Taxi operators in Northwich, Cheshire, are hoping to benefit from an additional taxi rank, aimed at late-night fares.
The local licensing committee has approved plans to designate a part-time taxi rank with room for ten vehicles, operating between 8 pm and 5 am, on the south side of Witton Street.
A council spokesman said the request for the extra rank space would go to the council’s executive and then be put out for public consultation.
Night-Time Taxi Demand
The report outlines that this area has a high volume of late-night venues, including public houses and takeaways. There is however no current provision for hackney cabs to meet the high demand for evening and night-time transportation in the area. The only option is for hackney carriage vehicles to wait on a non-designated area of the highway.
A council spokesman explained: “Hackney carriage vehicles are known to be parking illegally while awaiting work around the Witton Street area of Northwich, due to high demand for their services. The designation of a new part-time evening and night-time Hackney carriage stand in the area would help alleviate illegal parking issues and meet the public demand”.
John Woodward, of JJ’s Taxis based in Winnington, said: “The location they are looking at is understandable. There is definitely a need for a new taxi rank purely to make it legal for hackney cabs to ply their trade”