Taxi Driver Online

Fears lack of late night taxis in Aberdeen is hitting trade for city centre firms

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... usinesses/

An Aberdeen city centre campaigner believes a lack of taxis is now driving a downturn in sales and leaving people stranded in a potentially vulnerable state.

Taxi operators have lost around a quarter of drivers during the lockdowns with some going into other work or retirement.

This has resulted in waiting times of more than an hour for those waiting for a taxi at night in the city.

Roulè Wood, manager of Aberdeen Inspired, believes this lack of transport is causing people to travel home earlier and spend less time and money in the city.

It is also resulting in people choosing to walk home alone and often in a vulnerable state.

Worries for people walking home in vulnerable state

Mrs Wood herself was left frustrated after trying to book a taxi in advance for 11pm on Saturday night from three different operators with “no success”.

Eventually, she and her friends got their partners to collect them after being told the earliest they could expect to get a taxi was at 2am. However, she said not everyone has that option.

The mother-of-two, who lives in the city centre, said she is usually able to walk home and has been “struck” by the increasingly winding queues for taxis.

Mrs Wood says the lack of available taxis is an issue that often comes up in Aberdeen Inspired meetings.

“This is a real concern for businesses,” she said. “Pubs are reporting that customers are leaving at 9pm or earlier because they don’t want to get caught out in the late night taxi queues or be stranded.

“The police have fed back to us in meetings, where I have been present, that there is an issue of anti-social behaviour escalating, because people are getting frustrated in taxi queues.

“There is an issue of concern over people giving up and wandering off and deciding to walk home, when they’re perhaps not in the best state.”

Aberdeen Street Pastors, partly funded by Aberdeen Inspired, who support people at night in the city try to help those in this situation.

Run by volunteers, Mrs Wood said they are a “positive presence on the high street” and help to offer a safe space for people to seek help.

Businesses ‘battling on every front’

She added the lack of a transport is having a negative impact on businesses just as the footfall in the city centre has increased in recent months.

Mrs Wood said: “I worry we’re missing out on opportunities because people are going home earlier.

“We’re battling on every front. We’re battling online shopping, we’re battling people still being worried about being out in in busy places because of Covid.

“It’s hugely important. It’s not just the people coming into the shops and the bars and restaurants, it’s also the staff that have to work. They need a safe, reliable option to get home at night.”

After speaking to taxi operators, Mrs Wood said it appears the lack of new drivers is a big problem.

An added hurdle is having to complete a knowledge test which takes three to four years, which could prove to be a barrier for a young person.

This coupled with the driver shortage with First Bus, who have in the past offered a night bus service, has caused more of a strain on night time transport.

Pilot service to help people get home safe over Christmas

A consultation with taxi operators and the public was held earlier this year to try and help alleviate issues.

An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said: “Following consultation with the trade and the public, the licensing committee reviewed criteria to ensure that standards were maintained without proving an insurmountable barrier to those seeking to enter the trade.

“It is not in our power to require licensed drivers to operate at any given time. The licence allows them to work as a taxi/private hire driver, it does not compel them to do so.”

Mrs Wood said Aberdeen Inspired along with Aberdeen City Council and Stagecoach are hoping to pilot a night bus service during the Christmas period.

When asked about the issue, a spokesman for First Aberdeen said: “While we do not currently offer a late-night bus service in Aberdeen, we remain open minded about offering this service in future.

“We are unable to provide any additional late-night services at the moment as we continue to contend with industry-wide driver shortages and focus our resources on ensuring our core services are delivered.

“We will continue to review the opportunities available to us as the driver number situation improves.”

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IDFIMH

Maybe someone's been reading about the Knowledge of London, and assumes the Knowledge of Aberdeen must be the same

To be fair, I think the Aberdeen test is quite stiff (and, perhaps crucially, applies to PHDs as well), but I very much doubt it takes three to four years to complete.

Largely similar piece on the Aberdeen Live website, but this focuses on an event at Pittodrie stadium, and claims people waited up to four hours

But it's the same business rep who's quoted, and it says she attended the event, so that's the, er, inspiration for the Aberdeen Inspire's Business Engagement and Development Officer's press offensive.

