Nineteen years after the 1985 Transport Act came into being, Worthing Borough Council have finally decided to act on it.

It is with much fanfare and joy that Taxi Driver Online can report that at long last Worthing Borough Council has at last read the 1985 Transport Act. No longer the North Korea of district councils, Worthing has at last come in from the cold.

In the last twenty years, despite the usage of taxi/PH doubling, Worthing Borough Council has not issued a single taxi plate to meet that demand. This ‘head in the sand’ approach to licensing has pushed many customers into the legitimate private hire trade and, alas, no doubt some into the illegal unlicensed trade. However, the shadow of OFT seems to have jump-started Worthing into action, and councillors have agreed to issue immediately six new taxi vehicle licenses. As these new plates weren’t issued on the basis of unmet demand, you have to wonder how they come to that number. Was it a guess, or was it the most they could issue without upsetting the vested interests?

Reading the minutes it also appears that officials have no idea of the Act that they have just discovered. The council plan to phase in taxi plates until they reach a situation when there is no significant unmet demand. Maybe Worthing should invest in some legal advice, because the Act doesn’t allow anyone, not even sleepy old Worthing, to phase plates to meet demand. If demand isn’t being met, then a council that restricts has no defence in court to an appeal against a refusal of a taxi vehicle license.

Waiting Lists
Years of inaction has meant that Worthing doesn’t have a waiting list for those newly issued licenses. Thus the council has decided to create one. Reading the minutes of the meeting, licensed drivers throughout the UK will be pleased to know that they can apply for one of those Worthing plates.

Councillors resolved that applicants should be placed on the waiting list under the following criteria:

i) Application date

ii) Experience in Worthing or elsewhere as a taxi driver

iii) Experience in Worthing or elsewhere as a Private Hire Vehicle owner or driver.

The thought of a newly licensed London PH driver being issued a Worthing taxi plate ahead of a Worthing licensed taxi journeyman, of say twenty years, is perhaps proof enough of the stupidity of such a condition in particular, and of taxi quotas in general.

The only drivers not able to apply for those new licenses are the existing Worthing taxi plate holders. However the cynic in me wonders how many in the know have recently sold their plates, thus allowing them to be one of the first to re-apply. For those reading this who do think me too cynical, then check out the forum for the history of Manchester’s plate issues.

PH Plate Premium
At the same meeting it was also resolved by councillors that any newly licensed taxi and PH vehicles would only be issued for vehicles which provide access for the disabled. Now if by that they mean that all newly licensed PH vehicles must be wheelchair accessible, then Worthing Borough Council are the first in the country to do so.

To some this would seem to be a natural step forward, but such a condition will have two main negative consequences. Firstly it will lead to a premium on existing saloon PH vehicles, and secondly it will wipe out a large chunk of the PH trade, who without the benefit of being able to ply the ranks and streets will not be able to finance the £20-30,000 vehicle.

Maybe Worthing should have either stayed asleep, or at least got out of bed the right side.

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