Taxi Driver Online

South Wales Evening Post

July 23, 2007 Monday

Swansea Cabbies want hackney licences limited

City cab drivers are in favour of a limit being introduced on new hackney carriage licences.

A review of Swansea taxi driver licences has been carried out by the city council after a request from the drivers' trade union.

The Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), is urging the council to put a limit on the numbers to safeguard its members' livelihoods.

The responses to the consultation have now been collated by the council.

A council spokesman said: "For the hackney carriage trade, 594 consultations were sent to the hackney carriage proprietors and drivers. 202 (33 per cent) responded to the consultation.

"186 stated that they were in favour of introducing a limit on the number of hackney carriage licences issued."

Among the reasons drivers gave for introducing a limit were the low wages, long hours and a shortage of taxi rank spaces.

However, South Wales Police are not in favour of limiting taxi numbers.

Council officers will present a recommendation to councillors on September 13.
____________________________

Well it's over a year since I wheeled out that Adam Smith quote, so now seems a good opportunity.

People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.

The point being that the trade is as likely to want the market rigged in its favour as turkeys are to vote to postpone Christmas - it's what businesses do, and economists call it rent-seeking.

However, surely it's for public bodies to resist this rather than telling us that the trade wants it as if it was some kind of divine revalation.

And I've yet to work out how later drivers and proprietors being charged excessive rentals and plate premiums helps with regard to earnings and long hours.

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk