Taxi Driver Online

This HC fleet owner seems to have appeared before the committee for another matter, but the article is mainly about the looming LEZ deadline in four months time...


Glasgow taxi boss says only 12 vehicles LEZ ready as trade struggles

https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glas ... y-28550025

The taxi trade has been impacted by new low emisssion rules.

A Glasgow taxi boss has admitted tough market conditions and new low emission zone (LEZ) rules are making it a fight to keep his business going.

Brian O'Hara said his firm once had 100 taxis but that number is now down to 30. So far he has managed to get only 12 vehicles to comply with LEZ rules.

Speaking at yesterday's Glasgow's licensing and regulatory committee, Mr O'Hara said: "It is a struggle. We are fighting our way through. It is a tough time but we are trying to keep going."

Committee chair councillor Alex Wilson, SNP, said: "I commend you on that."

Mr O'Hara said Covid had also effected the trade and ability to get credit but added: "We are getting somewhere now."

He made the comments at the licensing committee as his Thistle Taxis vehicle suffered a breakdown problem as it was due for inspection.

He also believes some taxi drivers are having to quit the trade.

Taxis had to meet LEZ requirements by June 1, 2023 in order to operate in the city. Heavily polluting cars cannot enter about 200 streets under the LEZ requirements.

But some taxis had the chance to get an exemption until May 31 this year.

Around £3 million of retrofit Scottish Government funding has been made available to support taxi operators get their vehicles ready.

Diesel vehicles registered after September 2015, petrol vehicles registered from 2006 onwards and buses, coaches and HGVS registered from January 2013 will meet the required LEZ standards.

That doesn't sound like much. I'd guess there was a lot more to it than that makes it sound if he had to appear before the committee

I would imagine if he had 100 cabs once, then he would have earned very well out of the taxi trade. Some will say on the back of others.

That said I think black cab owners in Glasgow, as well as many other areas, need help in respect of replacement vehicles. Yet no one outside of the trade really cares.

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IDFIMH

This is mainly stuff from the same fleet-owner quoted above. Drones on a tad, but some quite interesting stuff. And looks like there's going to be a limited extension of the current extension, which ends in a couple of months


400 disabled taxis could be off the road due to LEZ zones, operator warns

https://news.stv.tv/west-central/400-di ... ator-warns

Operator Brian O’Hara fears 400 wheelchair accessible taxis could be lost in Glasgow due to the roll-out of LEZ.

Four hundred black disabled taxis will be put off the roads in Glasgow as drivers can’t afford to get their vehicles ready for the low emission zone, a taxi boss has warned.

Taxi operator Brian O’Hara fears there will be a lack of black taxis available for people with disabilities, children with special needs going to school and for women to get safely home at night.

Mr O’Hara who is the managing director of Glasgow Taxi Credit Union said the lack of taxis “will get worse” and said the impact of the Covid pandemic on the trade had affected the roll-out of the LEZ.

Currently he believes there are about 1,300 black cabs in Glasgow and fears the 400 being lost are all wheelchair accessible.

The former chairman of Glasgow Taxis added: “Most of the 400 taxis being lost will be one man bands. It is putting 400 small businesses out of business.

“Imagine if you went to Dumbarton Road and shut 400 shops.”

A huge shortage of second hand LEZ compliant vehicles available to buy, drivers unable to afford a new car or retrofit costs, difficulty in getting credit to borrow and a waiting list for retrofitting work are all exacerbating the problems.

Mr O’Hara said he has 18 “good” hackneys including a number of Mercedes Benz, that will be left sitting parked up as they don’t meet pollution targets. He has managed to get 12 to comply with the new low emission zone (LEZ) requirements.

Commenting on cars going off the road, he said: “They are good safe vehicles. You would be allowed to drive them in Aberdeen for example.”

He bought a Euro 6 compliant vehicle recently but said it was the only one available – with not even a selection available to choose from.

He said: “There is a distinct lack of vehicles we can buy to qualify. I bought the last second hand cab last week. It’s a big concern. You can’t get parts.”

Another taxi operator Michael Traynor who is a board member of the Glasgow Taxis Credit Union believes the LEZ conditions are “prohibitive.”

