Taxi drivers in Worcester are not happy people right now with many claiming they face “ruin” because of a new ruling; in fact, they are so incensed that they are taking legal action again the city council! So, what’s it all about? Well, under the Council’s rules, hackney carriage drivers are required to replace their taxis at around 12 years old, subject to an assessment by a mechanic. If a taxi needs replacing, as long as it’s 3 years old or less, it is considered acceptable… that was until November last year. Since then, a new rule has meant that any replacement taxis must be brand new and at a cost of £30,000 or more, you can understand the furore it has raised.
Worcester Taxi Drivers Association has stated that the Council’s change has triggered fury amongst taxi drivers, and many reporting that they couldn’t possibly fund a brand new vehicle! Lesley Borthwick, a member of the Association, said: “We haven’t got the money; drivers are scratching around trying to make a living as it is. The difference between a new vehicle and one nearly 3 years old is around 10 grand – we’re talking a big difference.”
Taxi drivers in the city have now worked together to raise a significant amount of money and have instructed a specialist law firm experienced in taxi disputes, Nolan Licensing Consultants & Advocates, to commence High Court proceedings via a judicial review.
From the Council’s point of view, they are obviously disappointed about the action taken by the Association, although they did admit that their recent decision was taken in haste, and principally because they hadn’t set a cap on the number of taxi drivers in the city; the vote for the new rule was passed and means that there will be no more new taxi drivers granted a licence until numbers in the City have fallen significantly… surely there is a better way to limit numbers? Today there is a cap and it stands at 230; at the moment, there are 263 taxis – 34 taxi drivers must go. Councillor Paul Denham responded: “As far as I am concerned, we are willing to listen to what they have to say – they are taking a tremendous risk in taking it to court.” Denham is hoping that following a forum with taxi drivers will be the start of new talks.
