The prevalence of fees has created a profit-motive within the heart of local authority licensing delivery which has also created a demand for ‘increased revenue’ during a period of national austerity and budget cuts. It is crucial that all sums raised by local authorities are utilised in a way that helps local private hire drivers in the local authority borders by improving local transport networks and services.
Luxury private hire start-up drivers are even more unfairly treated as new requirements for low-carbon vehicles create a further impediment towards the goal of sector entry from new drivers – either as a full-timer or part-timer.
These unfair and often arbitrary fees and policies are creating a problem within the industry. The national picture is stark: Once you exclude the 28% increase in London – benefitting Uber and the likes – one sees a slight variance across the UK.
Minicab companies can be subject to quantity restrictions but there is now a growing decline in the heartlands of England – the non-Uberised environments of the private hire sector. This is being hidden by the rapid rise in the big metropolitan areas and is causing a growing concern among private hire operators.
By Sam Butterworth, blog editor at Crown Executive Cars.
