The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on a proposal to create a single licensing authority for taxis and private hire licensing in Wales.

The “Improving public transport” white paper, sets out the Welsh Government’s plans for reform of, amongst others, taxi and private hire licensing services in Wales.

Following on from the 2017 consultation, the Welsh Government has published more developed plans for taxi and private hire law reform in Wales.

Whilst much of the white paper includes previous proposals, a new proposal to setup a single licensing authority for taxi and private hire licensing in the country has been proposed. 

The consultation paper commented that the necessary transport planning and strategy skills are largely lost in local licensing authorities which is detrimental to achieving the Welsh Government’s ambitions for public transport provision.

It further commented that the current regulation of taxis and private hire in the country is not adequate because of:

-    the variation in taxi and PHV standards between the twenty two local authorities in Wales;
-    the inability to take enforcement action against vehicles which are operating “out-of-area”; and
-    the difficulty in sharing relevant safeguarding information.

To enable taxi and private hire licensing functions to be exercised on this basis, it is considered that there are 2 potential options for the organisational structure of JTAs:

A single JTA for the whole of Wales with regional delivery boards (i.e. committees of the national JTA); or

2. A national JTA that would be required to discharge specified national/ strategic functions, and three separate regional JTAs that would be required to discharge specified regional/implementation functions.

https://goo.gl/a1TZxf
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WEST Linton’s late-night link to the capital has been restored as part of a new pilot taxi service.

The project to provide a taxi link from Penicuik through the A702 corridor was given the green light last week with the service expected to begin before Christmas.

The new provision will fill the void left by the axing of two late night bus services last summer, which severed the area’s nighttime public transport links with Edinburgh.

Two evening services linking Dumfries and Edinburgh via West Linton and Carlops were dropped after the local authority took the decision to withdraw £100,000 of funding.

Start-up capital for the new project was secured by local residents and the pilot is set to run until March, after which the community will decide whether it can continue to be operationally viable.

Cllr Heather Anderson, Tweeddale West, said: “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that my fellow Tweeddale Councillors have now agreed to provide start-up funding for this community-run, late night taxi service.”

The 8-seater taxi will run for 6 evenings per week, excluding Sunday, leaving the bus stop at Lidl, Penicuik at 9.15pm, 10.15pm and 11.15pm, after the arrival of the X62 bus.

The taxi driver is guaranteed a set fee per trip and each passenger will pay £2.40 per trip.

Any shortfall in the set fee is subsidised by the grant and the operational timings of the pick-ups can be adjusted to ensure efficiency.

The new scheme will be operated by West Linton Community Council and membership is open to residents of Carlops, West Linton and Dolphinton and in-between. Residents interested in the service can contact wlcctaxi@gmail.com to register.

Cllr Heather Anderson added: “I also want to thank Graham Tulloch, the Chair of West Linton Community Council, and his committee, who stepped up to the plate and agreed to pilot the scheme.

“It’s a great result and if this model works, it could be replicated in other rural communities where rural public transport isn’t an option."

https://goo.gl/SKx2Yk
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 Inverness

The introduction of a steep new Christmas and New Year taxi tariff will push people towards illegal drivers, the Inverness Taxi Alliance (ITA) has warned.

ITA says fare increases of up to 130% on last year will tempt people towards unlicensed, uninsured drivers who use social media to advertise taxi services at particularly busy times.

They also warned the fares hike would hurt low-paid workers in the hospitality, retail and care industries depending on taxis to get them to work.

Inverness was likely to be more congested with families opting to use their own transport to get around, and licensed drivers would be left sitting at the ranks or not finding it worthwhile coming on shift, ITA also warned.

Highland Licensing Committee approved new tariffs for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and January 2 at their meeting on August 7, citing antisocial hours as their reason for the massive hikes.

Tariff 4, for vehicles carrying up to 4 passengers, was set at £3.60 per running mile, and Tariff 5, for vehicles carrying five or more passengers, was set at £4.50.

The previous tariff for these days was £2.70 per running mile.

Under the new regime fares for shorter journeys will almost double, but people taking longer journeys around the region will be hit hardest.

For example, passengers travelling the ten miles from Inverness to the airport would have paid £27 last year, and will now be hit with fares of £47 for Tariff 4 and £58 for Tariff 5.

ITA spokesman Duncan Fraser said during this year’s Belladrum festival, licensed taxi drivers had noticed a mushrooming of adverts on social media by unlicensed drivers and warned the public to steer clear as this was likely to happen again over the festive season.

He said: “The public should avoid illegal, uninsured drivers for safety reasons.”

Mr Fraser said the trade had been hearing from workers in essential sectors like hospitality, care and retail that the price rises would make it unfeasible for them to go into work.

He said: “Town to Raigmore hospital for example would cost a worker around £20 each way, that’s £80 if they work both holidays.

“These sectors are low paid, and have lost the perks and increments they used to get for working on these days.”

Mr Fraser urged passengers going on longer journeys to negotiate discounts when booking taxis, insisting on a quote, not an estimate.

He said: “The drivers aren’t obliged to charge these fares, but they can’t go above the tariff.”

https://goo.gl/XfbmKT  
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 NUNEATON

This is how much taxi fares are set to rise by in Nuneaton

It could soon cost £5.10 to travel one mile in the day and £7.55 after midnight

Taxi users face paying up to 13 per cent more to hop into a cab across Nuneaton and Bedworth in the day – and a huge 23 per cent hike after midnight.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Taxi Association has asked Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council for the green light to increase fares.

The changes would put the borough at among the most expensive in the country.

Under the proposals, the price of a one mile ride would rise from £4.50 to £5.10 on tariff one, which covers normal hours of the day, and is 13 per cent rise.

This would make the cost higher than that of neighbouring city Coventry which, according to the city council’s price guide, is £3.80 for the first mile.

But it is not just the charge for the first mile that will rise, the second mile will increase from £6.75 to £7.35, a hike of nine per cent, and three miles, a seven per cent rise, from £8.75 to £9.35.

There is an even bigger increase for tariff two, which is applied each day at midnight until 6am and on Bank Holidays, which will see the first mile rocket by 23 per cent, from £6.15 to £7.55.

Two miles on tariff two will rise from £9.30 to £10.70, which is a 15 per cent rise and three miles on tariff three will rise from £12.10 to £13.50.

CoventryLive has seen a letter sent from the borough council to taxi companies explaining the rise being proposed by Nuneaton and Bedworth Taxi Association.

It is explained that the council wants to hear all taxi companies' views on the proposed rise as part of a consultation.

It is already known that not all taxi firms will implement the hike if it is given the thumbs-up.

Some firms say 'no'

Alan Lawson, who runs Direct Taxis, has already made a public statement that his firm will not use the new maximum charge.

The council itself says, on its website, that: "The fare table is a maximum fare and it is open to proprietors to charge less than the metered fare if they so wish."

The ultimate decision on whether the increase will be agreed lies with the Town Hall and is it unlikely to be made until after the New Year.
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NOTTINGHAM


Minicab giant, Uber, in a bid to recruit more drivers onto the platform, have increased fares in the Nottingham area.

The 9% upweight in Ubers fare structure comes at the same time as a taxi fare increase, which will see fares rise by 16.5% on daytime tariffs and 15.3% on evening tariffs.

Ubers fare increase comes on the back of a protest by the company's drivers, who went on strike last October, wanting better pay and working conditions.

Uber fares increased for trips taken in Leicester, Nottingham and Derby from Friday December 7.

Taxi fares will increase on December 17, the increases represents the first rise in seven years.

https://goo.gl/7XGR5K