Taxi Driver Online

Where to start with this?

On second thoughts, maybe better not to start wading through the detail.

Surprisingly, the U-word isn't mentioned, but that's the subtext.

Wouldn't be surprised if this article is some sort of collaboration with Uber (and the P&J) but maybe they think it's better if the U-word isn't mentioned

(And another fair bit of effort from the P&J - there are eight photos, viewable via the link if anyone feels the need.)


Bob Keiller: We are heading into Tall Ships tourists bonanza with fewest taxis we have had in years – rethink Aberdeen’s ‘knowledge test’ before it’s too late

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... is-crisis/

I fear a recent study could be used to justify keeping this controversial test in place - when we can't afford to maintain it.

Aberdeen’s taxi shortages have been a talking point for some time now, and are becoming an increasing concern as the city looks to grow its reputation as a tourist destination.

The Tall Ships festival is expected to bring thousands this summer, with a revamped beach among the regeneration projects intended to lure visitors here in the years to come.

With all this in mind, you might think city licensing chiefs would be doing all they can to ensure a decent number of taxis are on the roads…

But according to the findings of a recent report, there is “currently no evidence of significant unmet demand for the services of taxis in Aberdeen”.

This study was commissioned by the council following years of complaints about revellers waiting hours to get home from nights out, and amid rising concerns the crisis was putting people off from coming into town altogether.

But the independent report concludes there is “no need to increase the limit on the number of taxi licences”.

What? No unmet demand? You must be joking (I hear you say).

Technically, they are right…

But it is confusing.

What are my concerns about recent Aberdeen taxi study?

Most of us use the term “taxi” to mean a car we can book to come and collect us or a cab we can hire from a taxi rank or hail on the street.

“Private hire cars” (which you can pre-book and ask them to come and collect you) are different from “taxis” which are licensed to pick up at ranks and can be hailed on the street.

The majority of cars in Aberdeen do both taxi work and private hire work.

And the recent unmet demand study was focussed on taxis – not private hire cars, so was all about those vehicles picking people up from city ranks.

The independent Licensed Vehicle Surveys and Assessment (LVSA) body came to Aberdeen for a few days in November to look into the city’s taxi issues.

The study was carried out by fixing cameras to lampposts and filming taxi ranks for 72 hours from the morning of Thursday, November 11, to the morning of Sunday the 14th.

The survey company then estimated the number of cars versus the number of people.

And this “unmet demand” was gauged by counting the number of folk queuing at ranks.

So what DIDN’T it include?

• It takes no account of the people who chose not to come into the town centre because they have lost confidence in being able to get a taxi home.
• It takes no account of those who phoned for a taxi and had to wait hours.
• It takes no account visitors in hotels who called for a taxi to take them to the airport to be told no taxis were available.

Public ‘do not feel they can rely on taxis to get home’

The report highlights one of these examples…

It explains that the public “do not feel they can rely on licensed vehicles to get home from a night out… Therefore, demand is not as high as it could be”.

The dossier adds: “Members of the public have complained of frequent delays for booked hires for immediate travel.”

Well, if you ask me, measuring queues at taxi ranks to judge overall unmet demand is like trying to measure the crowd at Pittodrie by only counting the people coming through half of the gates.

Those conducting the survey, LVSA, acknowledged that it is extremely difficult to measure the demand for pre-booked taxis.

Bob Keiller: ‘My fears about Aberdeen taxis survey’

My fear is that this report could be used to justify the continuation of the increasingly dubious street knowledge test.

Scottish Government guidelines state that any topographical knowledge test should reflect the complexity of the local geography, on the principle of ensuring that barriers to entry are not unnecessarily high.

On this basis, you might expect that any test for Aberdeen will be simpler and easier than those tests for our larger and more geographically complex cousins, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

But while Aberdeen requires private hire drivers to complete a comprehensive street knowledge test – neither Edinburgh nor Glasgow has this. The barrier to entry is definitely, unnecessarily high.

This is inconsistent with the guidelines. It is disappointing to see that the council does not follow these.

More than 80% said Aberdeen taxis availability was ‘poor’

The LVSA report also highlights some shocking information, Aberdeen has one fifth the number of private hire cars than either Glasgow or Edinburgh. This is the impact of applying a high barrier to entry.

Over 80% of the people who took part in the survey said that availability of taxis was either poor or very poor.

A startling 76% of people said that they tried to book a taxi in the last three months but gave up as none were available.

The report observes that around 72% of those who felt the (driver) entrance requirements should be relaxed also indicated that they had given up waiting for a taxi at a rank.

‘We are heading into busy season with fewest taxis for years’

So where does that take us?

Councillors at a recent meeting ultimately voted to “note the results of the survey” and “agree that there is currently no evidence of significant unmet demand for taxis in Aberdeen”.

The decision not to change the limit of 1,097 licenses for taxis (excluding private hires) leaves plenty headroom. The decision not to create a limit for private hire cars also seems reasonable.

So how can the conclusion be that there is no unmet demand?

There clearly is a shortage here.

The number of licensed drivers in Aberdeen has fallen by about half in the last 10 years and we are about to see another step down in numbers when the LEZ exemption for taxis expires in June.

We will be heading into the Tall Ships and Offshore Europe with fewer taxis than we have had for many years.

What do I think should be done?

We can create hundreds of much needed job opportunities, we can encourage more people to come into town safe in the knowledge that they can get home, we can ensure that potentially vulnerable people get home safely, and we can restore our reputation.

And none of this will cost the council anything.

Bring Aberdeen in line with Edinburgh and Glasgow. Do it soon, so there is enough time try and avoid the obvious problem.

Keep the street knowledge test – but only for taxi drivers.

Drop it for private hire drivers.

Do it for Aberdeen.

Aberdeen has great taxis and great taxi companies – but we need more private hire cars on the road.

Bob Keiller is the chairman of Our Union Street, the community-led organising seeking to regenerate and repopulate Union Street.

Doing a SUD survey in November in Scotland.

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IDFIMH

Anyone from Aberdeen (or anywhere ) have any idea what that figure refers to? I can't reconcile it to any of the official figures I've seen...

(Just trying to work out roughly how the author's wish to see 'hundreds' of new drivers in the city would pan out in terms of increased numbers...)

There is a cap on the amount of taxi licences 1097 with only about 800 taxis so plenty of headroom they don't have to lift the cap.