Private hire taxi drivers criticise decision to stop them to use bus lanes in the cityhttps://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/polit ... ty-4840733
Private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers have criticised Portsmouth City Council for reversing its decision to allow them access to bus lanes across the city.
Nearly 100 PHV drivers gathered at the Guildhall yesterday (24/10/2024) to protest plans to deny an extension of their access to bus lanes. In 2022, the council permitted PHV drivers, such as those working for Uber and other operators, to use five bus lanes throughout Portsmouth for an initial three-month period, which was later extended to nearly a year.
Currently, only buses, cyclists, emergency vehicles, and hackney carriages, taxis that can be hailed on the street or picked up from a rank, are permitted in bus lanes, whereas PHVs must be booked in advance. Council officers recommended that councillor Peter Candlish, the transport cabinet member, refuse an extension of the scheme to an additional 11 bus lanes.
However, Cllr George Madgwick proposed the opposite, advocating for an 18-month extension to allow the council more time to collect data on the scheme’s impact on city highways.
Cllr Emily Strudwick, who chairs the licensing committee, emphasised that the PHV trade had been requesting this “for several years” while other modes of transport benefit from grant funding and the taxi trade “never seems to get support.”
Former councillor Scott Payter-Harris, who initiated the original trial, criticised the lack of data included in the officer’s report, stating this omission placed Cllr Candlish in an “unenviable position” should his decision to refuse the extension be reviewed by a scrutiny management panel.
Uber trade representative Peter Sutherland questioned why the council allows hackney cabs access to bus lanes but not PHVs, claiming private hire is treated “as some sort of low-ranking poor relation”. He added: “Do we pay our licence fees to this city? Do we not provide virtually the same service? Do we not undergo the exact same stringent vehicle tests?”
Sutherland also noted that Portsmouth PHVs are allowed to use bus lanes in Brighton and Southampton, while out-of-town hackney cabs can use bus lanes in Portsmouth – an option denied to local PHVs.
In support of the officers’ recommendation, Mike Dobson from the Portsmouth Cycle Forum referenced Department for Transport guidance, noting that increased bus lane traffic could “act as a deterrent to cycling whilst also increasing conflict.”
The report mentioned that since the trial began in November 2022, “there have been no casualties involving cyclists within trial bus lanes” however, there was one near miss.
A Stagecoach spokesperson also backed the refusal, emphasising that “Bus lanes are a critical part of the city’s infrastructure; we operate buses in a challenging environment.”
They added: “Being the second most densely populated area outside of London, it’s vital the bus services operate with unimpeded priority as often as possible.”
Cllr Candlish cited the absence of conclusive evidence to show that the policy would improve traffic congestion or road safety as the basis for his decision.
He also expressed doubt over whether the scheme’s projected cost of £300,675 represented the “best use of that money.”
He added that the scheme might be reconsidered during the council’s next budget review, depending on other transport priorities.
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