Taxi Driver Online

Bit of a word salad from the trade rep here

Not sure I really understand what he's saying, but one point he makes seems to be that older cars are safer. I think

And, of course, localism is never ending - reads like both councillors and the trade objected to what they call 'Manchesterisation' being imposed on the Bolton trade.

But, of course, that's always been the argument against national standards, never mind just for Greater Manchester.


Bolton: Taxi drivers' relief after MLS scheme abandoned

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/23 ... abandoned/

Taxi drivers have expressed their relief after a highly controversial scheme to reform their trade was abandoned.

In a dramatic turnaround last week, the council’s ruling Labour group announced they were no longer supporting phase two of the minimum licensing standards (MLS) scheme.

This would originally have charged drivers for using vehicles more than 10 years old, a move which drivers say could have damaged their livelihoods.

Cllr Paul Heslop, a long-term opponent of the scheme, said: “Right from the beginning I never agreed with MLS, I think it was more about Manchesterisation than improving taxi standards.”

He added: “For me it was just one of those initiatives that was more about trying to bring in uniformity across Greater Manchester than it was about the interests of taxi drivers.”

Cllr Heslop said that he believed that given how many taxis are licenced outside the borough the proposed reforms were “mostly obsolete anyway".

The scheme was first agreed on by the 10 Greater Manchester councils in 2018 put provoked an outpouring of opposition from Bolton drivers ever since.

As well as a common Greater Manchester livery, since dropped, the most controversial aspect centred on a demand that taxi vehicles be no more than five years old on first registration and have been on the road for less than 10 years to avoid a charge.

Last month, the council’s leadership announced they were changing this part of the scheme to try and allay drivers’ concerns.

But just last week the same leadership took this a step further and announced they were scrapping the scheme.

This came after a meeting between leader Cllr Nick Peel, deputy leader Cllr Akhtar Zaman and executive cabinet member Cllr Sue Haworth with leaders of the taxi trade, including the Bolton Private Hire Association, last Thursday.

Cllr Haworth said: “Labour were never going to support a maximum age of 10 years or more livery.”

She added: “The Labour cabinet has been lobbied by the taxi trade to think again. Labour has listened to drivers who have raised additional issues.

“In addition, there are a couple matters about the car market and the taxi trade since the labour cabinet decision that persuade the cabinet to remove the council from Greater Manchester MLS 2.

On behalf of the trade attendee Mo Akram commended the “good judgement” they had shown in doing so.

He said: “We had always maintained our strong position that there was no place for ill-thought-out Greater Manchester initiatives on Bolton licensed drivers.

"By not implementing any of the proposed changes, the same would not compromise the current high licensing standards in place, in Bolton and the all-important no-risk to public safety.”

The proposal also encountered opposition from Bolton’s smaller political parties, including Cllr Heslop’s One Kearsley, which Mr Akram also commended.

Mr Akram said: “We would like to further extend our gratitude to the hard-working Bolton independent hyperlocal parties and the opposition parties pre and post local elections 2023 for calling-in the decision at the respective cabinet meetings.

“Whilst we do not wish to dwell any further on the past four plus years of communicating with the past and present administrations, we need to look forward on building a strong positive relationship and having continuous dialogue with elected members in improving standards and services at the authority for locally invested people and businesses.”

For what it's worth, this was published last week. So it looks like Bolton has effectively withdrawn from the Greater Manchester MLS.

So it's a bit odd that this wasn't mentioned in the articles about Wigan and the impact of MLS last week, nor in yesterday's piece about Andy Burnham and MLS etc.

I mean, they could just go to Bolton and get badged and plated there, rather than Sefton or Wolverhampton?

Of course, there are many other factors involved in getting licensed rather than what looks like mainly vehicle spec in the MLS stuff, but just saying...


Bolton taxis: 'Status quo' ruling on MLS taxi trade debate

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/23 ... de-debate/

The status quo will now prevail after plans to abandon controversial changes to the taxi trade were rubber stamped at town hall.

Bolton Council’s leadership announced last month that they were withdrawing their support Licencing Standards 2, which originally would have charged drivers for having vehicles that were more than 10 years old.

The scheme had provoked a wave of protests from drivers fearful of the impact on their livelihoods and a council cabinet meeting this week officially approved scrapping it.

Cabinet member for property services and regulation Cllr Sue Haworth said: “We are no longer supporting GM MLS 2, instead there is support for option two on the paper today to not support or approve GM MLS 2.”

She added: “The status quo will apply in the Bolton borough after this decision.”

The MLS scheme was first agreed on collectively by Greater Manchester’s 10 councils in 2018 and was designed to bring in a set of common standards for the 11,500 private hire vehicles across city region.

Under its previous administration, Bolton Council agreed to the first stage of the MLS proposals which were approved back in September 2021.

But taxi drivers repeatedly raised fears, at public protests and council meetings, that demands that vehicles be no more than five years old on first registration and have been on the road for less than 10 years to avoid a charge could have driven them off the road.

They also raised fears that a common livery policy could have made them a target for vandals.

In June, Bolton Council removed the age policy, agreed that there would be no Greater Manchester wide common livery and pushed back the new emissions policy from 2028 to 2030.

The following month the Labour leadership went a step further and announced they would be scrapping the second part of the scheme entirely.

But opposition councillors this week also raised the issue of protecting the public.

Conservative deputy leader Cllr Hilary Fairclough said: “I’m a little bit disappointed if I’m honest, I know that we want to be fair to everybody, but I do feel that the emphasis that you’ve put on cost of vehicles, protecting the drivers from having the livery.

“There isn’t a mention in there about the actual members of the public that we are there to look after.”

She added: “It particularly states that our job is to look after the public who are using the taxis.

“While I understand that all businesses are having a difficult time and we don’t want to unduly penalise them I do think that we have to revert back to what was our original job, which is to look after the general public.”

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Roger Hayes also raised similar questions about public safety.

But council leader Cllr Nick Peel said that though they were going back to the status quo this “does not preclude the licencing authority from ever reviewing any other policy.”

Ultimately the council cabinet agreed to approve withdrawing support from phase two of the scheme.

But will those charges apply when Bolton cabs go elsewhere in the Greater Manchester area?

It all seems a tad daft to me.

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