April 23, 2008
Taxi drivers see red over colour change plans
By Alex Ross
TAXI drivers in South Gloucestershire have raised safety fears over proposals to make all taxis in the region yellow or black.
South Gloucestershire Council is considering making all 327 Hackney Carriages yellow and all 84 private hire cabs black as part of its upcoming taxi licensing policy.
It states the proposed livery - which would have to be adopted within five years if it came into effect - would make taxis more easily identifiable and provide a greater variety of vehicles that could be licensed.
advertisement
But taxi drivers claim the proposal would in fact put the public in danger.
Private taxi operator Ian Fletcher delivered a petition with the names of more than 200 licensed drivers from across the district, including Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Thornbury, to the council last week.
He said: "If all taxi vehicles were to be the same colour, the public, after a short time, would associate any vehicle of that colour to be a taxi.
"This would lead to members of the public trying to flag down and use any vehicle of the prescribed colour as a taxi.
"The implications would be potentially disastrous. Any member of the public would greatly be at risk of assault and this risk would be even greater if alcohol were to be involved.
"Vehicles are already identifiable as Hackney Carriage or Private Hire vehicles by means of licence plates and roof signs, if applicable, which the local licensing authority issue at present.
"There can be no justifiable reason to change the means of identification now."
The draft taxi policy also includes a public education scheme on taxi services, establishment of new taxi ranks, driver assessments and dress code.
A South Gloucestershire Council spokesman said that no decisions had yet been taken.
He said: "The council has been publicly consulting during the past 12 weeks on a new draft taxi licensing policy. One of the proposals in the draft policy is to introduce a livery, including an easily recognisable sign, within a specific timeframe for hackney carriages in South Gloucestershire.
"Hackney carriages are required by law to be easily identifiable and the proposal would help to increase their accessibility and safety of use.
"The consultation concluded on April 16 and the next step for the council is to carefully consider feedback on all the proposals in the draft policy before undertaking further consultation with a variety of individuals and organisations. It is important to stress that no decisions have been taken yet."
Filed under Blog by admin
