Taxi Driver Online

Back to the Cornwall zone amalgamation woes.

Some drivers think it's a good idea in terms of earning capability.

While others are saying the opposite.

Who'd have expected that?

And, as per past discussions, licence quotas very probably at the bottom of all this.


Cornwall could soon have the same taxi fares for the whole county

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornw ... i-10843073

However, there is strong opposition to Cornwall Council getting rid of the current six separate taxi zones with warnings of a 'free for all' at the expense of rural areas and higher fares

A Cornwall Council committee could recommend scrapping the six taxi zones which operate throughout the Duchy and currently charge different tariffs.

The authority's community wellbeing overview and scrutiny committee may recommend to cabinet on Thursday (March 5) that it approves a single licensed zone to cover the whole of the county, meaning passengers would be able to pay the same amounts wherever they are.

The proposal for a single zone has previously been slammed by some taxi drivers who say it will lead to a "free for all" at the expense of rural areas and will result in higher fares. If a decision is made to create a single zone, it cannot be reversed.

As of January there were 1,042 taxi licences in force in Cornwall, with vast differences between the six existing zones, split along former district council lines - the lowest at 104 and highest at 320.

The council ran a public consultation from September 28 to December 31 last year asking for comments on the taxi review.

It explained that a taxi licensed in one zone cannot generally pick up passengers in another zone and tariffs are different in each zone.

More than half of those who took part were taxi or private hire drivers and almost three-quarters of respondents were against the removal of the separate zones.

Key arguments put forward by those who strongly agreed with the creation of a single Cornwall-wide zone included:

"It would be fantastic for customers to have one single price for the whole county. Not to mention meaning I would be able to pick up fares easing congestion at taxi ranks but also helping me cut down on dead mileage."

"I feel this would make things more fair on drivers and also offer us the opportunity to face the consequences of a certain business disruption to livelihoods of many Cornish businesses. Having this will enable a more efficient service and help already poorly paid drivers the opportunity to earn more."

Arguments put forward by respondents who strongly disagreed with the proposed amalgamation of taxi zones included:

"Many drivers, unable to sustain themselves in this trade, have tried to secure work in other industries but have been unsuccessful. The financial hardship and stress this has caused cannot be overstated. Removing taxi zones will only deepen this crisis, as it will allow drivers from outside areas to flood into lucrative events such as Boardmasters, taking away vital seasonal income that local drivers depend on to make ends meet."

"National guidance was made with urban areas in mind and fails to address issues in rural communities such as the gravitation towards clustering in busier towns (Falmouth) and leaving more rural zones with less availability or none. Taxi trades have been warning about consequences to making this change.

"Costs are offloaded onto taxpayers when subsidies are required to account for a new lack of taxi support in particularly rural areas. It ignores the differences in fares between current zones which are reflective of the local demand and economy.

"It is particularly harmful to vulnerable groups such as elderly and low-income. This was done in 1997 with devastating consequences to rural communities and took years to rebuild in those areas."

Speaking after the public consultation was launched in September, Steven Witchell, of Newquay Taxi Forum, which represents the taxi trade in the town, told us: "This 'one size fits all' approach risks making rural journeys too expensive for passengers."

He said when Cornwall's borough councils scrapped zoning in 1997, rural taxi drivers migrated to more lucrative town centres, leaving outlying villages without regular taxi services. Mr Witchell says this became a problem, particularly in winter months when public transport was limited or non-existent.

He commented: "It took years to rebuild rural coverage and even now that recovery is incomplete. Why would we repeat a proven mistake?"

When Cornwall Council became a unitary authority in 2009 it kept zoning to the borough council areas. In January 2026 the number of taxi licences in force were:

• North Cornwall - 166
• Caradon - 104
• Restormel 188
• Carrick - 320
• Kerrier - 134
• Penwith - 130

Cornwall Council's decision to look again at the taxi zones follows a recommendation from the Government.

In November 2023 the Department for Transport stated that it "recommends the abolition of taxi zones. This would chiefly benefit the travelling public. Zoning tends to diminish the supply of taxis and the scope for customer choice.

"It can be confusing and frustrating for people wishing to hire a taxi to find that a vehicle licensed by the relevant authority is nonetheless unable to pick them up (unless pre-booked) because they are in the wrong part of the authority's area.

"Abolition of zones can also reduce costs for the authority, for example through simpler administration and enforcement. It can also promote fuel efficiency, because taxis can pick up a passenger anywhere in the authority's area, rather than having to return empty to their licensed zone after dropping a passenger in another zone."

Since the results of Cornwall's consultation were announced, Mr Witchell said: "Many responses raised concerns about taxis gravitating towards busier towns, reduced availability in rural areas, seasonal income disruption and potential unintended knock-on effects.

