TAXI driver licence fee changes have been significantly reduced after drivers protested over Kirklees Council’s planned hikes.
Hundreds of cabbies have previously blocked town centre streets in protest of the licence increases.
But the council has now done a U-turn and has announced new licensing fees – most of which are significantly cheaper than originally proposed.
Amjad Nadeem, secretary of Kirklees Hackney Carriage Association, said he would wait for feedback from members and taxi drivers before commenting in the new prices.
But he thanked the council for taking on board their views.
He said: “It’s nice that the council is looking into our problems and can come up with a decision.
“I am glad they have taken on board what we have said in relation to the current climate.
“But at the end of the day we represent all our taxi drivers and we really need to wait for feedback from them. They will look at the new fees and make a decision themselves.”
Mr Nadeem added: “We didn’t want to protest or for the public to suffer because of a strike and we still don’t want to do that.
“We need to wait for our members to look and tell us what they think.”
The new fees will be presented to the council’s cabinet on June 23 and in view of the current difficult economic climate cabinet will be recommended to approve the revised fee increase proposals.
The council said the new fees allow them to move towards making the taxi licensing function self-financing.
Clr Christine Iredale, Chair of the Kirklees Licensing and Safety Committee, said: “The council has a duty to balance the concerns of the taxi trade with the duty to secure high standards of public safety in all transport services.
“It expects to work with the trade to improve service standards including vehicle safety and cleanliness, driver training and improved compliance with legal standards in respect of licenses, insurance and operator procedures.”
The new fees compare favourably with neighbouring Wakefield and Bradford which are both significantly higher.
The new proposed license fees:
New Driver – £115
Driver renewal – £47.50
Private hire – £130
Hackney carriage – £120
Operator up to three cars – £90 and over this £190 per car
The original proposals for consultation:
New Driver – £85
Driver Renewal – £60
Private Hire – £135
Hackney Carriage – £135
Operator up to three cars – £110 or £380 per car.
Here at Taxi-Today we thank Kirklees Council for taking onboard drivers opinions and acting upon it.
Could or should your local Council do the Same ???????