But maybe interesting that here she's portrayed simply as a member of the public rather than as someone performing some sort of PR function for a group representing local businesses


Aberdeen taxi shortage fears grow as Pittodrie fundraiser attendees made to wait hours for pick up

https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aber ... ow-7870887

Queues of people began gathering outside Pittodrie at around 11pm on Saturday night (November 26) in hopes of grabbing a ride back home, with some reportedly facing waits of up to four hours.


Image: Aberdeen Live

People attending a charity fundraiser in Aberdeen this weekend have voiced their frustrations at being made to wait hours for taxi collection as concerns over a potential shortage grow.

Queues of people began gathering outside Pittodrie at around 11pm on Saturday night (November 26) in hopes of grabbing a lift home, with some reportedly facing waits of up to four hours.

Pictures of taxi queues in Aberdeen have regularly been shared on social media in recent months, prompting concerns that there is a shortage in the Granite City that may negatively affect businesses looking for increased footfall in the winter months.

Roulè Wood, who had been attending the fundraiser, voiced her frustration at being unable to book a taxi with any of the major north-east outlets despite calling hours in advance.

She said: “What on earth is going on here? I have heard reports of businesses suffering because customers are leaving bars and restaurants early for fear of the taxi queues in the city.”

She added that she felt a “sense of panic” for the “poor souls” trapped out in the cold and said there was a real concern over the lack of safe, reliable transport especially as people head back to the city centre.

She said: “The last thing we need is another barrier to people coming into, and enjoying everything our wonderful city has to offer.”

Another woman told Aberdeen Live that staff at Pittodrie had resorted to driving people home on the night due to the lack of taxis. She added that her own booking experience had been a “disaster.”

In September, Aberdeen councillors agreed to keep the controversial street knowledge test in place for all city taxi drivers - this came after calls to axe the test due to a potential shortage of drivers.

The test requires drivers to prove their knowledge of the city before being granted a licence. In the summer, a public consultation was launched with opinions sought on amending the test or removing it entirely.

Plans to scrap the test were unpopular, with one taxi driver saying: “Abolishing the knowledge test will devalue the trade and would be a kick in the teeth for drivers who have previously committed a lot of time and money into passing this test.”

ComCab Aberdeen, Rainbow City Taxis and Aberdeen Taxis have all been approached for comment.

Yes, like the 'wonderful' head-the-balls who drivers will come into contact with even during the daytime, and who are regularly reported about in the Aberdeen press. Maybe that's a reason there's a dearth of night drivers willing to pick up drunken/drugged up strangers in the early hours.


That's another kind of thing that's perhaps symptomatic of the problem - leave policing of the streets to the likes of the Street Pastors, and police only roll up when someone's skull has been caved in, etc, etc.

And I don't think Street Pastors will help make the interior of a taxi a 'safe space' at 3am

Same old, same old to an extent here, but Comcab trying to fast track new drivers, surprise, surprise. And a bit of PR/recruitment spiel for them too. They've even got a very brief recruitment video via the link below, which is, er, unexciting

Meanwhile, a PHD wants to be able to pick up from the ranks. On one night of the week at least. Who'd have expected that?


Taxi operator investing more in new drivers to help solve Aberdeen’s night transport problem

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... t-problem/

An Aberdeen taxi operator is trying to reduce Saturday night waiting times in the city by accelerating driver training.

With more people heading out for a night out in the city, queues at the ranks appear to be increasing.

Many have said this results in increased waiting times as taxi operators grapple to get people home safely amidst driver shortages.

It is causing concern about increased antisocial behaviour as well as safety worries, with some people in a vulnerable state walking home alone.

With night buses no longer running in the city since Covid, Scott Douglas, general manager of ComCab, said this narrowing of options has caused waiting times at the weekend to increase.

Training school and incentivisation to work weekends

He said: “The main reason is that many drivers left the taxi trade during the pandemic as lockdowns and working from home drastically reduced the number of customers.

