Times may be hard for the cab trade just now but taxi operators in Telford, Shropshire, can at least look forward to a wider choice of vehicles, together with a cut in their annual license fee.
The recent approval of the market-leading Peugeot E7 black cab by Telford & Wrekin Council opens the way to a more competitive taxi sales market.
Cab Direct’s E7 taxi is the runaway bestseller in the UK hackney taxi market, taking 72% of black cab sales in 2012 and capturing 94% of full-spec taxi sales in the first quarter of 2013 (figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders.)
Change of Heart
Now it seems cabbies in the borough have something else to be happy about as license fees are set to be cut. This decision represents another change of heart for the Council, after fee increases in the previous two years pushed local taxi drivers to move to Shropshire Council, is search of cheaper license fees.
Licensing committee members at Telford & Wrekin Council supported the change, which will see an initial 12-month licence dropping from £195 to £170 and the fee for a licence renewal reduced from £195 to £160. The fees apply to both hackney taxi and private hire cab licenses.
The council also intend on getting rid of private hire operator licenses. Operators are currently charged a fee of £200 per license with an added fee per vehicle in their fleet of £43. If plans go ahead, there will be a fixed fee of £220, regardless of the number of vehicles.