Taxi Driver Online

Interesting that the state of the roads is highlighted here. Don't forget that the man responsible as transport convenor on the council before being elected as a Labour MP a couple of years ago was Dr Scott Arthur, who's now on the House of Commons transport committee interrogating the trade


Edinburgh private hire drivers in protest over roads and bus lanes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx247plj72jo

Private hire drivers in Edinburgh have staged a protest over alleged "unfair treatment" by the city council.

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Drivers claimed the condition of the capital's roads, restrictions on private hire vehicles using bus lanes and a proliferation of new drivers were making it "harder and harder" to operate.

About 40 drivers, under the banner of Edinburgh United Private Hire (EUPH), demonstrated outside the city chambers while a meeting of the local authority's licensing committee took place.

City of Edinburgh Council transport convener, councillor Stephen Jenkinson, said the authority was "committed" to working with all transport operators on the future of the road network.

Councillors rejected a bid to allow private hire drivers to use bus lanes in November last year.

Taxis are permitted to use bus lanes in Edinburgh, but private cars are prohibited.

An individual review is considering whether to allow private hire drivers and black cabs to use bus gates and traffic filters.

A similar protest was held outside the city chambers last year.

However, driver Stuart Livingston said their concerns still had not been addressed.

He said: "We pay the same fees as black cars, our licence fees are the same, our car licence fees are the same and the same rules apply and run by the same office but we have no access to bus lanes.

"The conditions of the road are an absolute disgrace.

"The council constantly asks us to adhere to high standards, but they're not adhering to them themselves."

Livingston added: "We've actually asked for standards to be increased. We want more enforcement out from the council, but the council have responsibility and their duty of care as well and they have to meet their end of the bargain as well."

'Harder to work'

More than 3,000 private hire vehicles and 1,074 taxis are licensed to operate in Edinburgh, according to council figures.

The local authority agreed to carry out a survey on "overprovision" of private hire licenses last year, but it has not yet started.

Proposals for a pause on new licenses being issued until that work was completed was rejected.

Rolf White, of EUPH, said some members were finding it "harder" to find work and were considering leaving the job due to the demands placed on drivers.

White said: "The council just treats us like a side hustle, we try and get things done and it just seems like they just don't really care enough.

"A lot of guys I've spoken to, they're just sick of it. A lot of them are just going to try and get new jobs."

White said the trade was at risk of being ruined.

City of Edinburgh Council's transport convener said he was not personally in favour of allowing any vehicles other than buses to use bus lanes.

Jenkinson said the council had "invested consistently" in the upkeep of Edinburgh's roads since the administration began.

He added: "We're not immune to the financial pressures that we're seeing across the country, and we know that to bring all public roads up to scratch in Scotland would cost billions.

"I'm confident that we remain on the right track here in Edinburgh and my focus is on making sure our network is in the best possible shape.

"We're committed to working with public transport operators, private hire, and the wider taxi trade to make sure our network runs for the benefit of all."

Slightly different angle here from a different source

Although I thought it was going to be a bit different to what it actually is, and seems to grind to a halt when you think it's about to get going. And the slightly odd comment about Capital Cars and the airport is just simply that they're a PHO with the exclusive airport contract. But, as I recall it, when they first got the contract they were calling on allcomers to use the facility, because they didn't have the cars to cover it. Don't know if that's still the case, and that was maybe at the back end of lockdown...


Private hire drivers call for councillors to give them more respect

Drivers were complaining that they are not allowed to access bus gates, and they do not get the professional recognition they think they deserve.

Although the drivers we met can pick up passengers at the airport using an app, it is Capital Cars who have the overall contract to run taxis from Edinburgh Airport, something we put to one of the drivers who were protesting outside the City Chambers.

They had chosen to make a bit of noise on the High Street just as the Sub-Licensing committee was meeting. Their chants of “Hear our voice, hear it now!”, and “Let us through bus gates” was one part of their message to councillors. They also demanded that roads are fixed with the chant: “Enough is enough! Fix our roads!”

Their placards said “Respect the Trade” and “Fair Access Now”.

Private hire driver, Rolf White, said: “At the moment, being a private hire driver, it’s really difficult.

“There’s a lot of private hire vehicles. I think the market’s quite saturated. Now, 3000 private hire vehicles in Edinburgh. Now, there’s only 1000 taxis, and with the battle with the council, you know, it just makes life a lot harder. I’ve been a private hire driver. We’re not allowed access to through the bus gates, and we’re forever having to drive further around Edinburgh to get round the places we need to get to. So it is making it very difficult. Professional recognition. The council, they just treat us like a side hustle.”

A spokesperson for the drivers said they just want to have a voice in decisions affecting them. “Many feel these issues have been ongoing for some time without proper resolution, and there is growing concern across the trade about where things are heading. These concerns are now beginning to impact drivers’ livelihoods.”

In a deputation in August 2024, Eddie Grice of the Edinburgh Branch of the Scottish Private Hire Association called on councillors to allow them to take part in the proposed 7-7-7 bus lane trials. He said that The Scottish Government had at that time recognised the “important role that private hire and taxi drivers play within our local communities” and that the services provided are a “vital part of the transport system”. Drivers also claimed that both private hire drivers and black cab drivers are providing a broadly similar service, and that to treat them differently was “inequitable”.

Private hire drivers have been allowed into bus lanes in Glasgow for the past two decades.

But councillors decided they will look again at allowing private hire cars to use bus gates.

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In fact there's a short video, as well, which is worth having a quick look at (in fact, probably better just to view that as opposed to reading the piece...)

And which helps explain the comment in the piece about the airport contract

https://youtu.be/qrvwgrtsU1U?si=c7k55EILTNj7q6v2

Thing about Edinburgh is that back in the 1990s or so the HCs actually outnumbered the PHVs, and obviously covered most of the pre-booked work as well as the street stuff

So they think the 3 to 1 ratio now means a huge increase in PHVs, but in reality it's just falling into line with the norm elsewhere.

Of course, that's not to say that there hasn't been an abnormal increase in PHVs, but that's more down to the usual stuff, including Uber, obviously.

And the HC numbers have contracted as well, from the cap maybe around 1,200 vehicles, now down to nearer 1,000.

And, like Glasgow, that's presumably due to stuff like the LEZ in terms of vehicle spec on the one hand, and competitive pressure from private hire generally on the other hand, and from Uber in particular...