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Meeting with taxi trade clarifies misunderstanding over new cars proposal

A meeting was held in Inverurie recently to allow taxi trade representatives and licensing chiefs to discuss proposed changes for the year ahead.

There has been misunderstanding among some operators and members of the public since a consultation on proposed changes began.

It has been widely reported and suggested that the council will enforce the purchase of a new vehicle every five years, which is not the case.

The council gave an undertaking to the taxi trade some years ago not to implement policy changes without consulting the trade in advance.

Given consultation was taking place with the trade on the current taxi fares review, it made sense to put other suggestions submitted to the council by its partner agencies to the trade at the same time for its views.

Proposals put forward for consultation include increases, or not, in taxi fares, increases in operators’ fees and a system requiring taxis to display vehicle insurance details.

After seeking views from the trade the consultation on the revised taxi fare structure will go out to members of the public.

All remaining issues after consultation with the trade will be put to the council’s Licensing Sub-Committee on June 3 to see which issues should move forward to the formal public consultation.

Aberdeenshire Council’s Head of Legal Services, Karen Wiles, said: “Some people in the trade have unfortunately misunderstood our consultation – there has never been a commitment from this council to force operators to replace vehicles over five years old.

“The suggestion was put forward to get the trade’s views, on the basis that a higher proportion of vehicles of that age are failing MOT tests at centres in Aberdeenshire.

“We realise, as it seems does the trade, that there are alternative ways to ensure the roadworthiness of vehicles which are not so financially onerous.

“In a letter to operators about the proposed changes and consultation it was made clear by us that these were only proposals and we were seeking the trade’s views.”

The law requires the council to undertake a fares review every 18 months, but in Aberdeenshire, at the request of the taxi trade, it is done every year. All licensed taxis are inspected by the council on a six-monthly basis.

The meeting in Inverurie was held as part of the consultation with the trade, required as part of the fares review, and its main purpose was to seek views on a revised fare scale.