Cab Fayre Not Enough
14th July 2008
Manchester City Council is being urged to issue nearly 200 more Hackney carriage licences. City councillor John Commons, Liberal Democrat opposition spokesman on licensing, said more taxis during the evening would help cut crime and disorder by getting people out of the city centre.
There are currently 1,024 licences and 749 would-be drivers on the waiting list. Based on a study of demand levels by consultants Halcrow, the council has recently decided it will issue 30 new licences by next March and a further 30 in the following 12 months, bringing the total to 1,084.
But Commons said numbers should be upped to 1,200 by 2010, saying advice from the consultants was “rather conservative” and that anecdotal evidence shows people are struggling to find cabs in the evening.
He added: “We feel the city is underserved, particularly at night. The number of additional taxis has not been enough to make sure they are working at night, which is very important in view of cutbacks to late night buses. The service is not as good as it used to be.
The numbers on the waiting list showed that there were “a lot of people willing to drive that are not being given the opportunity”, said Commons.
Manchester city centre management company Cityco also believes extra taxis and better public transport could alleviate anti-social behaviour when large numbers of people are leaving the city centre after a night out.
It recently spearheaded an initiative to steward people away from the Printworks on Withy Grove. Two taxi ranks were created on Garden Street and Corporation Street and extra night buses were put on from Shudehill Interchange.
Cityco chief executive Gordon Reid said: “A major part of the problem was the lack of adequate means of transport for people to get home. Early results from the initiative show a significant fall in the incidents of crime and disorder in the area late at night. We believe that a greater correlation between customer demand and supply of suitable transport is essential and could lead to similar benefits elsewhere in the city centre.”
Cllr Commons also called for a review of the rule that taxi drivers registered in Manchester could not pick up from Salford, should also be examined. This means that a Manchester cabbie can drop off a fare at the Lowry Hotel but cannot pick up from the same location.
He added: “It is something that should be examined on an AGMA basis to see if there could be co-operation.” In London, Hackney cabs can pick up in any borough, regardless of where they are licensed.
Paul Kirkham, assistant policy director at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “The night time economy is important for Manchester and ensuring there is a sufficient number of black cabs to service the city is crucial. While in general the number of Hackney cabs appears to be enough, with Manchester playing host to an increasing number of events and conferences at times, this can be stretched. Allowing more licences could help to ensure sufficient provision, but it is down to the council to assess the situation.”
A spokesman for the Labour-controlled city council pointed out that Manchester was the third best city in the UK for the number of Hackney licences per head, with one per 394 residents. This is more than Bristol, Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham and Leeds but behind Liverpool and Newcastle, where there are around 300 people per cab.
Councillor Richard Cowell, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for the Environment, said: “An independent company surveyed taxi numbers and demand last year, and other than there being a small increase, levels were found to be sufficient to meet demand.
“The City Council continues to account for economic growth on an annual basis by introducing additional licences.
“Of course there is also a thriving private hire trade, which meets many customers' needs as long as the taxis are pre-booked.”
|
