Crucial vote for Derby taxi drivers to be held this week

A crucial vote affecting the future of hundreds of Derby taxi drivers is to be held on whether a controversial rule stays or goes.

Derby City Council chiefs ruled last year that private hire taxi vehicles should be five years old or less when licensed by the local authority for the first time.

The authority said the change was brought in “to ensure vehicles are in good condition and more likely to meet current safety and emissions standards”.

The policy, implemented last April, does not apply to private taxi vehicles which are already licensed with the council – but those that would be registered for the first time.

Council bosses say the five-year rule was designed “to introduce improved passenger safety, maintain vehicle quality standards, reduce emissions and enhance the Derby professional image”.

But the “very strict” rule has been met with dispute with angry taxi drivers protesting on the streets.

Worried drivers claim the five-year rule could put them out of business and damage the city’s taxi trade.

They fear the requirement of a car five years old or less would “price out” new drivers wanting to enter the trade and existing drivers too, if they needed to change vehicles.

Fears were also raised that the policy encourages drivers to trade in the city but be licensed under a different council, which would not have the same rules in place.

It has been well known for several years that a number of taxi vehicles operating in the city have a Wolverhampton City Council license plate – not a Derby City Council one. This is not just an issue in Derby but other towns and cities too due to out-of-town authorities offering different fees or rules.

The city council is unable to carry out safety inspections or checks on taxi vehicles if they are licensed by other councils. This, therefore, restricts the city council’s power to regulate vehicles on its roads.

Following the concerns, council leaders agreed to carry out a review and a public consultation to consider the rule’s impact.

Now, a meeting is to be held at Derby City Council next week to decide if the five-year age limit should stay, change or be completely removed.

More than 800 respondents took part in the council’s online consultation over the winter.

Almost 60 per cent of respondents wanted the age limit removing entirely.

Preference for adjusting to a different age stood at almost 30 per cent, with 11 per cent wanting to keep the five-year rule in place.

Michael Rowlands, the owner of a Derby taxi firm, said next week’s meeting was hugely important.

He said: “This is a breakpoint for the Derby licensed trade as unless they vote to amend and remove the age policy for first license vehicles, Derby will begin to lose locally licensed drivers due to getting better deals on out of town licenses.”

A report says Derby is the only authority to have a five-year rule in place compared to other neighbouring councils.

It states Nottingham has a 10-year age limit rule, while councils in Erewash, South Derbyshire and Gedling have a seven-year rule in force.

According to the report, Wolverhampton City Council’s age limit for first-time licenses is 11 years and six months.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.