Taxi Driver Online

New thread, but nothing here really that we don't know already, but with D-day fast approaching I'd guess there may be an uptick in press coverage, and this is on the Scottish Sun's website, as opposed to the usual more local sites like the Glasgow (Evening) Times and Glasgow Live.

And, of course, Glasgow was a year early with its LEZ - albeit with a year's grace for the taxi trade - but the LEZs in Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen are also due to start at the end of this month.

Doubt the impact elsewhere will be as great as in Glasgow, though - Edinburgh also has a black cab fleet, but I think it's historically been a bit newer than Glasgow's, therefore...

Dundee's and Aberdeen's HC fleets are a mishmash of saloons and WAVs (indeed, I think Dundee has around four different specs for HCs...), but I doubt many really old motors around, and not many London-style cabs at all. Lots of the smaller WAVs like Peugeot Partners, or whatever.

But the bottom line is that I doubt the impact will be nearly so drastic as in Glasgow.

But, of course, what's not highlighted so much perhaps is the financial impact on those who have complied, and maybe taken on substantial debt to do so

By the same token, no doubt a lot of those who have complied won't be too unhappy that a significant proportion of the trade will disappear come the end of the month...


EMISSION IMPOSSIBLE Hundreds of Glasgow taxi drivers ‘will be forced off the road’ due to strict new LEZ rules

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/s ... lez-rules/

It’s feared the regulations will lead to older drivers quitting the taxi trade

HUNDREDS of cabbies will be “forced off the road” due to strict new LEZ rules, it’s claimed.

Sickened taxi drivers say they are being “thrown on the scrapheap” by heartless council bosses in Glasgow.

And campaigners insist the loss of around 300 of the city’s 1,318 licence holders would be a “disaster”.

From June, vehicles that don’t meet new emissions standards will face swingeing penalty charges if they operate in the centre of Glasgow.

And it’s feared this will lead to may older drivers quitting — on top of approximately 400 cabbies who’ve handed in their badges since 2018.

John Clyde, who has been in the industry for more than 40 years, said: “We are too old to take on the massive debt to renew our cabs to the LEZ standard.

"We’ll be forced off the road this month.”

Some cabbies were given an extra year to comply when the low emissions zone was introduced in the city last June.

But Jim Kyle, chairman of the Scottish Taxi Federation, said: “Older drivers won’t renew their motor or spend a fortune when near retirement.

"It’s shocking.”

Jack Irvine, ex-director of the LEZ Fightback campaign, said: “This is a disaster for Glasgow.

"It will mean more dodgy taxi firms.”

City nightspots boss Donald MacLeod added: “I’m very concerned about this.”

A council spokesman said: “At every stage we’ve supported the taxi sector move to compliance with LEZ.”

Well at least that's a slightly different angle as regards press reporting (if not on here) and of course had nothing really to do with largely static vehicle numbers.

And factors over that period regarding a reduction in badge numbers more likely to be lockdown, and of course the shift to pre-booking, and apps, and Uber in particular.

I, like most taxi/PH drivers, have a huge amount of sympathy for those being asked to spend crazy money just to be able to work.

But the above is total rubbish.

_________________
IDFIMH

A very succinct summary.

_________________
IDFIMH

but they might renew their drivers licenses

_________________
Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Given this thread I'm curious where 1318 licences comes from.

Have 90 plates been surrendered since January 2023?

I don't know the ins and outs of the exemption scheme and the retrofits and the like, but to be honest I didn't bat an eyelid at the 1,318 figure, Mr XH558.

For example, even some cabs that could have been used until the end of this month may have reached the end of their natural life in the last 15 months anyway, and with the writing on the wall wouldn't be replaced. Or maybe some other pivotal event happened, like the annual test, or even badge and/or plate renewal and at that point it's decided just to jack it in.

Anyway, another piece in today's Scottish Daily Mail. Nothing much that isn't in the Sun's article above, but it's another press outlet other than those which have been featuring the issue over the last few years.



More readable hi-res version here:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GM4RUvpWAAA ... name=large

Glasgow Unite tweeted this yesterday, and use the figure '120 taxi businesses'.


So maybe they have figures showing that it's now actually less than 1,318 and/or they're using the peak figure of 1,430 some years ago, in which case it's probably not all attributable to LEZ.

But no point counting the angels on the head of the cab trade pin in this regard, and maybe better to look at the bigger picture and the ballpark figures. So to that extent 100 or so in the last 15 months or so doesn't seem implausible, in fact seems highly plausible.

But the trickle during that period more likely to become a flood in the next few weeks

And, of course, the retrofit scheme is increasingly problematic - who'd have guessed that would happen?

But, again those eminently predictable issues are maybe why some just decided to throw in the towel rather than retrofit. And, indeed, some have maybe been having retrofit/LPG issues and decided to jack it in after going down that route?

I think there's some further grace for owners who can show they're awaiting an ordered compliant vehicle, retrofit or whatever. Aside from that, I'd agree June is going to be a watershed.

It boils down to economics - if an owner can upgrade and still make a reasonable living, they'll do it. If they can't or are unsure, they'll walk. Fleet owners will be even more focused on the bottom line.

Many of these articles mention the age of owners/drivers, so I suppose the trade could also shift to a younger profile.

That’s another huge problem the trade has going forward.

It’s age profile.

I joined this merry trade in my twenties and I wasn’t the youngest. It was quite common for sons or nephews of owners to share the cabs with their dads and uncles.

Very rarely see that now.

In short the kids don’t want to work in this trade and I can’t see that changing.

_________________
IDFIMH

I joined the gang aged 40, on leaving the Royal Navy. Gratuity paid for the Cab, pension from day one meant I didn't have to "bust my nuts".

Leave the Forces now and the gratuity is not going to get a great WAV Cab, certainly not a new one, and the pension starts paying out at 55.

You won't be seeing the ex- Service (Man/woman/thing/choose your own pronoun) like you did before.

_________________
Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

there has been a further extension for the guys waiting for their conversions to be done and have a place booked

agreed on the fleet owners issue,basically they cannot get drivers for their cabs



the age problem has being going on for ages now,new ,younger drivers are not coming into the trade in enough numbers to replace the older drivers leaving,the average age of glasgow cabbies has been rising steadily for years now

_________________
i started out with nothing and ive still got most of it left

that might be true amongst some groups of people the same could not be said of prople from Asian and African countries. Plenty of younger drivers in my area following their dadfs, uncles and cousins into the trade

_________________
Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

The average age of a taxi driver in Scotland has increased over the years, from 47 years old in 2010 to 51 years old in 2020. This trend reflects the ageing population of Scotland, as well as the challenges of attracting and retaining younger drivers in the industry. Some of the factors that may discourage younger people from becoming taxi drivers include:

The high cost of obtaining and maintaining a licence, vehicle and insurance
The long and irregular working hours, often involving night shifts and weekends
The low and variable income, depending on demand and competition
The physical and mental stress of driving in traffic and dealing with customers

Sauce - https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/what- ... the-border