Newcastle black and white taxis finally set to go ahead
Plans to rebrand Newcastle’s taxis in black and white look set to finally be signed off next week, after being delayed due a dispute with drivers.
Plans to rebrand Newcastle’s taxis in black and white look set to finally be signed off next week, after being delayed due a dispute with drivers.
Newcastle City Council announced proposals earlier this summer to overhaul the look of the city’s hackney carriages.
It is hoped that requiring black cab drivers to fit white wrapping around their bonnets, matching the famous colours of Newcastle United, will make licensed taxis more easily recognisable – amid major worries about criminals posing as cabbies to prey on vulnerable women.
The idea sparked protest from drivers, who complained that the vinyl wraps would become a financial burden for them and branded the scheme a “waste of taxpayer money”.
That backlash led to the council’s new taxi licensing policy being put on hold in July to allow for further talks with unions and driver representatives.
But the plans, which have been supported by the city’s street pastors and organisations trying to prevent violence against women, are now due to come back to councillors for final approval next week and are unchanged from those that were paused in July.
A report ahead of next Wednesday’s full council meeting states that there is a “need to improve public cognisance of hackney carriages, so they are distinguishable ‘brand’” and that there is “an evidence base of police sexual assault investigations linked to unlicensed private cars”.
Council officials detail how police made 80 interventions during an eight-week operation investigating unlicensed vehicles targeting vulnerable people in the city centre over recent months, safeguarding 34 potential victims as a result.
Their report states: “The white bonnet application proposal is being proposed because of the heightened risks and safeguarding concerns – the safety and protection of the public and users of licensed vehicles, particularly those in the night-time economy is the overarching reason for the change. This will ensure that vehicles are identifiable, safe, clean, reliable and accessible.”
Mohammed Subhan, secretary of the Newcastle British-Bangladeshi Taxi Drivers’ Association, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that drivers were now resigned to the new policy coming in despite their protests.
He had previously argued that installing improved CCTV in cars and at taxi ranks would be a more effective way to improve safety.
Other concerns from drivers included criminals still being able to easily copy the new taxi design, passengers mistakenly thinking that drivers had been forced to replace their bonnet after being involved in a crash, and the black and white livery deterring non-Newcastle fans.
Mr Subhan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We tried, we protested, but they are not listening. We are not happy, but it is going ahead.
“They had a meeting with us and said they were going ahead with it. We can’t do anything about it, it’s the council’s decision.”
However, Mr Subhan expressed hopes that the council may yet agree to provide some support to help drivers with the cost of replacing damaged or dirty bonnet wraps.
While the council is planning to give a £100 grant to each of the 597 licensed hackney carriage drivers in Newcastle to help with the cost of fitting the white vinyl wrapping, it was claimed that drivers may be forced to fork out regularly to have them replaced.
The black and white branding will only be required on hackney carriages, like those that rank outside Central Station and are licensed to ply for hire, and not for private hire companies that can only pick up pre-arranged bookings.
They will also need to display red council crests on the front doors and have a taxi sign on the roof that is white at the front and red at the rear.
Private hire vehicles will have to be adorned with a green council plate and display the operator’s details on the back passenger doors.