Taxi Driver Online

Major changes for Aberdeen taxi rules planned as public to be consulted

https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aber ... s-10707694

Changes to where taxis can carry passengers in the city and the controversial street knowledge test are set to be put to the public in a consultation next year.

Several proposals have been put forward by licensing chiefs, with the rigorous street knowledge exam becoming a regular topic of debate following a drop in driver numbers.

The local authority is looking to ask if it should be ditched entirely or changed so that private hire taxis can take passengers on journeys other than pre-booked routes.

Other rule changes proposed include allowing private hire vehicles, such as Uber, into both of Aberdeen's taxi zones.

Currently, the city is split into two zones - the city and the airport - with proposals combining the two so that all taxis are licensed for the whole council area.

Meanwhile vehicles submitted for licensing are currently subject to an age of vehicle policy which states that all Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles require to be no more than 10 years old at first licensing.

Other vehicles are to be no more than five years old under the current policy, with view set to be sought on whether the limits remain appropriate.

Since the pandemic, taxi driver numbers have taken a hit with around 200 quitting in the years following the outbreak of Covid-19.

However, that number has slowly risen, while Uber also finally launched in Aberdeen in October last year after a previous attempt to gain approval to start picking up Granite City passengers failed.

The drop in drivers led to fears of an overall shortage in the city, with queues of passengers regularly seen standing along Union Street waiting for a ride home.

Councillors previously agreed to keep the street knowledge test in place, with one driver saying at the time the move to axe it would "make a mockery of all the hard work us taxi drivers went through to obtain our badge."

The consultation exercise would be conducted from February 2026 until March 2026, with the results being reported back to the Licensing Committee on May 20, 2026 for consideration.

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IDFIMH

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IDFIMH

Maybe that's one of those AI 'hallucinations'

Either that or something lost in the translation between the official output and the journalist's pen (or keyboard, these days...)

My money's on the latter - in fact redolent of that claim in the Southampton press the other week that a change to the tariff card would allow HCs to do pre-booked work

I suspect that's another 'hallucination' as well

I thought the zones only applied to taxis/HCs, and not PHVs. And a quick Google finds this policy document, which seems to be saying that the two zones only apply to taxis (which in Scotland, is what many English authorities call HCs).


There's no equivalent in the PH section of the document, so presumably Aberdeen isn't zoned for PH purposes, and the press report is hallucinating

https://committees.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ ... Policy.pdf

Anyway, whatever the degree of change arising from all this, I'd guess it'll be yet another step (big or small) towards the Uberisation of Aberdeen

Although there was an article recently from the established firms saying they have enough drivers coming through I think their years of moaning has let the Uber genie out of the bottle.

And once out there is no sealing it up again.

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IDFIMH

A bit more in the P&J, from all sides

And not so much evidence here of the 'hallucinations' in the piece above

Unless, of course, like me you think terms like 'ride-hailing giant' are a tad hallucinatory


Plans to SCRAP Aberdeen’s street knowledge test for some cabbies – as taxi firms claim Uber’s ‘pressuring’ council

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... vate-hire/

Proposals to allow city taxis to serve airport ranks and changes to the age limitations of vehicles could also be put to the public... but Aberdeen's taxi trade is questioning why it's going to consultation.

Aberdeen could partly remove the controversial street knowledge test – as licensing chiefs look to give the public their say on the future of the trade.

The test has long been argued to be an antiquated barrier to entry for prospective drivers, though taxi bosses themselves warn of the “erosion” of trade knowledge if it is scrapped.

Now, Aberdeen City Council wants to formally ask the public if it should be scrapped or changed for private hire drivers, who are only allowed to take pre-booked fares.

It comes following a rocky few years for the industry hit by a mass exodus of workers during the Covid pandemic.

What change is proposed to the Aberdeen street knowledge test?

There is no question of the testing requirement being lifted for taxi drivers who can pick up from ranks or take a fare having been flagged down in the street.

But it could be axed for private hire drivers booked in advance of trips.

This would cover both those working for city firms and Uber drivers, who are called via a mobile phone app before collecting customers.

There are also proposals to change which cars can operate around the airport, with the potential to allow city taxi drivers to take fares there.

Bosses at Rainbow City Taxis and Aberdeen Taxis argue the airport zone issue is one for “further discussion”.

If backed by the council licensing committee next month, the formal public consultation would run from February to March.

Results would be expected to be shared in May.

‘The Aberdeen Street Knowledge Test is a huge barrier’

Our Union Street chairman Bob Keiller has urged people to take part in the consultation once it launches.

He said: “Aberdeen needs every ounce of support we can get.

“The recent UK Government budget and the court ruling on bus gates makes this need starker than ever.

“One area where we could use extra support is taxis. We need more taxis to support the local economy.

“The street knowledge test is a huge barrier that is preventing new private hire drivers from gaining their licence – and it is outdated and unnecessary.

