RBWM Tue, 22 Jul 2008
More taxis operating anywhere in the borough with standardised fares - that's the prospect for local residents and visitors who use the borough's Hackney carriages following a decision of the licensing panel last night (Monday July 21).
Widespread consultation earlier this year proposed a number of options designed to improve the borough's taxi service, and panel members voted to:
· amalgamate the three existing zones of Windsor, Maidenhead and Ascot into one borough-wide zone, meaning that taxis will now be able to pick up and set down passengers anywhere in the borough
· increase the number of taxis from 87 to 100 with the additional licences offered to registered drivers
· standardise all taxi fares in accordance with the current fares in the Windsor and Maidenhead zones
· gradually increase the current number of accessible vehicles which can carry a passenger sitting in a wheelchair rather than making it a requirement of all vehicles in the fleet.
Members agreed to give further consideration to proposals to standardise the colour and livery of taxis and to introduce dual-fuel in all vehicles - and to maintain the existing standards for taxis rather than implement the option of ensuring that all vehicles are new.
Cllr Jesse Grey, lead member for community safety and chairman of the licensing panel, said: "We consulted widely earlier in the year to get the views of as many people as possible on the options for improving the taxi service in the borough.
"The establishment of one single zone across the borough is good news for residents and other taxi users as it means that taxis will now pick up and set down passengers anywhere in the borough rather than being restricted to one particular zone.
"Also under the current arrangements a taxi taking a customer from Maidenhead to Windsor cannot return to Maidenhead with another customer and has to return empty to its designated zone. Amalgamating the zones will allow them to do this."
More than 200 completed consultation forms were returned from taxi drivers, taxi users, passenger groups, chambers of commerce, town centre managers, parish councils, Thames Valley Police, local pubs and clubs and other interested parties as part of the recent consultation.
Cllr Grey continued: "There were some differences in the responses from taxi drivers and from members of the public, in particular with reference to deregulating of the issue of new licences.
"We could have taken the decision to deregulate completely but have decided against this. In increasing the number of licences from 87 to 100 we have worked hard to balance the range of views by limiting the number of new licences to 13 and continuing to review the numbers in the future.
"This is a long overdue process as it is the first increase in licence numbers for 13 years."
"In addition we will be revising the policy for the granting of new licences to make it both fair and clearer for potential applicants."
More taxis operating anywhere in the borough with standardised fares - that's the prospect for local residents and visitors who use the borough's Hackney carriages following a decision of the licensing panel last night (Monday July 21).
Widespread consultation earlier this year proposed a number of options designed to improve the borough's taxi service, and panel members voted to:
· amalgamate the three existing zones of Windsor, Maidenhead and Ascot into one borough-wide zone, meaning that taxis will now be able to pick up and set down passengers anywhere in the borough
· increase the number of taxis from 87 to 100 with the additional licences offered to registered drivers
· standardise all taxi fares in accordance with the current fares in the Windsor and Maidenhead zones
· gradually increase the current number of accessible vehicles which can carry a passenger sitting in a wheelchair rather than making it a requirement of all vehicles in the fleet.
Members agreed to give further consideration to proposals to standardise the colour and livery of taxis and to introduce dual-fuel in all vehicles - and to maintain the existing standards for taxis rather than implement the option of ensuring that all vehicles are new.
Cllr Jesse Grey, lead member for community safety and chairman of the licensing panel, said: "We consulted widely earlier in the year to get the views of as many people as possible on the options for improving the taxi service in the borough.
"The establishment of one single zone across the borough is good news for residents and other taxi users as it means that taxis will now pick up and set down passengers anywhere in the borough rather than being restricted to one particular zone.
"Also under the current arrangements a taxi taking a customer from Maidenhead to Windsor cannot return to Maidenhead with another customer and has to return empty to its designated zone. Amalgamating the zones will allow them to do this."
More than 200 completed consultation forms were returned from taxi drivers, taxi users, passenger groups, chambers of commerce, town centre managers, parish councils, Thames Valley Police, local pubs and clubs and other interested parties as part of the recent consultation.
Cllr Grey continued: "There were some differences in the responses from taxi drivers and from members of the public, in particular with reference to deregulating of the issue of new licences.
"We could have taken the decision to deregulate completely but have decided against this. In increasing the number of licences from 87 to 100 we have worked hard to balance the range of views by limiting the number of new licences to 13 and continuing to review the numbers in the future.
"This is a long overdue process as it is the first increase in licence numbers for 13 years."
"In addition we will be revising the policy for the granting of new licences to make it both fair and clearer for potential applicants."
