Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report from the Environmental Health Manager.

 

The Council may, as part of its adopted policy on the licensing of Hackney Carriages (HCV), consider whether to apply a limit on the maximum number of HCV licences which it will issue at any time. However, this power may be exercised only if the Council is satisfied that there is no significant demand for the services of HCVs which is unmet (section 16 Transport Act 1985). The Council has no power to limit the number of Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) licences.

 

The Officer’s report presented the findings of the LVSA demand survey and asked members of the Licensing Committee to decide whether they are satisfied that there is no significant demand for the services of HCVs within Cambridge which is unmet, and if so, whether to retain a limit on the number of HCV licences that the Council issues. If members decide to retain a limit they must then decide what that limit will be.

 

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

      i.         Disabled people felt discriminated against as it was easier to get a taxi from the rank than book one through an Operator.

    ii.         Booking taxis on an app was unreliable.

   iii.         How to ensure WAV drivers took bookings if there was a limited supply of vehicles? Was there a way to record which drivers refused fares and remove their licence?

  iv.         Asked for a future committee report on taxi use and difficulties of  booking/getting a taxi.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Environmental Health Manager said the following:

      i.         There were  a limited supply of WAV. Operators could not control which jobs (self-employed) drivers chose to undertake. Operators could ask if a driver was available, but drivers may choose not to be.

 

Ian Millership said legislation was in place but drivers sidestepped some jobs.

 

    ii.         Bookings by phone or on an app were equally valid. An app booking was recognised by law as a booking and could be formally checked.

   iii.         Complaints could be investigated on a case-by-case basis if someone had booked a taxi but one had not arrived.

  iv.         Hackney Carriage drivers could not refuse a fare if on a rank. By law Private Hire drivers can choose which passengers they wished to take.

    v.         The City Council had a list of WAV from Operators and who had/not taken bookings. Licensing Officers had invited drivers to discuss why they ad not taken bookings. Officers had to work within the constraints of the law.

 

Ian Millership said it was mainly Private Hire not Hackney Carriage drivers who were reported for refusing WAV bookings.

 

  vi.         In March 2018, Licensing committee agreed to reduce the number of Wheelchair Accessible vehicles within the Hackney Carriage Fleet from 65% to 50%. This was done by offering 50 current WAV the opportunity to trade their WAV for an electric vehicle. To date, all available electric plates have been allocated.

 vii.         There was no stipulation for Private Hire vehicles to be WAV so most City Council licensed vehicles were saloons, with a small minority of WAVs. SCDC also had a limited number of Private Hire WAVs.

viii.         Officers could ask Operators if ‘blind bookings’ (ie not advising the driver if a passenger used a wheelchair or not) would help prevent discrimination. It was up to Operators what information they provided to drivers.

 

In response to Members’ questions Ian Millership said the following:

      i.         Taxi forums could advise if ranks were in the correct location.

    ii.         It was good practice to ensure people knew rank locations and to seek customer feedback on appropriate rank locations.

   iii.         The number of taxis was limited to an appropriate number in Cambridge. It was good practice to encourage people to keep coming into the trade to ensure there was a continuous supply of drivers to replace existing ones who had left.

 

The Chair allowed public speakers an additional two minutes to comment before the Committee voted on the Officer recommendations. Ahmed Karaahmed raised the following points:

        i.         Private Hire drivers were refusing WAV bookings not Hackney Carriage drivers. He suggested making a licence condition they should take WAV bookings.

      ii.          It was hard to get silver WAV vehicles so Hackney Carriage drivers were handing in City Council plates to become South Cambs DC Private Hire licenced drivers. If the City Council relaxed its policy this would stop drivers leaving.

 

The Committee:

Resolved (unanimously):

      i.         They were satisfied there was no significant unmet demand for hackney carriages in Cambridge.

    ii.         To retain a limit on the number of HCV licences which may be issued.

   iii.         To keep the limit at the existing level of 321.