Running any business has its challenges, but taxi drivers are faced with the extra difficulty that people think they are raking in money, when the reality is that many are struggling to make ends meet. Part of the problem is many people who drive don’t think it’s easy to become a taxi driver. But it is a regulated industry and involves far more than being paid for getting people from one place to another.
Regulation
The rules and standards taxi drivers have to maintain have been highlighted by plans to remove the limit on the number of cabs operating in North East Lincolnshire. The Grimsby Telegraph reports that the council is considering allowing more than the current 220 cabs to operate in the region and all new cabs must be electric or hybrid and wheelchair accessible. North East Lincolnshire Hackney Carriage Association explained some of the difficulties the trade already faces, and how changes will make things worse.
Chairman Wayne Crouch told the council’s licensing and community protection committee: “The job of being a Hackney Carriage driver in North East Lincolnshire is not the bonanza that many think. We are in a low-paid area, people are not using taxis like they were.
“I’ve been in the job 35 years and this is the worst I’ve ever known the taxi trade. I was on Freeman Street today for four hours exactly, I took three jobs, I got £13.”
The council agreed to carry out survey to gauge demand for taxis before deciding whether to remove the cap on numbers.
Rank outsiders
Another issue facing taxi drivers has been highlighted in Sheffield where they are calling for action to stop PHV drivers clogging up the train station taxi rank. The BBC reports that Sheffield Taxi Trade Association members will refuse to pay the annual £700 fee to use the taxi rank at Sheffield station if East Midlands Railway does not take action. Cabbie Khalid Rehyman said: “Sometimes we wait 30 minutes waiting to get to our taxi rank.
These private taxis are supposed to be just dropping off, but they wait around for customers. They cut in. Every day it’s a fight.” A spokesperson for EMR told the BBC: “We aim to reduce the existing congestion and enhance access for station users and are continuing to work with our local partners to explore options for achieving this long-term objective.”
Private hire
As well as clogging up taxi ranks, many cabbies feel out-of-town PHVs have the advantage when they come into a town or city and pick up fares. This is something the City of Wolverhampton Council – which grants the most out-of-town licences in England – is keen to dispel.
A spokesman told PHTM it does not try to attract out-of-town applications and it cannot legally refuse a licence based on where the applicant lives or works.
“The council refutes that it has low standards. As far as we are aware, we are the only licensing authority which conducts daily checks of drivers’ criminal records on the DBS Update Service. “In the last financial year, 343 driver licence applications were refused, 403 drivers’ licences were revoked, and 46 driver licences were refused renewal. “According to the Department for Transport statistics, Wolverhampton refused, revoked and suspended more licences than any other council.”
Change in culture
The changing tide of the taxi industry is reflected by figures from the capital which show that black cab numbers have dropped below 17,000 for the first time in four decades.
Taxi Point reports that while there has been a 37% reduction in licensed taxis since 2011, the number of private hire vehicles has surged by 57% in the same period.
This has led the London Assembly to pass a critical motion urging the Mayor and TfL to tackle the mounting challenges facing London’s black cab industry.
This includes misunderstandings and misconceptions about the affordability of accessible and environmentally friendly cabs.
Taxi Point said: “With rising costs of electric taxis, insurance, and charging facilities, support for cab drivers to make the transition has waned. The Government’s discontinuation of key funding initiatives, such as the Taxi Delicensing Scheme and reductions in the Plug-in Taxi Grant, is now creating financial obstacles for drivers who are yet to adopt ZEC vehicles.”
Despite the challenges, taxi drivers remain committed to the communities they serve and deserve support to help overcome obstacles such as the cost of newer accessible cabs.
