Perth and Kinross Council’s licensing committee has rejected controversial proposals to deregulate taxi licensing in the Perth. The plan had included the removal of a cap on the number of operating licenses available in the ‘Fair City’ centre and surrounding area. The decision follows a public consultation conducted by the local authority.
Taxi Cap
The present cap on taxi operating licenses came into force in 1979. There are currently just under seventy taxi operators in the area.
Local MP Pete Wishart, expressed fears that the removal of the cap would “destroy careers”. He commented: “Deregulation would mean too many taxis at busy times, too few at quieter times and much less investment in modern equipment and vehicle maintenance.”
Consultation Findings
The council’s consultation into the proposals found that the trade relied heavily on the increased income of peak periods to offset significantly reduced income at other times. This meant that increased cab numbers would force city centre drivers in particular to work longer hours to maintain their income.
As a result of this finding, and in the face of much opposition, the licensing committee agreed to scrap the plans. Licensing committee member, Councillor Heather Stewart, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all that have been involved with this consultation process regarding the limiting of the number of taxis in the Perth city area over the past few months.
“On occasion this has been extremely volatile on both sides of the argument, but I would like to commend the licensing staff of Perth and Kinross Council but also the taxi drivers and operators who took time out of their busy schedules to be able to help in the consultation.”
Decision Welcomed
Following the announcement that the plans had been scrapped, Mr Wishart responded, saying:
“I very much welcome this decision. The existing rules ensure that taxis in Perth city centre can achieve the balance of providing an appropriate level of service to customers while protecting the livelihoods of operators.”
Rosanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth and Kinross, also welcomed the move, saying:
“A number of local taxi drivers had come to me for help on this issue and I was convinced by their arguments.
“Having made representations to the council on their behalf, I am delighted that the right decision has been made. Research showed that there was no unmet taxi provision in Perth to justify deregulation and removal of the cap on numbers.
“Rather, it would have resulted in overcrowded ranks and made it harder for existing taxi drivers to make a living.”