First minister Humza Yousaf has been contacted over the concerns and is supposed to be visiting the credit union office on Wallace Street to discuss the issues.

Mr O’Hara admitted many drivers have not yet recovered from the lack of trade during the pandemic.

“The attitude of the council and the government is ‘you knew LEZ was coming’ but we didn’t know Covid was coming, he said. “Four years down the line people are still paying bounce back loans.

“We are trying to rebuild our company. We are struggling. Without Covid the LEZ roll-out would have been okay.”

Mr Traynor and Mr O’Hara insist they are not against LEZ – just how it is being implemented and believe more time is necessary for taxis in the public interest.

Another issue is drivers are leaving the trade and the new rules, which require investment, are speeding up their exit.

Describing their predicament, Mr O’Hara said: “Guys are giving up. If you are 60 a lot of guys don’t want to shell out £67,000 for a taxi.”

Mr O’Hara said although grants have been made available – not everyone qualifies. He points out they hoped taxis registered in Glasgow could operate outside the periphery of the circa 200 streets forming the LEZ but was told that was not possible.

Commenting on all the issues, Mr Traynor said: “It is actually quite frightening the ramifications this could have.”

A council spokeswoman said: “We have at every stage, supported the shift to LEZ compliance by encouraging eligible taxi operators to take advantage of funding for clean, new vehicles, or for retrofitting existing vehicles. We also amended licensing conditions several years ago to increase the options available to operators of taxis which could not be retrofitted due to vehicle age.

“Whilst the vast majority of taxis operating in the city already meet the less-polluting LEZ standards, we need to ensure that all vehicles entering the city centre are of a standard that is not contributing to air pollution problems. However, it is recognised that for some taxis, retrofit is not an option or the retrofit has not yet been completed.

“Extending further flexibilities beyond the first year of LEZ enforcement to operators who are actively moving toward compliance is therefore a practical way for the council to continue supporting the taxi sector.

“To ensure the health benefits of cleaner air are realised as soon as possible, where an extension to an existing one-year taxi exemption is agreed, it will be limited to the minimum time required.”

Taxis had to meet LEZ requirements by June 1, 2023, in order to operate in the city. However eligible operators of non-compliant taxis were given an extra year to prepare by way of an exemption until 31 May 2024. It is understood the council will extend exemptions on application for those who are moving towards LEZ compliance.

Heavily polluting cars cannot enter about 200 streets under the LEZ requirements.

Around £3 million of retrofit Scottish Government funding has been made available to support taxi operators get their vehicles ready.

Diesel vehicles registered after September 2015, petrol vehicles registered from 2006 onwards and buses, coaches and HGVS registered from January 2013 will meet the required LEZ standards.

Only because Aberdeen (and Edinburgh and Dundee) delayed implementation of the LEZ for one year, presumably - Glasgow decided to implement it on the original date rather than delay. From this spring the vehicles will be unusable in those other three cities as well. (Or, to be more accurate, the other three didn't delay implementation, they just said they'd delay enforcement for a year )


Wondered about that at the time, since the LEZ only covers the central part of Glasgow. But presumably as far as the trade are concerned the whole city council area is an LEZ zone, and they've incorporated the LEZ rules into the taxi and PH vehicle spec - a few plateholders have been reported to have been up before the licensing committee to have their licences revoked because they hadn't upgraded. Of course, a lot of plates will have just been handed in either when they were due for renewal, or because the vehicle became unsuitable.

Of course, it would be very difficult to run a taxi or PHV in Glasgow without entering the LEZ zone anyway, but there may have been one or two oddball/niche operators who could have managed it. But as far as the trades are concerned Glasgow is one big LEZ rather than just the designated central area.

Of course, it would be very difficult to run a taxi or PHV in Glasgow without entering the LEZ zone anyway, but their may have been one or two oddball/niche operators who could have managed it. But as far as the trades are concerned Glasgow is one big LEZ rather than just the designated central area.

this is not an option


a lot of guys thought they didnt need to comply because they worked shopping centres etc,or worked in the periphary but the council said this was not an option,all cabs need to be euro 6,all cabs must be compliant as you cannot refuse to take a hire into the city centre,therefore you must be compliant,regardless of which area of the city you work

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i started out with nothing and ive still got most of it left

This problem isn't going to go away, ever.

