Agenda item - Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Driver Enforcement and Monitoring

RESOLVED:

1.    That Members note the contents of this report and that officers should continue to act as appropriate.

7.1 The Chair invited Alex Evans to introduce the report starting on page 11 of the Agenda.

7.2 Councillor Baghoth was informed that an English language test has been introduced for all new taxi drivers – the test can also be used as a developmental tool for existing taxi drivers that don’t speak English as their first language. There are also ethnic groups within the trade that can translate any new conditions to drivers.

7.3 Councillor Czolak was informed that:

·       Every driver has to go through a medical and meet the group 2 standard;

·       When they reach their 45 birthday they have to take the medical test again, and then every 5 years until their 65^th birthday after which it becomes an annual test;

·       Discretionary information about drivers can be requested by the Council for example if they have a criminal record;

·       There are 7 fully electric vehicles and 150 hybrid vehicles currently in the city;

·       The approved garages that do the compliance testing decide if a vehicle is in exceptional condition to last the extra 2 years on the license;

·       There are currently 600 Hackney Carriages in the city, and 5 more plates are added each year;

·       There are currently 370 private hire vehicles in the city;

·       It is a legal requirement for all taxis to have internal cameras which clearly show the driver and passengers.

7.4 Councillor Pickett was informed that:

·       Taxi drivers are buying older models of cars as they are cheaper;

·       There is a shortage of wheelchair accessible vehicles;

·       The offence of ‘bilking’ (making off without payment after a taxi ride) is being raised with Council officers for awareness.

7.5 Councillor Davis was informed that:

·       Vehicles are allowed to have their licenses renewed for up to 10 years, with an extra 2 if the vehicle is in exceptional condition;

·       Wheelchair accessible vehicles are allowed to have their licenses renewed for up to 14 years with 3 checks a year up until 2025;

·       A points system for taxi drivers who commit low level offences will be brought to Committee in October 2023.

7.6 Councillor Hewitt was informed that during the multi agency operation, vehicles were stopped at random.

7.7Councillor Theobald was informed that:

·       It is often independent drivers that don’t accept taxi vouchers instead of drivers on the circuit who can claim them back from the Council;

·       Heart attacks, eyesight, and blood pressure are the main causes of why drivers fail the group 2 medical test.

7.8 Councillor Fowler was informed that if the Police find a taxi driver committing an offence, that information is fed back to the Council to take action.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Members note the contents of this report and that officers should continue to act as appropriate.