1 in 3 cabs yet to be sprayed as 'Bristol blue' deadline nears
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
With less than two weeks before the deadline, around a third of Bristol's Hackney carriage drivers have still failed to have their cars re-sprayed blue.
Bristol City Council gave cab drivers three years to adopt the "Bristol Blue" policy, which says they must be sprayed the correct shade of blue by May 1.
With 12 days to go, and the Easter Bank Holiday in the way, there are believed to be 237 Hackney carriages that have failed to meet the conditions.
The council says it knows of "at least" 572 vehicles that have adopted the right colour, out of 809 Hackney drivers.
The authority says it is "confident" the rest will fall in line by the cut-off point.
If they don't drivers face a fine or having their licence taken away from them.
At least 19 vehicles would have to be re-sprayed every day – including weekends bank holidays – between now and May 1, if all of them were to avoid falling foul of the controversial council policy.
While Hackney carriages, which can ply for trade on the street and at ranks, have to be blue, the rule change means private hire taxis, which have to be pre-booked, must now be any colour other than blue.
When the Evening Post reported on the number of Hackney cabs that had been painted blue a month ago, the total was 332, so in that time an extra 240 re-sprays have been confirmed.
The council decided on the policy in to create a city image along the lines of New York's yellow cabs. The decision did not prove popular with drivers, who objected to the time frame that was put on the scheme.
Many have claimed that the average re-spray cost of £1,500 and the loss of earnings while the vehicle is off the road, is too much to deal with in the middle of a recession.
The council says the scheme will also improve safety for passengers, who will feel safer using cabs that are more easy to identify as they are all the same colour.
The new regulations also restrict the amount of advertising that appears on vehicles. Ads can now only be placed below the windowsill.
Some drivers have argued this is another blow to their income.
In the last few weeks the council has sent out staff to taxi ranks to remind drivers of their obligations, and has sent out reminder letters.
Council spokeswoman Vicky O'Loughlin said: "The number of Hackney carriage owners who are bringing in their vehicles to show they are the correct colour has dramatically increased over the last few weeks."
"We now know that we have at least 572 vehicles registered as Bristol blue."
"We know that there are others that have not yet come in to show us their colour and we are told by the paint spray companies that they are booked solid over the next two weeks."
"At any one time there is a proportion of Hackney carriages not on the road as their owners are abroad or for mechanical or other reasons."
"We are very confident that a large majority of vehicles that are in use will be the right colour by the beginning of May."
"We have made every effort to reach every Hackney carriage owner to ensure they understand the position and we are confident they are aware of what is required under their licence conditions."
Source; http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/1-3 ... ticle.html
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