“Neither Edinburgh nor Glasgow mandates this type of testing, and it is time for Aberdeen to move forward by scrapping the test for private hire drivers.”

And he urged Aberdonians to watch out for the consultation once it gets under way.

Mr Keiller added: “If you have ever struggled to get a taxi – speak up.

“If you have ever stood in a taxi queue for ages – speak up.

“If you want Aberdeen to succeed – speak up.

“It is important people register their comments – not on Facebook or LinkedIn – on the council’s website.

“If people don’t speak up, the council will not change the policy.”

Aberdeen taxi and private hire driver numbers on the rise

The Press and Journal has previously reported on snaking queues at ranks, leaving passengers exposed to the cold and rain or baking sun.

Despite claims of a shortage of drivers, the owners of Aberdeen taxi firms tell us it is instead a “perception” issue.

There were nearly 100 more drivers working in Aberdeen at the start of December than a year earlier.

Council papers reveal there are 896 “active drivers” working in the city trade.

It comes after numbers plummeted during the pandemic, reaching the bottom of the trough in winter 2023.

While there was a post-Covid explosion of night-time trade, the fleet was yet to catch up.

“We were short,” Rainbow City Taxis boss Russell McLeod admitted to The P&J.

What do the traditional Aberdeen taxi firms think of the proposed change to the street knowledge test?

This morning, Mr McLeod and Aberdeen Taxis director Chris Douglas told us: “We previously called for a change to the street knowledge test, which was discussed and agreed on with a working group including Aberdeen Inspired, Our Union Street and the Chamber of Commerce.

“Since these changes were implemented last December, 100 new drivers have joined the fleet and that is very encouraging.

“The drive for change is being driven only by the newcomer, Uber, who since being granted a licence to operate in Aberdeen in June 2024 has done nothing but pressure Aberdeen City Council, through all above-mentioned groups Aberdeen Inspired, Our Union Street and the Chamber to support their quest… a quest nothing short of deregulation.”

Business leaders: Aberdeen street knowledge test is ‘economic self-harm’

All three organisations have been asked to respond.

Our Union Street’s Mr Keiller took issue with the taxi chiefs’ version of events which led to the last review of the street knowledge test.

Proposals at that time to remove it were rejected, as too were pleas to make it multiple choice and focused on main streets and knowledge of districts.

The business heavyweight added: “We did not agree with the revised test – we reluctantly accepted it as an improvement on the previous version.

“There is no call for deregulation from anyone – only sensible and appropriate regulation.

“Retaining the street knowledge test for private hire drivers is economic self-harm.”

Aberdeen Inspired chief executive Adrian Watson replied: “The taxi industry in Aberdeen does a fantastic job but is clearly stretched at various times of the day and night to meet public demand.

“For business continuity, commerce, and the night-time economy and overall considerations of safety, surely the time is right to revisit the model of taxi provision in the city.”

The business improvement boss wants Aberdeen to follow the example of Scotland’s two largest cities and “completely dispense” with private hire drivers needing to sit a knowledge test.

He added: “Surely this can be achieved while keeping the necessary checks and balances to maintain standards and thus help meet clear public demand for taxis to be available when people want and need them.”

Aberdeen taxi bosses: ‘Why is this being turned into a public consultation?’

Meanwhile, Mr McLeod and Mr Douglas are questioning why the general public should be given a say on the future of the Aberdeen taxi trade.

“We are wondering why a committee policy review is being turned into a public consultation,” they told us.

The pair also claim there is “no need” to look at vehicle age restrictions, as current rules only apply when the vehicle is first licensed.

On merging the city and airport taxi zones, Mr McLeod and Mr Douglas said: “Aberdeen International Airport changed how they charge and allow drivers to work when they want with no shift structure, and this obviously causes issues especially later at night.”

A report compiled by taxi research specialist LVSA detailed in February that there was “no unmet demand” in Aberdeen.

The study has been disputed by city newcomer Uber, with bosses at the ride-hailing giant claiming their own research proves otherwise.

Uber has been approached for comment.

Are these the same firms that have spent the last 20 years complaining about the council's high standards and requesting that they be diluted?

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IDFIMH

Sussex, not sure what you mean precisely. But if you're saying the Aberdeen legacy circuits have been pressing for standards to be reduced over the years to attract more drivers (as is more normally the case elsewhere), I don't actually think that's been the case in Aberdeen.

Or, if it has, then the circuits have certainly been supportive of the knowledge test in recent years, but maybe that's been a reaction to the Uber threat, which has obviously changed the approach of circuits elsewhere.

Although, to be fair, when I've read about this kind of stuff in the P&J, it's normally been the chair of Rainbow who's been quoted, so who knows what the others think? Although, with Comcabs now part of Rainbow, Rainbow will be the most dominant circuit now in Aberdeen by far. I think