Taxi Driver Online

More taxis and changes in ranks could be part of the stance taken by Stirling Council to meet a demand for cabs. The council’s regulatory functions panel is this week considering granting 25 more taxi vehicle licences as part of a review aimed at meeting an unmet demand for taxis in Stirling.

If members give the recommendation the go-ahead, the new licences will be allocated from an existing waiting list and be for vehicles which are suitable for wheelchair users. The panel is also considering approval of a pilot project to look at the best locations for taxi stances in the city centre. This could include transferring disabled parking in Dumbarton Road to outside Poundstretchers in Murray Place and replacing it with a rank.

A report to the panel by council officials said: “The figure of 25 proposed additional taxi vehicles was arrived at to meet current demand and was obtained by considering an evaulation report on a taxi pilot project. “This took place over several weeks last Christmas in one location where there were at one time 12 private hire vehicles helping with the demand.

“These 12 vehicles reduced the waiting time at the railway station from one hour to 25 minutes. The same could not be said at the post office stance as some customers waited there for more than one hour during the same period. “It is felt therefore that since an extra 12 vehicles made such a difference at one location, it would be appropriate to consider a similar number would address the situation at the post office. That would mean an additional 24 vehicles which would be rounded up to 25. “These two stances form all of the on-street business in the early hours of the morning.”

The report also said the arrangement had been a major factor in helping incidents of bad behaviour between midnight and 5am fall by 20 per cent. The officials said more space would therefore be needed to accommodate the extra cars. They added: “The next step proposed would be identifying a larger taxi stance in the city centre area.

“Discussions have taken place with some key services on a switch of the disabled parking area at Dumbarton Road to the Poundstretcher area. This would allow for a taxi rank in Dumbarton Road for more vehicles than can be accommodated at Poundstretcher. “CCTV coverage is currently adequate at the Dumbarton Road area.”

The report also says, however, that Scottish Executive-funded streetscape works set to be undertaken over the next five to 10 years could over time change the way vehicles use the city centre area, therefore any changes would have to be monitored before a long-term solution to the stance issue was implemented. The officials said: “It is intended to fully discuss this proposal with all relevant parties, including the Kings Park Community Council and Mercat Cross Community Council.”

The report recommends a review of unmet demand, that the location of taxi stances be carried out every five years and points out that factors which could alter demand in future may include the Forthside development, the proposed new 2500-house Eastern Village and the possibility of new public houses and restaurants in Dumbarton Road which although rejected by the council’s planning panel are currently subject to an appeal.

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IDFIMH

This is fantastic news for the community of Stirling, for years i have struggled to flag down cabs in the town centre in this distinctly sparsely taxi-populated area.

Great news.

is that what they call latent demand?