Taxi drivers have warned that there is a shortage of affordable cabs that meet new vehicle standards being proposed in York.
Later this month, as well as increasing the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis, City of York Council is proposing to adopt new standards that all hackney carriages must be painted black, meet the highest emissions standards and follow window-tinting rules.
Shortage
But as the York Press reports, drivers say this severely limits the number of vehicles they can afford. In fact, they found just four second-hand, wheelchair-adapted black cabs for less than £20,000 that would meet all the new standards being proposed.
Members of the council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee were told by York Taxi Association Secretary Alan Brewer that the shortage of vehicles led to one driver travelling to Portsmouth to buy one.
Mr Brewer told the committee that the proposed changes would mean 15 per cent of wheelchair-accessible vehicles in the area may have to be replaced after three years.
He said: “Disabled groups are crying out for more wheelchair accessible vehicles, but one driver is already doubtful that he will renew his licence and another had to travel to Portsmouth to buy one.
“As of this morning, there are 14 used wheelchair accessible vehicles nationally advertised on eBay costing between £10,000 and £20,000 that would meet colour and emissions standards.”
York Council Taxi Licensing Manager David Cowley told the committee that wheelchair-accessible vehicles which meet Euro VI emissions standards would be exempt from rules requiring drivers to replace them at 10 years old.
Changes
The proposed changes include requiring all hackney carriages to be painted black to distinguish them from private-hire vehicles, which would be barred from being the black.
As well as being painted black, hackney carriages must display the council’s crest and the driver’s licensing details.
As part of the proposals, large private hire operators – those with 99 vehicles or more – must have at least one adapted vehicle operational at all times.
The council also wants to remove or reduce tinted windows from taxis to help passengers feel safe.
But cabbie Daniel Smith told the committee that rules on window tinting further reduced the number of suitable vehicles that were available.
He said: “Of those, only four don’t have tinted back windows, we can’t guarantee that light transmission is 30 per cent or more.
“If you have to go down to Portsmouth to buy a vehicle you can’t take a light transmission gun with you, it can cost up to £2,500 to change rear windows, that’s too much.”
Deadline
If the proposals are approved by the council on November 21, licences will not be renewed for vehicles which do not comply from November, 2027. However, councillors recommended pushing the date for wheelchair-accessible vehicles back by a further three years.
As well as struggling to find suitable and affordable replacements, drivers also face the challenge from out-of-town private-hire drivers and have warned the council that this practice could undermine its efforts to improve and enforce standards.
Should the council approve the changes later this month, it is in everyone’s best interests that it works with cabbies to help them meet the criteria, rather than penalising them for not doing so.
