehicles driving into the city centre must be compliant with the rules by June next year.

The council said operators who apply for retrofit funding by the end of October however will not be penalised if they cannot meet the emission standards in time should issues arise regarding funding availability and/or retrofitting capacity.

This discretionary mechanism which guarantees a short-term LEZ exemption, is designed to provide support and reassurance to taxi operators who are actively seeking to achieve emissions compliance through retrofit. In a similar vein, ongoing correspondence between the council and the Scottish Government regarding funding support for taxis has resulted in recent improvements to the LEZ Support Fund that will significantly reduce operators’ contribution to the cost of retrofit.

Angus Millar, Transport and Climate Convener, said: “Granting a temporary exemption to taxi operators who cannot access a funded retrofit solution to achieve emissions compliance would be a practical and proportionate way to support the sector ahead of next year’s general enforcement of Glasgow’s LEZ.

“This considered approach seeks to balance our absolute determination to tackle longstanding, illegal levels of air pollution in our city centre as quickly as we can, with our desire to mitigate as far as possible the cost to operators to achieve compliance.

“I also very much welcome the additional funding that has been made available through the retrofit element of the LEZ Support Fund. This will allow for those operators with vehicles that can be retrofitted to the required emission standards, to do so at a reduced cost.

“As we head toward LEZ enforcement, we will continue to support the taxi sector in achieving compliance, whether that is by encouraging the early uptake of this improved funding support for retrofits, or by granting operators additional time to prepare where they do not have that option open to them.”

The council said the LEZ will restrict access to the city centre zone “for the most polluting vehicles”.

For people who live within the LEZ there is also an additional year to comply.

Not entirely sure what this new 'deadline' is precisely. But reading the whole article, I suspect a lot of this is a tad misleading.

I mean, the paragraph about the new deadline (highlighted) doesn't even make sense - it should say 'brought forward' rather than 'pushed back', surely?

And some slightly odd, er, writing quirks as well, which doesn't inspire confidence in the article as a whole

Can't be bothered going through it all with a fine tooth comb, but the other paragraph highlighted below is surely utter nonsense?

The mention of "consumer-built hybrid vehicles in the UK have a battery life of around 50 miles" suggests it's maybe about PHVs, but the driver quoted at length is definitely an HCD.

I suspect some of the article is about HCs, some about PHVs, but it's all subsumed under the catch-all word 'taxi'


Glasgow taxi drivers at risk of becoming ‘bankrupt’ in face of new Low Emission Zone deadline

https://www.glasgowworld.com/news/glasg ... ne-3853111

Taxi drivers across Glasgow fear an upcoming LEZ compliance deadline next month, amidst an uncertain future for cab drivers in the city.

Glasgow taxi drivers are calling for a delay to the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in the city centre amidst fears of becoming ‘bankrupt’ in efforts to comply with the pollution scheme.

The original date for taxi drivers to make sure they have taken steps towards making their vehicle compliant was 31 May 2023, but was since pushed back to 31 October this year.

For most taxi drivers in Glasgow this means finding £1000 to place as a deposit on an interest free loan from the council for a hybrid car.

This news causes major stress for a large portion of Glasgow Taxi drivers, who are only beginning to recover from the loss of business caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Current electric vehicles on the market - that would comply with the demands of the council - cost upwards of £50k, and drivers fear that by the time they pay the loan off they will be forced to find a new car to comply with Glasgow City Council’s aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Michael Smith has been driving taxis in Glasgow for the last 26 years, winning the runner-up position for taxi driver of the year in 2019, he said: “The problem is that there aren’t enough compliant vehicles that are fit for purpose.

“As LEZs are put in place in cities across the UK, the whole industry in Britain are chasing compliant cars - making them really overpriced.

“By the time I’m able to pay off the car, it will most likely no longer be compliant - meaning I’m essentially just paying for a job.

“If we’re given more time, we’ll be able to wait for a more compliant car that is better fit for purpose - meaning that we’ll be driving cleaner cars in Glasgow a long time before 2030.

“Our only option really is to put down this £1000 deposit before the end of October - if we don’t, that’s us on the way out.

“The charge could push taxi drivers into bankruptcy.”

Most consumer-built hybrid vehicles in the UK have a battery life of around 50 miles, give or take, while taxi drivers in Glasgow often drive over 100 miles a day.

Cities across the UK have been struggling to meet the LEZ deadline following on from the pandemic - with Manchester delaying the implementation of their LEZ until 2026.

Michael Smith continued:”The infrastructure is not to put the LEZ in place in Glasgow so quickly.

“Andrew Burnham, the mayor of Manchester, said that even they couldn’t meet the deadline - and they’re a bigger and more modern city than Glasgow.

“We’re not asking for more money by any means, we’re just asking for more time for some breathing space.

“If we’re forced into compliance, I can see a lot of taxi drivers handing in their plates.