“Additionally, we have also seen other transport options such as night buses disappear, which has left the public relying on the taxi industry as an essential mode of transport to get home safely after 11pm.”

In order to help relieve pressure, ComCab started their own training school in March this year to enable drivers to pass their test quicker.

Mr Douglas described the project as a “real success” with eight students having passed their Hackney Knowledge test since its launch and more passing every month.

The company has also invested £300,000 in providing wheelchair accessible vehicles to encourage more drivers to join.

Mr Douglas added: “In the short term ComCab have also been incentivising our drivers to work on the weekend when we know the demand is higher than the supply, and we have worked with the taxi trade and the council on ways of making it easier to get drivers to pass their Hackney test whilst maintaining the same high standard of drivers.

“We will continue to work with and support Aberdeen City Council to improve taxi services at weekends.”

Another scheme which should help with the issue will be introduced this weekend.

Today, Stagecoach Bluebird announced they would be running free night buses for the festive season to help people get home safely and ease congestion at taxi ranks.

Could changing plate licencing laws be a solution?

A private hire taxi driver suggested there was more the council could be doing to help solve the issue. It all revolves around coloured plates.

Taxi plates in Aberdeen are given different colours: green, yellow and red.

Green plate drivers are airport zoned taxis and have access to the airport taxi ranks.

Yellow plate vehicles are city zoned taxis. These taxis can be hailed on the street or at taxi ranks and can also be pre-booked.

Red plate drivers or private hire cars cannot use taxi ranks or pick people up from the streets and must be pre-booked.

Aberdeen by-laws are ‘antiquated’ and ‘very frustrating’

One red plate driver, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the licencing laws were “antiquated”.

The man, who has been a taxi driver for 15 years, said: “On a weekend, if I drive into the city, there could be 30 to 40 people standing there and I can’t stop.

“I was out a couple of Saturdays ago and couldn’t get a taxi myself.

“It’s very frustrating. As a trade, we’re getting bad press but if the council allowed private hires to pick up from taxi ranks, it would solve their problem.

“Even it was one night a week, it might be a solution.

“It’s not the drivers’ problem, it’s the council’s.”

However, an Aberdeen City Council spokesman said they had no control over red plate legislation: “We do currently have different plates.

“Yellow and green are both taxi plates – yellow for the city zone and green for the airport. Those zones were reviewed last year when taxi policies were looked at.

“Red plates are private hire vehicles. The legislation states that private hire vehicles must be pre-booked and accordingly prohibits private hire vehicles from operating at taxi ranks, and so we have no authority to facilitate the suggestion.”

Either clueless or disingenuous here. The drivers wouldn't be plating as PHVs if there wasn't a HC licence quota and/or WAV-only policies for new plates (I'm not sure if there's currently a quota on plates, but pretty sure new ones have been WAV-only for years).

Not exactly invented the wheel there have they?

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IDFIMH

It appears ( ) the answer to Aberdeen's so-called lack of taxi/PH is good old Uber.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... taxi-woes/

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IDFIMH

Was looking at the white paper the other night. The P&J has maybe made a bit of a meal of it and, after lamenting the issues caused by lack of taxis at night, this is all that's said about Uber in the white paper:


Can't be bothered rehashing all the stuff about why Uber wouldn't make a whole lot of difference. But the immediate issue with all this is that it makes it sound like whether Uber starts up in Aberdeen is up to the council, as opposed to a commercial decision by a private business.

I mean, if Uber decided when they got their licence several years ago that they wouldn't actually go ahead, can't really see them changing their minds now...

never say never ! I could see a scenario in which Aberdeen council reduced the standard of the knowledge test followed by Uber recruiting as many existing drivers as possible to get started and then recruiting new ones with the promise of big earnings

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Looks like all of Aberdeen's problems will be solved by Uber.

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

But I would be interested to see where they get a fresh supply of drivers from, as in Scotland there is no cross-border nonsense.

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IDFIMH

If I had to put money on it, would guess that the 'global taxi operator' isn't Uber