Proposals to change taxi policy in Hyndburn met with anger


TAXI drivers in Hyndburn could be forced to buy newer cars, modify their vehicles, and remove advertisements, new plans revealed.

Hyndburn Council is proposing several changes to its taxi policy, and is consulting with taxi companies across the borough.

Private hire taxis older than seven years would be taken off the road, all hackney carriages would be required to fit a ‘swivel’ seat for disabled passengers, cars would have to meet emissions targets, and adverts on glasswork would be prohibited, if the council goes ahead with its plans.

But a spokesman for Max Cabs, in Accrington, said the move would ‘kill or cripple an already struggling trade’, and questioned the motive of the council.

He said: “Taxis are exempt from MOTs, but they have an MOT-style check by the council twice a year, and three times when they reach a certain age.

“They are the safest cars on the road and if they have passed the test, what does age matter?”

“We carry out 25,000 journeys a week and have 400 taxis on the road between 6am and 9am taking people to school and work.”

Most drivers at the firm would not be able to afford to buy a newer vehicle without passing that cost on the customer, the spokesman added.

Deputy leader of Hyndburn Council, Clare Pritchard, denied the council was trying to reduce the number of taxis on the road to encourage residents to use the upcoming £40m Pennine Reach bus services, or that it was retaliating after a blunder left the council facing a £200,000 bill because it failed to advertise increases in taxi licensing fees.

Coun Pritchard said: “There is nothing to retaliate against. It was a simple administrative mistake and we are paying the money back.

“There’s no benefit to us whether people use the bus service or taxis, we just want the highest standard of transport in Hyndburn.

“This is about providing a comprehensive plan. We have several policies hanging around and this will bring it into one complete policy. I would hope it would improve standards.”

Leader of the opposition, Peter Britcliffe, called the consultation ‘bureaucracy gone mad’.

He said: “This is victimising the taxi drivers. The consultation should end now and the policy should not change.

“What difference does a car’s age make as long as it is fit to drive? In terms of advertising, we know it’s a very competitive market. Taxis are extremely cheap in Hyndburn so why prevent drivers from getting extra from adverts?”
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Scores on the doors set to drive up standards in taxi trade

Star cabbies across Rochdale could be recognised with a special scoring system as part of moves designed to drive up standards in the borough’s taxi trade. 

The proposals, which are currently open to public consultation, call for the introduction of an awards scheme which would offer private hire operators a bronze, silver or gold award, or no award at all, according to how they perform in regular assessments. 

Licensing staff would look at everything from how the operators support disabled passengers to how many penalty points operators have accrued. 

Councillor Jacqui Beswick, Cabinet Member for Licensing and Regulation at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “It’s vital that our taxi drivers adhere to the highest standards because passenger safety is of paramount importance. These proposals will help ensure that our drivers are the best in the business and should help customers make an informed decision about who they travel with. I’d encourage residents to get involved in the consultation and let us know their views.” 

To receive a gold award, operators would need to fulfil a range of criteria including having a customer service charter, ensuring drivers complete a full daily inspection of their cab using a check sheet and having a robust system in place to communicate to drivers messages from the police and other agencies. 

Firms would lose points for, among other things, failing to cooperate with licensing staff, allowing unlicensed drivers to work for the company and not taking action against drivers following customer complaints. 

Stephen Campbell, who runs Heywood-based taxi firm Car 2000, welcomed the move and said “These changes will bring the taxi industry up-to-date. Oldham Council already run a similar star-based scheme and this will really raise the standards for taxi firms across the borough. 

“Our customers can be assured that we will be aiming for the gold award and provide a transparent service for our customers.” 

Companies would display their rating on their vehicles and at their operating base to help customers decide who they want to travel with. 
A second proposal, which is also open to public consultation, would see individual hackney carriage and private hire drivers accrue penalty points for a number of infringements. 

Examples of how drivers could fall foul of the rules include unreasonable prolongation of a journey to hike up a fare (four points), modifying a vehicle without permission from the council (six points) and failing to behave in a civil manner (one-12 points). Drivers who rack up 12 points or more could be stripped of their license. 


People can find out about the proposals in more detail at www.rochdale.gov.uk/consultations and feed their views in writing to Rochdale Council Licensing Section or via email to licensing.reg@rochdale.gov.uk