Taxi Driver Online

Nothing particularly new here, at least as compared to previous articles in the past few weeks.

The meeting looks like simply about deciding whether to have a consultation on removing the caps

But if there are still currently 1,238 HCs operating then that's a good bit more than the last figure stated in the press, which I think suggested that numbers were down to nearer 1,000

But, of course, with the whole retrofit and other extension still to be totally unwound, who knows how many HCs there will be left once it's all done and dusted?

And casual readers will be confused by the numbers in view of it all being about uncapping, since the HC cap is currently at 1,420, but there are only 1,238 extant licences at present


Meeting to discuss removing cap on private hires and taxis

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/248 ... res-taxis/

A meeting takes place this week to discuss whether the council should review the cap on taxis and private hire cabs in Glasgow.

Currently, there is an overprovision cap set at 1420 for taxis and 3450 for private hire cars.

There are 1238 taxi licences and 3450 private hire car licences operating in Glasgow.

Reports, however, have suggested there are not enough of each, particularly in the city centre in the evenings and at weekends to support the nighttime economy.

There have been calls from business leaders to increase the number of available licences to ensure more cabs on the streets.

They claim a lack of cars is keeping people away from the city centre at night.

Representatives for drivers, however, have said that the problem is a lack of customers and drivers are barely able to make a living.

On Wednesday, councillors will discuss a proposal by officials to instruct a consultation on the demand for taxi and private hire car services in the city and whether the Licensing Authority should continue to have policies limiting the number of such licensed vehicles.

It could see the cap removed and there being no limit on the number of licences the council can issue.

Or it could remain the same or in theory, potentially lowered.

Given the reports and studies that have led to the call for a review, it is likely any change would seek to increase availability.

The consultation, if approved, will ask: “Whether the policies limiting the number of taxis and private hire cars in the city are still necessary and proportionate and whether they continue to be in the public interest.”

The report to councillors by Mairi Millar, director of legal and administration, states: “Since the policies were last reviewed, concerns have continued to be raised regarding the availability of taxi and private hire cars in the city.

“Recent reports by the Progressive Partnership and Glasgow Caledonian University Moffat Centre, which were commissioned by the council, indicate that the late night city centre economy continues to face a number of post-covid challenges.”

The challenges include: “A decline in footfall, with both reports highlighting issues relating to a lack of late-night transport options including the availability of taxi and private hire cars acting as a deterrent to people coming into the city centre area later in the evening.”

The consultation would seek the views of the public generally the taxi and private hire trade and from those involved in the city’s late night economy.

The origin of the article is here

This bit -

1.10 At a meeting on 28 February 2024 the Committee agreed that a full independent review of both the Limitation of Taxi Licences Policy and the Private Hire Car Licence Overprovision Policy would be undertaken in June 2025.

makes me somehow suspect nothing much will happen until June. I could be wrong - it's been known to happen.

If the hackney limit is 1420 and there is currently only 1238 licensed, it does beg the question as to what is the point of the limit.

As for the PH limit, well that really serves no one other than maybe the multi-PH plate owners.

_________________
IDFIMH

It more begs the question of why there's no rush to take up the unused HC plates.

My guess is the LEZ - you'd be compelled to buy a new cab or gamble on a used compliant. The cheapest I can see is £20k just now.

According to the paper the number could go down to 1,278 and only then would there deemed to be SUD

But makes no practical difference, because if there are only 1,238 currently licensed, then presumably anyone could just go to the council with a compliant vehicle and get a plate (and Mr XH588 seems to be saying that in fact that's precisely how it is at the moment).

And presumably when there were still more than 1,278, and the council wouldn't issue any plates because it was deemed there was still no SUD, they were effectively worthless, because otherwise numbers wouldn't have fallen below 1,278 because people would have been buying them

But, aye, it demonstrates that at least from the perspective of the HC cap, removing it would be pointless, because no one will want a plate anyway.

That said, there could be, er, 'procedural' reasons that mean the council won't currently issue HC plates even though the simple numbers says there's SUD

Looks like the consultation is to go ahead -

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glas ... e-30789946

The cynic in me still suspects this is heading for long grass, when an overprovision review is due in the summer anyway.

According to this article, the number of rejected PHC applications seems to have jumped to 680. Not a bad earner for the council at £203 for a temporary and £483 for a full-fat.

Thanks for the link - have posted the article below, because I find it easier to read stuff if I'm a bit more engaged with it in some way

And, although most of it is rehash, one or two interesting new nuggets.


Bid to raise number of Glasgow private hire drivers as cap consultation agreed

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glas ... e-30789946

A public consultation will be held to help Glasgow's licensing committee decided whether a cap on private hire and taxi numbers in the city should be retained.