"The report recognises these concerns but also acknowledges that mitigations options are limited if zones are removed."

He added: "If de-zoning proceeds, there must be clarity around tariff structure and booking fees."

Not sure if the 'community wellbeing scrutiny committee' here is the one that also performs the traditional licensing committee function

Anyway, looks like all members are in favour of retaining the current zones

But it's up to the council's 'cabinet' whether to go ahead.

And the usual arguments marshaled thereto, via trade vested interests, obviously. So, as per usual, make of them what you will...


Warning of 'taxi wars' in Cornwall

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornw ... l-10850163

'The situation is difficult enough for people in rural areas. I think this could make it worse'

There is cross-party concern about the possibility of taxis operating across one licensed zone in Cornwall rather than six separate zones as is currently the case.

One councillor said a change to the system could lead to "taxi wars" and a "free for all" with customers being charged more.

Cornwall Council's community wellbeing scrutiny committee was asked today (Thursday, March 5) whether to recommend to cabinet that the system remains the same or if the local authority follows government guidance and sets up a single zone across the whole of the Duchy.

The proposal for a single zone has previously been slammed by some taxi drivers who say it will lead to taxis congregating in more lucrative towns such as Falmouth and Newquay at the expense of rural areas and will result in higher fares.

Private hire vehicles, such as Uber - which is now licensed to operate in Cornwall, can ply their trade within a countywide zone unlike taxis.

The council ran a public consultation from September 28 to December 31 last year asking for comments on the taxi review. More than half of those who took part were taxi or private hire drivers and almost three-quarters of respondents were against the removal of the separate zones.

Cllr Loveday Jenkin (Crowan, Sithney & Wendron, Mebyon Kernow) told the meeting: "I'm afraid the government guidance - like a lot of government guidance - comes from an urban-centric perspective and doesn't look at the reality of the geography of Cornwall, in particular the rural areas and the honeypot big towns.

"I think it would really be a mistake to abolish tax zones and make a Cornwall-wide zone. It would be a disaster for the small rural taxi operators in Cornwall."

Cllr James Mustoe (Mevagissey & St Austell Bay, Conservative) agreed: "I think the important thing to note is that there is no way back should we decide to change from the current arrangements. The consultation is clearly significantly not in favour and, although it isn't a referendum, it puts in peril any council that ignores such a significant consultation result as that."

Cllr Brian Clemens (Land's End, Independent) said: "I live in Land's End, a very isolated area - taxi firms are a critical service for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities that do not have the abilities to catch a bus or drive. They rely on their private hire or their taxi.

"If this was to change to no zones, they [taxis] could probably go to bigger areas - towns more than rural areas. Who would get these people to their hospital appointments? Who would take them shopping? Who would take them to family gatherings? Who would take them to the dentist?

"You're not going to tell me that the likes of Uber are going to want to take granny two-mile down the road when they can do a 35-mile trip. It's not broken, why fix it?"

Cllr Jim Gale (Lynher, Reform UK) said he felt dezoning could see taxi ranks "chock-a-block" in some areas, meaning rural residents would have to rely on private hire cars, which set their own tariff and could lead to higher charges for residents. He also agreed that the system should remain as is.

Cllr David Saunby (Falmouth Trescobeas & Budock, Independent) said he had spoken to a number of taxi drivers in his town and most were against the introduction of a single zone.

"To get rid of the zones will be a significant policy decision that would have long-term consequences, not only for licensed drivers and operators but also for residents, visitors and sustainability of local transport provision, particularly in rural areas."

He added a single zone could lead to a "free for all" across Cornwall, resulting in higher charges to customers.

"The ranks in Falmouth are already full to capacity and cannot cope with anymore taxis coming in from other areas, which will only cause bad feeling with the local drivers, possibly resulting in taxi wars which nobody wants to see."

Cllr Martyn Alvey (Feock & Kea, Conservative), who is the son of a former Falmouth taxi driver, said dezoning would be an "irreversible change that would have unintended consequences".

He added: "The situation is difficult enough for people in rural areas. I think this could make it worse."

Following discussion, the committee unanimously voted to recommend to cabinet that it does not agree to a single licensed zone but that Cornwall continues to operate as six separate taxi zones for all of the reasons mentioned and due to the strong public opinion demonstrated in the consultation.

Members agreed that central government guidance doesn't always work in a rural area like Cornwall and its geographic spread.

The council's Liberal Democrat / Independent cabinet will make the ultimate decision in the coming weeks.

No, me neither

Whether the more usual arguments are exaggerated is, as usual, up for debate. Probably a grain of truth in them, but, you know...

But the Uber point above doesn't really make any sense at all to me