Taxi drivers’ ‘strict’ rule change fears to be heard

CITY COUNCIL SET TO DISCUSS PETITION CHALLENGING VEHICLE AGE CONDITIONS

- By NIGEL SLATER Local democracy reporter nigel.slater@reachplccom

A PETITION calling to scrap new and controversial taxi rules in Derby is set to be heard at a council meeting later this month.

Taxi drivers across the city attended a protest rally last month over a Derby City Council decision to change licensing rules.

From April a new policy was enforced stating private hire taxi vehicles should be five years old or less when licensed by the city council for the first time.

Licensed vehicles, no more than 15 years old, can be used for taxi hire in Derby if they have been previously licensed by the local authority ~ meaning many drivers are good to use their current vehicles.

But taxi drivers argue the “strict” rule change could see them go out of business or look for other work should anything happen to their vehicle or if they were to have an accident and the car became a write-off.

They claim drivers would have to pay at least £15,000 to get a vehicle less than five-years-old so it can meet the criteria required.