They can delay a week, a month, or a year, but if the only cabs meeting the requirements are adapted clean cabs, or the £70/80,000 cabs, then in time the adapted cabs will eventually wear out leaving only the crazy priced option.

This is going to be an issue for dozens of areas, and I can only see London affording it.

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IDFIMH

Or another van-conversion comes on to the market -

https://www.cabdirect.com/taxis-for-sal ... kney-taxi/

There are some ProCabs in Glasgow but don't think they were a great success

The issue is that even they, or their equivalent, are now £50,000 plus for electric versions.

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IDFIMH

Yes, no easy option. Outside London, any dealer marketing an alternative cab will probably aim to undercut the TXE, but not by much.

Good London cabs sometimes ended up in other cities - I had 3 of them back in the day. But the LEZ will pretty much kill that now.

Just had a quick look at Cab Direct's prices.

Ford 2 litre diesel hackney cab £59,995.

https://www.cabdirect.com/taxis-for-sal ... kney-taxi/

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IDFIMH

Cheaper than TXE - good. Wet-belt - not good.

Think it's a no from me.

So that's £60,000 for a 2-litre diesel. Add £10,000 for 5-years interest makes £70,000.

Or £1,116 a month, every month for 5 years.

I also note the electric version, with no price yet, has a range of 137-188 miles.

The question I ask is do you laugh, or do you cry?

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IDFIMH

At £26k, my second-hand TX4 was already the most expensive single thing I've ever bought apart from property - less than half the cost of this Ford or TXE. I sometimes think (outside London) owners are ultimately going to be priced out of the trade.

Vested interests aside, Brian O'Hara makes a point I'd agree with - it's a shame to see hundreds of perfectly serviceable cabs (or any vehicle really) being effectively binned. It seems like a waste.

Looks like 358 HCs won't comply with the LEZ standard once it's implemented in May. That's about one quarter of the fleet size coming out of Covid, I think. (For years it was 1,428, and then still over 1,400, but I think it had maybe slipped below 1,400 coming out of lockdown, although can't be bothered looking it up. But I'd guess one quarter non-compliant is a reasonable approximation ).


Hundreds of taxis in Glasgow still don't meet LEZ standards

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/241 ... standards/


Image: Newsquest

Hundreds of taxis still do not meet the LEZ standards in Glasgow and won't be able to operate in the city centre after May this year.

Latest data shows there are more than 300 that have not met the criteria for a time-limited extension after May 31.

The council says there are “a number of vehicles in the taxi fleet that are non-compliant” and said they were contacted in January “to make clear the Council’s position with regards to these vehicles” and what support they can still get.

There were 472 taxis that did not meet the LEZ standard when phase two came into force in June last year.

A council report being discussed this week confirms 114 vehicles would qualify to have an existing exemption extended beyond May 31, 2024.

There are 39 where funding applications have been processed by Energy Saving Trust and are on the official waiting list.

A further 75 expressions of interest in funding have also been actively registered.

It leaves 358 taxis that will not be eligible for any further extension and unable to operate in the city centre after May 31.

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Whilst the vast majority of taxis operating in the city centre already meet LEZ standards, it is essential that all vehicles entering the zone are of a standard that does not contribute to the air pollution problems that have blighted the city centre for decades.

“Glasgow’s LEZ has been well publicised and had an extensive lead-in time. And at every stage since the intention to introduce a scheme was agreed, we have supported the taxi sector move toward compliance.”

The council said it has “consistently encouraged” taxi operators to take advantage of government funding to become compliant with the LEZ either towards retrofitting or new vehicles.

It said £1.9m has been paid out since 2019 for taxis in the Glasgow region.

The spokesperson added: “Eligible operators were also granted an exemption from the scheme’s first year of operation, and we will show further flexibilities beyond this point, but only for operators who can show they are actively taking steps to meet the cleaner LEZ standards.“

The report states LEZ compliant vehicles, both new and second-hand, remain available for purchase. It adds: “However, LEZ officers continue to work with Licensing colleagues to explore vehicle alternatives for use within the Glasgow fleet to potentially expand the range of suitable vehicles.”