Victory for golden oldie black cabs
http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Victory-for-golden-oldie-black.5079903.jp
Taxi drivers are celebrating after forcing council chiefs into a U-turn over banning old cabs from the road.
Licensing bosses wanted to introduce an age restriction on private hire and Hackney cabs, which would have seen cars over 10 years old taken off the road.
Drivers said the move to "improve air quality" and increase standards would add to the "financial hardship" experienced by cabbies already being hampered by high fuel and insurance costs.
Members of the Bolton, Bury, Burnley and Preston Hackney Association objected to the age-limit and the Preston Hackney Carriage Association said the idea was "ill-conceived".
Mark Selley, secretary of the Preston Hackney Carriage Association, said: "Overwhelmingly the trade were against it.
"We were unshaken in the view that old doesn't necessarily mean bad in terms of a cab.
"You can have a five-year-old vehicle where a driver doesn't look after it and, on the other side of the coin, you could have a 10-year-old vehicle that's been through its tests and that's still perfectly serviceable."
Mike Thorpe, head of licensing at Preston Council, said a number of steps were being taken to ensure all vehicles underwent stringent and regular tests.
The council is looking to tighten up its vehicle inspection procedures and increase enforcement, he said. Cars are already required to have two MOT tests every year.
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