Concerns raised that new consultation could see West Cumbria and disabled people without taxi service

A Carlisle taxi driver is raising concerns that proposed plans by the Cumberland Council could see taxis go extinct from the west of the county, and leave disabled people without access to suitable vehicles.

Christopher Bray believes the move would be catastrophic, and having spoken to other drivers across the county, believes it's a move unpopular amongst the majority of taxis.

He said: "Over the past 3 years, our association has diligently endeavoured to engage with our licensing department. We have consistently posed critical questions impacting our industry and the individuals we serve.

"Regrettably, our efforts to elicit meaningful responses from the licensing officers have been in vain. This lack of cooperation has hindered our ability to make positive changes in our trade. We are currently going through policy changes that affect both the trade and the public.

"The changes will mean the disappearance of WAV wheelchair-adapted vehicles and impact the people they are designed to service for the following reasons.

The lifting of the cap on saloon Hackney carriages therefore means the choice of the drivers is obvious as the cost of replacing a WAV vehicle is £56,000 to £66,000 but to replace a saloon car it is £15,000 to £25,000 and so the drivers are opting for the cheaper option.

"Recently a white saloon hackney carriage was licensed against the licensing regulations and was over 3 years old as per policy 2.9 of the hackney carriage and private hire 2022-2027.

"2.13 of the same policy states that a hackney carriage must be of a London-type taxi or WAV vehicle so why was this policy again ignored?

"Appendix G HO9 of the same policy requires all vehicles to display an up-to-date plate on the rear of the vehicle and in July our Hackney carriage drivers and operators applied for their new licenses and most were late in being issued.

"This is down to the Licensing dept not able to get them out on time despite having taken our fees. When our members phoned the licensing team they were told they could drive without their vehicle license contrary to their regulations and conditions.

"Our members therefore were given the green light to work effectively with no insurance as our members' insurance policies state that a valid local authority’s vehicle license must be in place.

"On the flip side, should our members pay late for their plates licensing will force drivers to purchase a new license. If the vehicle is over 3 years old (saloon) or 5 years WAV then we would have to buy a new vehicle.

"There won't be any control over the numbers of accessible taxi numbers. The disability community are going to have no cover for wheelchair users. It's not right and we need to stop this going through.

"They have not thought about this."

When reflecting on proposals to remove the zoning for taxi licenses he continued: "If you are going to service Carlisle at the busy times, then obviously Copeland and Allerdale are not going to be serviced.

"We've spoken at length to the districts and they don't want the dezoning. They just want the status quo. It's better for everybody."

In a statement a spokesman for Cumberland Council said: "The taxi and private hire policy consultation has been published in order to enable licence holders, a wide range of organisations and agencies, businesses and residents from across Cumberland to provide their feedback on a set of proposed principles.

"The proposed taxi licensing policy aims to harmonise the three pre-existing policies from the former district councils. These policies vary in their approach to the age limit of vehicles. By harmonising the approach to the age limit on vehicles, the council aims to achieve consistency in vehicle standards across the whole of Cumberland.

"Although there is a suggested age limit for vehicles, the consultation aims to obtain the feedback of licence holders. Responses to the consultation will be reviewed at the Regulatory Committee and the new policy for Cumberland Council will be shaped based upon them.

"Those who respond to the consultation will have the opportunity to share their feedback on suggestions set out in the proposed policy such as the cap on wheelchair-adapted vehicles.

"The deadline for responses to the consultation was extended to 18 October due to the number of responses and enquiries received.

"We encourage everyone to respond to the official consultation as only these responses will be considered by the Regulatory Committee."