Although the local trade aren't best pleased.
Cab drivers steer towards protests
CAB drivers in Sheffield are threatening to stage a series of protests after it emerged that council leaders are set to refuse a moratorium on new taxi licences. In the past three years the number of black cabs has more than doubled in Sheffield city centre after Sheffield Council leaders decided to deregulate the service.
Taxi drivers say this has put undue pressure on the service they can provide, forcing many to have to work much longer hours in order to make ends meet. Earlier this year, drivers demanded Sheffield Council curb the number of taxi licences which it issued.
They are asking the council to stop issuing new licences and commission an independent survey to establish the demand for taxis in Sheffield. But despite hundreds of signatures on a petition and even a "go slow" protest two months ago, council leaders look set to refuse the request. A meeting of the strategic resources and performance scrutiny and policy development board on Wednesday is expected to recommend that the council keeps its licensing system as it is.
Now furious taxi drivers are planning to demonstrate. Sheffield Taxi Trade Association secretary Hafeas Rehman said: "It seems the council are giving out these licences to anyone who applies for them. "But this huge increase is causing untold problems with established taxi drivers as it is threatening their livelihoods. We asked the council to look into this and put a stop to issuing so many licences, but now it looks like they are to refuse our request.
"It is extremely disappointing and we are very upset.Other cities have regulations in place which work very well, but Sheffield is refusing to do this. We believe we have become caught up in some political warfare and our plight is being ignored by those who have the power to change things." He said the association would meet later this week to decide what course of action should be taken.
"This is not over yet, not by a long way," added Mr Rehman. "We will be heard. This is only a scrutiny board, but the licensing board seems to just accept what they have to say, so we will have to take our fight to a higher level."
Until a few years ago, the council imposed a limit of 300 licences for Hackney cabs but deregulation in response to legal changes meant anyone able to pass the council's test could ask for a licence, regardless of the number already working in the city. Since then the number has more than doubled to over 600, while private hire taxis have increased from around 600 to more than 800.
Coun Ray Satur, chairman of the scrutiny board, last night insisted the taxi drivers' demands had been carefully considered, but he said going back to regulation was not the answer. He said: "There are three associations for taxi drivers in Sheffield – one for black cabs, one for private hire and another for both. It is only the black cab drivers who are demanding this moratorium, all the rest seem happy with the way things are.
"However, we understand the drivers' concerns and we have not just ignored them. We hope by doing a number of things, including issuing new licences only to drivers who have new low-floored, low-emission cabs that this will go some way to curbing the situation. We hope this should impose a natural curb on new licences." He added that the scrutiny board was also considering recommendations aimed at helping cab drivers, including introduction of clearly signposted taxi ranks.
Better safety measures, allowing taxi drivers better access to bus lanes and changes to the one-way system are also expected to be considered at Wednesday's meeting, which will give its recommendations to the council's licensing board.