Taxi News
Cap on Elgin Taxi Licences Rejected
November 2009
A proposal to cap taxi licences in Eglin, near Inverness, which would require a demand survey to be carried out every two years, has been rejected by Moray Council licensing deemed too expensive for both drivers and the local authority.
Posing a cost of up to £60,000 for the council over a six year period, the proposed cap would require taxi drivers to pay double to balance the books. Taxi drivers have branded the plan ‘ludicrous’ and if introduced the licence cap would damage business and the quality of service provided.
Council solicitor Tim Haynes presented a report to councillors showing that more than half of licensing authorities in Scotland have limits in place. Additionally, Moray in 1988, imposed a limit of 70 licenses for issue which ended in 2000. There are now 99 taxis licensed in Elgin.
Survey Requirement
Mr Haynes explained that in order to impose a cap a survey to gauge demand would be needed. The survey would have to be repeated every two years, costing between £11,500 and £20,000 per survey, amounting to as much as £60,000 over six years.
Speaking to the The Press and Journal, Mr Haynes said: “It is the practice of other licensing authorities operating such a system for this cost to be funded through the taxi operator licence fee – equating to the three-yearly licence fee increasing from £200 to £438.”
Expensive
Rejecting the proposal, chairman, Councillor Ron Shepherd told the The Press and Journal: “It would be very expensive. I don’t think that taxi drivers would like that. Similarly Councillor Eric McGillivray said: “It would be irresponsible of this committee to commission such a survey. There’s no evidence from the public that there are too many taxis.”
However Martin Burbridge, director of Clover Cabs, feels the committee made the wrong decision. According to Mr Burbridge many taxi drivers are opting for part-time work at peak hours only which is hurting several local firms, forcing them out of business. Customers therefore no longer have the same level of service with fewer taxis available during off-peak hours.
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