Public in favour of improved taxi & PHV industry standards in the Greater Manchester area
Members of the public have spoken, with a large percentage showing their support for new proposed taxi and private hire minimum standards in the Greater Manchester area.
A public consultation was launched to gain feedback from members of the public, hackney carriage drivers and private hire drivers. Results from the 8 week consultation, which run between October and December 2020, have now been published and are being considered by local licensing authorities.
Minimum Licensing Standards (MLS) for all Greater Manchester local authorities represent a means of achieving a range of shared goals, including, improving public safety; helping deliver clean air and reducing carbon emissions; supporting the locally licensed hackney and private hire trades; and complying with the Government's statutory guidance on safeguarding.
The proposed minimum licensing standards cover four main areas:
Drivers: Common standards for:
DBS checks
Medicals
Local knowledge
English language proficiency
Driver training, and
Dress code.
Vehicles:
Age policy of under-five years at first licensing and licensed until ten years old
Vehicle emission standards of Euro IV for petrol engines and Euro VI for diesel from 2021 with an ambition to zero emission capable vehicles by 2029
All hackney carriages to be black and private hire vehicles white
Hackney carriages to be all wheelchair accessible
Common livery
CCTV in vehicles, and
Other design and licensing requirements.
Operators:
Private hire operators and base staff to have basic DBS checks
Updated conditions and record keeping requirements.
Local authorities:
Common timescales for submitting applications and receiving granted ones
A common enforcement approach and a framework to which fees will be set.
Consultation Findings:
In total, nearly 1700 responses were received with 59% of responses being from the public, 21% from private hire drivers and 14% from hackney carriage drivers.
In terms of the proposed driver standards, 94% of the public agreed with the proposals. In contrast, 58% of hackney drivers and 57% of private hire drivers agreed.
In relation to vehicle standards, 88% of the public responses were supportive whilst CCTV and accessible vehicles were all supported by the public. Overall, only 23% of hackney and 24% of private hire drivers agreed. This figure changed when the drivers leased vehicles (37% and 22% respectively).
For operator standards, 94% of the public responses were in favour and 67% and 65% respectively for hackney and private hire drivers.
Overall findings on the timetable for implementation (of whatever policy is finally agreed) was positive with 84% of the public agreeing and looking forward to improved standards. Most drivers (76%) disagreed with the timetable, but this reduced to 56% when they rented or leased a vehicle.
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Authority, said: “Hackney and Private Hire services are a hugely important part of the transport sector. Collectively, they provide more journeys for residents and visitors than Metrolink or local rail, and they represent a significant part of the economy, employing over 20,000 people across the city region.”
The Greater Manchester Authority is also proposing a road map to reducing vehicles emissions with the aim of an entirely zero emission capable fleet by 2029. This will support the city regions' Clean Air Plan to reduce harmful nitrogen dioxide emissions.
The Government has announced plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles from as early as 2032. The proposed timetable to move to a ZEC fleet is as follows:
2025 – All new to licence vehicles need to be ZEC
2028 – All licensed vehicles need to be ZEC
2029 – an entirely ZEC Taxi/PHV fleet across GM.
The Greater Manchester Authority stressed that securing such ambitions would require a rolling, progressive programme of reform, with several elements to be designed, developed, agreed and implemented over time.
