Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report from the Environmental Health Manager.

Under the powers conferred to Cambridge City Council under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, (as amended), Cambridge City Council has responsibility for licensing Hackney Carriage, Private Hire and Dual Licence Drivers as well as vehicle proprietors and Private Hire Operators within the City.

The current Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Licensing Policy (the ‘policy’) applies to all drivers, vehicles and operators and was updated in October 2016 and has been reviewed and amended on several occasions since.

The main justification for having a livery requirement is for the safety of the travelling public. It assists the travelling public to identify easily a HCV that is licensed by Cambridge City Council and thereby have had all the necessary safety checks in place especially when being hailed down in the street.

On Thursday 29th December 2022, the Licensing Authority received a petition signed by 101 Hackney Carriage Vehicle drivers requesting for the livery standards to be removed, as referenced in Appendix A of the Officer’s report.

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

      i.         Manufacturers could call any car colour silver. Officers had to use discretion what was acceptable eg grey.

    ii.         Wanted a common vehicle livery of silver with a green stripe.

   iii.         Could details be put in Cambridge Matters:

a.    People were unaware that taxis were safe spaces. Queried how to communicate this?

b.    There was an excellent perception of the taxi service by the public (ref report by independent body – item 7 on the agenda).

  iv.         Suggested Officers made a bid to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to do a safety campaign that taxis were a safe space.

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

      i.         The silver vehicle (main colour) with green stripe on taxis distinguished City Council vehicles from South Cambs DC vehicles.

    ii.         Silver and green was easier to spot than other colours (particularly at night) so customers knew they were getting into a licensed vehicle ie safe space.

   iii.         It would be unnecessarily complicated to have different livery for electric and combustion engine vehicles (if silver with green stripe was not in general circulation for electric vehicles). Some electric vehicles had already got licence plates. The general supply of electric vehicles was more of an issue than their colours. A significant number of Hackney Carriages had moved over to the new livery so it would be unfair to change the requirement now.

  iv.         If the V5 log book said the vehicle was silver, this was acceptable to Officers.

The Committee:

Resolved (by 9 votes to 0) to retain the current livery standards for HCV as part of the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire taxi licensing policy.