Around 200 Edinburgh taxi drivers met to discuss controversial proposals which would force firms replace all black cabs which are more than 10-years-old.

Union Unite Scotland say that a "crisis" is facing the trade in Edinburgh as an estimated £28.3 million investment would be required to meet this demand.

The measure is being introduced by the City of Edinburgh Council as part of their Taxi and Private Hire Cars Age Limitation and Emission Standards policy.

The aim is to improve emissions standards in the city.

However Unite say that firms are being forced to fork out up to £60,000 or face being "forced off the road".

And it is one of a number of reasons cab drivers are looking to create a new union branch in the capital – the first time this has happened.

Mark Lyon, the union's regional industrial officer, also said that drivers in the city were growing frustrated at growing instances of 'pirate' taxi drivers.

He said: "There is a crisis facing the taxi trade in Edinburgh. The meeting involving Unite Scotland was very positive and attended by hundreds across the different sectors in the trade.

"A number of key issues were discussed such as illegal plying for hire, no dedicated inspectors to deter pirating, and the massive costs associated with the city council's emissions policy.

"As such the drivers present resolved to work together by creating a new Unite branch, to initiate an organising campaign to put pressure on the relevant authorities and to drive up standards."

Mr Lyon was present at last night's meeting at the taxi drivers' club in Bonnington,  told Edinburgh Live: "It was an emotional meeting. The room was packed out and there was standing room only.

"All the major taxi companies in the city were involved, and people are really upset over what is going on"

A spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Council said: "Licensing Sub-Committee Convener, Councillor Catherine Fullerton, said: “Air pollution is a real concern in Edinburgh and in cities around the country, and this is something the council is working to address through a range of measures, including plans to introduce a Low Emission Zone.

“In March 2018 Regulatory Committee agreed to introduce an age limit and emission standards for all taxis and private hire cars, with a view to reducing the number of polluting vehicles on our roads and bringing Edinburgh in line with most other cities in the UK, where age limits have been introduced to licensed taxi fleets.

“There has been extensive public consultation and detailed dialogue with the taxi trade going back to June 2016, during which time representatives of taxi businesses raised a number of concerns.

"These were reflected in changes made by the Licensing Sub-Committee and include setting out a 10 year instead of five year age limit originally proposed as well as extending the life of taxis which are converted to less polluting engines.”

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BARCELONA AND MADRID

A taxi drivers’ strike has caused major disruption in Madrid and Barcelona and cast doubt on the efforts of ride-sharing firms like Uber to consolidate their business in Spain.

Taxi drivers in Barcelona went on strike on Friday, in protest at what they claimed was a failure by authorities to regulate the activities of digital ride-sharing companies. On Monday, Madrid taxi drivers joined the action, calling for a similar clampdown.

With Madrid’s annual international tourism fair beginning on Wednesday, the protest caused substantial logistical problems. Hundreds of taxi drivers parked their cars outside the conference centre in northern Madrid where the event was taking place, hampering the arrival of participants and forcing King Felipe to enter through a side door.

There were some clashes as police attempted to clear the ring road around Madrid, which had been blocked by taxi drivers.

Existing Spanish legislation allows only one licence to be issued for so-called private driven vehicles (VTCs), such as those operated by Uber and its competitor Cabify, for every 30 taxis in circulation. The Spanish government has delegated the implementation of this rule to regional administrations.

However, taxi associations claim the ratio is not respected and that many more VTCs are in circulation. They also complain that the ride-sharing vehicles skirt the law in other ways, for example by fishing for customers in the street without being formally hailed.
‘Unsustainable situation’

“This country is facing an unsustainable situation, particularly so in Madrid due to the excess of VTC licences being used by Uber and Cabify,” taxi federation spokesman José Miguel Fúnez told The Irish Times. “We won’t give way on this.”

In an effort to defuse the situation in Barcelona, the Catalan regional government has proposed new regulations, which include ensuring customers have to request the services of ride-sharing firms at least an hour before travelling. Taxi drivers in Barcelona were considering whether to accept the offer on Wednesday. Mr Fúnez said Madrid drivers would accept a similar offer if it available for them.

However, Uber and Cabify, which operates in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, have criticised the Catalan government’s proposal. They have suggested that they would feel forced to withdraw their business from Barcelona if it were implemented, putting 3,500 drivers out of work.

“If [the plan] we have seen so far is approved, that would be tantamount to expelling our company from that territory,” said the chief executive of Cabify, Juan de Antonio.

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