“We’ve already got a shortage of drivers after so many people decided to retire during the pandemic, and even more drivers are still in debt from the pandemic.

“Nobody will want to come into the industry because of the uncertainty, and it’s the people of Glasgow that will suffer because of it.”

Nothing particularly new here, except some interesting stats about why drivers left the trade during lockdown.

Or at least they would be interesting if they actually added up, but they don't really make sense.


Why can’t I get a taxi in Glasgow? Cabs reaching crisis-point over LEZ deadline

https://www.glasgowworld.com/news/why-c ... ne-3862736

The branch chairman of the Glasgow cab section said that the council have left the Glasgow taxi trade as ‘roadkill in the rear view mirror’

The taxi trade in Glasgow is reaching crisis point as the industry continues to shed drivers as a low emission zone compliance deadline approaches.

The average age of a taxi driver in Glasgow is in their 50s and many of them decided to pack up their business when the pandemic first hit in 2020.

As Covid-19 restrictions closed the late night and hospitality industry, many taxi drivers left the trade due to the lack of business - and the declining numbers of taxi drivers has continued nationally.

Research gathered by transport experts by CMAC group found that nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of drivers in the UK left the industry during or after the pandemic due to stress, while 21 per cent said it wasn’t a financially viable career.

A further 17 per cent couldn’t afford to keep their vehicle during lockdowns - around one in five (21 per cent) were unable to renew their licences and continue their careers - or had their vehicle repossessed, affecting their credit rating and ability to return to the industry.

GlasgowWorld spoke with branch chairman of the Glasgow cab section of UNITE, Calum Anderson, to discuss current issues the taxi trade faces in the city.

Calum Anderson, branch chairman of the Glasgow Cab Section of UNITE, said: “Many people have been leaving the taxi trade ever since the pandemic first started two years ago, and that exodus hasn’t stopped.

“More and more people are leaving the taxi trade, and there’s nobody to take their places.

“The LEZ is undoubtedly the cause of the most recent exodus, and the council will not listen to reason.

“Other cities aren’t enforcing the LEZ until 2024, Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester himself, said that the plans drawn up pre-covid bare no relevance post-covid.”

Calum Anderson claims that the recent loss of taxis on the road is in large part due to the upcoming LEZ deadline in Glasgow for many taxis to become compliant with emissions standards set by the council in the city centre.

The original date for taxi drivers to make sure they have taken steps towards making their vehicle compliant was May 31, 2023, but was since pushed back to October 31 this year.

For most taxi drivers in Glasgow this means finding £1,000 to place as a deposit on an interest free loan from the council for a hybrid car.

For many taxi drivers who have already incurred major debt from the pandemic, an extra £1,000 charge is the final nail in the coffin for their business.

Current electric vehicles on the market - that would comply with the demands of the council - cost upwards of £50k, and drivers fear that by the time they pay the loan off they will be forced to find a new car to comply with Glasgow City Council’s aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Calum Anderson,continued: “The supply chain issues are severe, where are these replacement taxis coming from?

“A new electric cab can cost around £65000, the average age of a taxi driver is 57, where are we meant to get the finance?

“The money isn’t there in the taxi trade to service that type of loan - the council have left the taxi trade as roadkill in the rear view mirror.”

Calum Anderson went on to argue about the importance of the taxi trade in supporting disabled commuters, as well as their transport contracts with schools.

Calum said: “There’s a clear shortage of taxi’s on the road right now, there is no common sense in the council’s decisions, and it will have knock-on effects on the hospitality trade in Glasgow.

“It’s getting harder and harder to get a taxi home from the city centre, and that make’s people anxious about going out if they’re worried about how they’ll get home.

“We’re already in a recession and more pubs, clubs and restaurants are shutting down, and the council won’t let up at all, they’re fumbling from one mistake to another.”

Calum Anderson argues if second-hand buying rules on taxis are relaxed, and drivers are given a deadline extension until ‘25 when the used taxi market from London begins to flow again, that Glasgow could be running entirely electric cabs before 2030.

The branch chairman concludes: “There’s nothing we can do to stop people from leaving the taxi trade just now.

“Prices for compliant vehicles are so prohibitive that we can’t get finance for them - our wages stopped in 2020 and didn’t start again for two years.

“While everything opened back up, we were the last business to pick back up to pre-pandemic levels.

“We’re just trying to get out of debt and now we’ve been told we need to buy a new taxi now, but there’s none available, so what do we do?”

I'd guess the first stat means that of those who left the trade, 23 per cent did so because of stress, etc, etc.

It reads like 23 per cent of all drivers left the trade because of stress, 21 per cent because it wasn't a viable career etc, which obviously doesn't make sense


There's that ambiguous phrase again. I'd guess it actually means that this year it was pushed back to 31 October, thus to 31 October 2023