This is the P&J's report on the meeting today
Nothing particularly new here to anyone who's been following the debate, except, of course, for the result of the meeting.
And much of the debate presented here is rhetorical as opposed to addressing the substantive issues in play.
(And the usual slew of photos, which I haven't included here. Except a couple of new ones I haven't seen before, although links only...)
Street Knowledge Test to be RETAINED in Aberdeen — as Uber’s call for change rejectedhttps://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... -decision/Licensing chiefs met to discuss Aberdeen's taxi rulebook.Calls to scrap the need for drivers who take only prebooked fares to have passed Aberdeen’s Street Knowledge Test have been thrown out by councillors.
Uber has led calls to remove the exam since being granted a licence to operate in Aberdeen in summer 2024.
Business leaders too have called for the Street Knowledge Test to be scrapped for private hire drivers, who take prebooked fares and can’t pick up at Aberdeen’s taxi ranks.
And Aberdeen City Council earlier this year launched a consultation on the many facets of the taxi trade following years of complaints about shortages.
Around 1,800 people took part in the survey, and more backed maintaining the Street Knowledge Test for private hire drivers than wanted it scrapped.
The consultation touched on a number of key issues impacting the industry, including the future of the airport taxi fleet, card payments and whether all cabs should have CCTV.
But most interest was in the much-debated need for the Street Knowledge Test for private hire drivers in Aberdeen.
More than 45% of respondents said the exam should should be required for all aspiring Aberdeen drivers.
But the camp calling for its removal only just trailed on 43%.
This came despite business leaders warning of the impact on the night-time economy, claiming a lack of cabs is deterring folk from going into the city centre.
What happened at the meeting?Aberdeen City Council’s licencing committee met on Wednesday to discuss the future of the taxi trade.
After seeing the slim margin of public support for the Street Knowledge Test, Uber issued a last-ditch plea for it to be axed anyway to “transform how people get around the city”.
Local taxi drivers, Uber, industry chiefs and disability reps spoke at the meeting, while the rowdy, heckling public gallery was threatened with ejection on more than one occasion as debate became charged.
https://wpcluster.dctdigital.com/wp-con ... 0x1152.jpgCouncillors united to unanimously agree to keep the Street Knowledge Test for all Aberdeen drivers, committing to revisit the issue in two years.
Taxi chiefs argued a revamp of the exam in Aberdeen was already bearing fruit, with more than 120 people already passing the test this year.
Council licensing solicitor Sandy Munro summarised what had been agreed.
He said: “The upshot is essentially the majority of the policy remains unchanged.
“And obviously leave the street knowledge test as is the current position to require the Street Knowledge Test for all applicants.”
What was said at the meeting?Matthew Freckelton, UK head of cities at Uber, told councillors: “Removing the test is not a radical experiment. It is an alignment with national best practise.
“Edinburgh and Glasgow, cities with larger and more complex transport environments, do not require a street knowledge test for private hire drivers.
“For the night time economy, a dynamic transport network is the lifeblood of any hospitality sector.
“When people know they can get a ride home safely, they are more likely to stay out longer, pumping money into local restaurants, pubs, clubs and cinemas.”
Mr Freckelton also acknowledged that a female respondent to the public consultation “shared that she had to wait one and a half hours in the cold and rain with no shelter just to get home from dinner”.
He added: “The lack of taxis is a serious health and safety hazard for females.”
‘Organisations are actively avoiding coming to Aberdeen’At the meeting Our Union Street’s Bob Keiller claimed a lack of taxis is putting off organisations from coming to Aberdeen for conferences and meetings.
Mr Keiller said: “The lack of taxis is also killing inward investment. Organisations are actively avoiding coming to Aberdeen.
“The business development at P&J Live are being told that conferences and meetings that would have otherwise come to Aberdeen are going elsewhere because of the supply of taxis.”
He added: “Removing the street knowledge test will create more jobs for private hire drivers. Local people are avoiding coming in at the city centre and the economy, especially the night-time economy, is suffering.
“Removing the street knowledge test will increase the number of taxis and build confidence in their availability.”
‘The knowledge of the driver can be the difference between independence and isolation for someone with a disability’But Hussein Patwa, co-chair of the Disability Equity Partnership, shared the perspective of those relying on cabs every day to make their way around the ever-changing Aberdeen.
Mr Patwa said: “My comments come from the perspective of disabled, older and vulnerable passengers who require additional support from licenced vehicles and their drivers.
“I myself use taxis on an almost daily basis, I have done for the last 20 years.”
https://wpcluster.dctdigital.com/wp-con ... 40x564.jpgHe continued: “For many people, taxi and private hire vehicles is not simply a life-scale choice or a form of transport, it is a lifeline.
“For someone with a disability or a long-term health condition, the quality and knowledge of the driver can be the difference between independence and isolation.”
‘I don’t remember a time where a test delivered 120 new drivers in a year’At the meeting, councillor Dell Henrickson asked Aberdeen Taxis boss Chris Douglas if the new Street Knowledge Test “improves greatly on the old one” and if they are seeing “greater pass rates”.
Mr Douglas, said: “I don’t remember a time where a test delivered 120 new drivers in a year.
“To me, that shows a tremendous growth trajectory and looks after everyone in this room’s livelihoods.”
Mr Douglas continued: “Everyone concentrates on driver numbers, vehicle numbers, active vehicle numbers. There are still active vehicles on this road. In the past, some people had a licence they didn’t use.
“Now, most of the vehicles on the road are used by drivers who need this job and want to work. That should be respected.”
Taxi boss: ‘It was a very pleasing decision’Managing director of Aberdeen’s other main operator, Rainbow City Taxis’ Russell McLeod, stressed that “removing the street knowledge test for private hire drivers will not add one vehicle to the taxi ranks, either in town, at the railway station, or at the airport”.
He added: “The revamped street knowledge test has increased Aberdeen’s fleet by over 120 drivers in just over 12 months.
“Recently attendance at Rainbow’s taxi school has been crazy, I think there have been five requests this week.”
Speaking after the meeting, Mr McLeod told The P&J: “It was very pleasing and the common sense decision” to keep the Street Knowledge Test in place.
Login
Register
FAQ