Scrapping a cap on taxi and private hire cabs could see big firms like Uber “flood the market” and hit drivers’ earnings, a trade body has warned.

Business leaders want Glasgow to remove a limit on vehicle numbers to boost the night-time economy, as they say it is keeping people away from the city centre.

Ride-hailing app Uber also wants the overprovision policy to be removed, claiming the move would give drivers new earning opportunities and provide “greater transport options” to passengers.

But their views are at odds with the Scottish Private Hire Association (SPHA), which believes an oversaturated market will lead to drivers “being forced to work more and more hours” to make a living, raising safety concerns.

Glasgow’s licensing committee — which rejected over 680 bids for private hire car licences from May to the end of 2024 due to the 3,450 vehicle limit being reached — agreed today (Wednesday, January 15) to hold a consultation on the policy.

Committee chairman, Cllr Alex Wilson, SNP, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he would be “reluctant” to remove the limit but any decision will be based on the consultation’s findings. Councillors could choose to raise the cap, allowing more cars to operate in the city.

Cllr Wilson said feedback from the trade has suggested there are currently enough cars, but drivers are choosing not to work at peak times.

He believes firms should incentivise their drivers to work at these times, which include weekend evenings, adding: “I think the cap has worked well and it is keeping the market competitive.”

The policy was last reviewed in 2023, when the committee agreed to make 255 more private hire car licences available to address demand at busy times.

A review had found “unmet demand” for taxis and some evidence of “potential underprovision of private hire cars”, particularly at peak times. It added the “primary issue is a lack of drivers rather than a lack of vehicles”, but the change “may assist in increasing the number of drivers entering the trade”.

However, recent reports by market research agency Progressive Partnership and Glasgow Caledonian University Moffat Centre, commissioned by the council, indicated “the late night city centre economy continues to face a number of post-covid challenges”.

They highlighted issues “relating to a lack of late-night transport options including the availability of taxi and private hire cars acting as a deterrent to people coming in the city centre area later in the evening”, a council report states.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow’s chamber of commerce, said the city centre is the “heartbeat” of the city’s economy, but it is still facing significant challenges in recovering from the pandemic”.

He added: “A vibrant night-time economy is crucial to this recovery and ensuring that people can travel to and from the city centre easily and safely is key to its success.

“Our research shows the availability of taxis and private hire cars is a significant factor, particularly at peak times. Glasgow is the only city in the UK to operate a cap on private hire cars and this is limiting the options of late-night visitors to get home.

“This is not just an inconvenience but is actively deterring people from coming to town, which is something we cannot afford if we want to see growth and vitality return to our city centre.”

A spokesman for Uber said scrapping the cap would “support local businesses, in particular in the night-time economy in which many businesses have highlighted the unmet demand for more taxis”.

He added: “All drivers will have access to industry leading worker rights such as holiday pay and a pension, as well as formal representation through the GMB union. More passengers will be able to count on a safe trip through a range of industry-leading safety features."

But Eddie Grice, general secretary of the SPHA, said a “supermajority” of his members support the cap. “Massive firms, like Uber, would flood the market if we didn’t have this policy in place,” he added.

“Without the cap, driver earnings would plummet at a time where costs are ever increasing. This would inevitably lead to drivers being forced to work more and more hours on the road which in turn gives rise to public safety concerns.

“The cost of adding more and more cars to the fleet, the cost of increasing efficiency metrics in that context, is an oversaturated workforce struggling to make ends meet.”

A public consultation was proposed after a meeting between Cllr Wilson and Cllr Angus Millar, SNP, the council convener for city centre recovery, who regularly meets with leaders in Glasgow’s night-time economy.

It will seek views from the trade, hospitality firms and the public on whether a cap is still necessary. There are currently 1,238 taxi licences, which are limited to 1,420, and 3,450 private hire car licences.

Not really sure how it would affect Uber, to be honest, but this provides zero insight in that regard - it's just the usual comms boilerplate they use, especially when entering new markets.

Ditto the stuff from Uber towards the bottom of the article.


What an utter embarrassment. I mean, for a start, they've already rejected 680 applications, and no doubt the vast majority of them will be from existing drivers. So why not just let them drive their own car rather than working as rental serfs for those favoured by Councillor Wilson?

Alternatively, if they are new drivers then that'll surely help reduce unmet demand at night?

And, I recall the best part of thirty years ago seeing through this particular racket within a couple of weeks in the trade, when the plateholders were on their constant 'too many taxis/not enough drivers' moan.

But, of course, the official pretence was that it was all about controlling supply of 'taxi services' (now also PH). It's not - it's about controlling access to vehicles, and all the profiteering and plate premiums that go with it.

