courtesy Edinburgh news
Taxi inspector has ad enough of scrappy livery on city cabs
TAXI drivers who have tatty adverts on their cabs face being forced off the road under tough new council rules.
Edinburgh's taxi inspector Andrew Watt has told city leaders that a growing number of taxis are on the road with adverts peeling away or parts of them missing.
Although drivers can be picked up on the problem by the taxi inspector, there is no minimum time set for sorting it out.
Officials now want to make sure that drivers take action within 14 days or face having their licences suspended.
Taxi drivers today welcomed the proposed new rules but warned that much of the delay in getting adverts was due to advertising companies based in England.
Tommy Robson, 66, a taxi driver for the past 13 years from Craigentinny, said: "I think it is a problem. Some of the adverts themselves are over the top, but you do see quite a few of them driving about where you can see a door or something has been replaced but the advert hasn't.
"The cab inspector is right on this one.
"They say that Edinburgh has one of the best fleets in the country, but I think these adverts, particularly when they are tatty or incomplete, are a blight on the name of the trade."
Keith Bell, secretary of the Edinburgh Taxi Trade Kiddie's Outing, added: "This appears to be a case of good housekeeping from the inspector because it is a grey area at the moment.
"But it is often not always the driver's fault, some insurance companies don't pay out for new adverts after a crash and you have delays with getting new adverts from specialised companies."
Raymond Davidson, secretary of Edinburgh Taxi Association, said: "I don't have adverts on my cab personally but it is not really an issue as far as I can tell or one that many of our members have raised.
"But the taxi inspector obviously sees a lot more taxis than we do and he is right to be looking after the standards of the fleet."
The proposed new rules will be considered by the council on Wednesday.
A council spokesperson said: "Council licensing conditions require taxi operators to keep their vehicles clean and presentable at all times. Asking drivers to repair defective or damaged advertising within 14 days is a way of ensuring that taxis maintain a neat and tidy image."
This article: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=952952007
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