But, to that extent, the surveys used to conflate vehicles and drivers. Now they don't even bother with that pretence - even the likes of the survey in this case says that more drivers should be recruited to meet the statutory tests, which means that plate numbers (both HC and PH) can be retained

As for the SPHA stuff, again that kind of thing was excruciating back in the 1990s

Never heard of 'the cost of increasing efficiency metrics' before, though - suspect that translates as something like 'selling my plate' or 'taking on rental serfs' at inflated prices

Statement from Glasgow Taxis Ltd -

Glasgow is among the best served cities in the UK for the provision of taxis and private hire vehicles, by the measure of number of vehicles per head of population.

Despite this, questions have been raised recently by members of Glasgow’s business community, most vocally by the hospitality sector, regarding the number of taxi and private hire vehicles, questioning if it is negatively impacting on people when considering coming into the city.

Specifically, it was suggested by some that it is the current agreed cap – which is 1238 taxi licences and 3450 private hire car licences – that is causing this problem in that, in their opinion, it is too low.

In their view, in simple terms, there are not enough taxis on the road therefore raising the number further or even lifting the cap entirely will improve the provision and can singularly revive Glasgow’s nighttime economy.

In our qualified opinion, what Glasgow experiences at present is no different from the challenges facing other UK cities in relation to the nighttime economy. Increasing the cap or removing it all together will have no impact, as has been attempted elsewhere, or worse still, could cause further damage to Glasgow. Some of these other cities have no cap, yet it has made no difference.

It is no more or less difficult to get a taxi home in Glasgow at peak times today than it was 10 years ago. That is unchanged and that is simply a matter of capacity. What has changed is people’s behaviour, what they seek from the night-time economy, with a new desire for experiences rather than drinking sessions.

Consumer behaviour in Glasgow, and other cities, has changed for a number of reasons. People have been reprogrammed during Covid into a different lifestyle with a new desire for different experiences than previously. The cost-of-living crisis is another major factor. Glasgow’s hard drinking culture is diminishing, ever-increasing numbers of young people don’t drink at all. That’s just some headline factors, there are many more.

Given all this, the night-time economy of Glasgow and the businesses at the heart of it, need to look at what they are offering and understand that the demand for taxis and private hire vehicles has in fact been reduced. Increasing volume or removing the cap is no solution, it only adds more problems.

Taxis and private hire cannot be the overall solution to all public transport problems. All the other public transport providers need to consider their offering in terms of times and scheduling of services. Glasgow Taxis are part of a working group working in conjunction with all public transport providers, and Glasgow City Council, to explore resolutions which we are committed to doing.

Just last week, this debate has led to Glasgow City Council agreeing to a consultation which, again in layman’s terms, will review the existing cap and the numbers of taxis and private hire vehicles serving Glasgow. It should be said, such a review of numbers is a normal thing that happens every couple of years for the city. The second part of this consultation however will be to review whether the longstanding policy to cap the numbers is still relevant.

The outcome of this is critical for Glasgow and for the trade and we must settle on a proper solution. The consequences of getting this wrong would be making the situation worse than it already is by way of a reduction in the provision of public transport, by making it financially unviable for operators already up against challenging conditions.

What happens next? The road to the consultation agreed last week will take place soon so that everyone can have their say.

We understand the question asked will be: “Whether the policies limiting the number of taxis and private hire cars in the city are still necessary and proportionate and whether they continue to be in the public interest”

We will have plenty to say and we will say it – and encourage our taxi owners, our members, our drivers and our staff to have their say too.

Let’s get this right together, and work as a city to develop a fully joined-up and comprehensive transport infrastructure and service provision overall which the city of Glasgow and the people who live here or visit here deserve.

https://www.glasgowtaxis.co.uk/uncatego ... sultation/

They don't oppose a consultation but want it to take account of all views - fair enough. I can see Joe Public answering the question purely on the basis of 'that time' they had to waited for a cab... at midnight on a Saturday, during a train strike, in a rainstorm, etc. Not on the basis of 11am on a weekday in summer when they decided it would be nicer to walk.

Would certainly agree with GTL that removing the caps would make little difference to supply, and that the wider nighttime economy's woes probably more due to other factors

I hope this isn't the nutty 'We would sooner have more buses than taxis/PH' statement that we have seen before from nutty people who should know better.

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IDFIMH

Think the point is (or should be) more subtle than that.

Most suburban public transport shuts down between 11pm-midnight. First Bus Glasgow wanted to drop all its night services in 2023 because they were running at a loss – they were only kept by doing a deal with McGills.

So from midnight to (say) 3am HCs and PHCs can cash in clearing up late nighters and stragglers who have few other transport options. Great! Now what do we earn in the other 20-odd hours of the day when there are?

Is the Chamber of Commerce offering to subsidise our ongoing licensing, insurance, maintenance, etc costs if/when their night-time economy income revives? Probably not.