All Peterborough taxis to have CCTV installed under new licensing rules to keep passengers safe

Peterborough City Council will adopt new licencing rules, despite arguments from the city’s cab drivers that they will lose money as a result.

The new rules are designed to increase safety for passengers and drivers by installing CCTV and limiting the age of a vehicle which can be used for hire.

The council is also asking cab drivers to take a green approach by asking every cab driver to switch to electric taxis.

These are statutory revisions recommended by the Department of Transport.

The problem is that cab drivers are struggling to recover from two lean years due to Covid - and the new rules will cost a lot of money to implement.

Prices jumped by thousands

Speaking to members of the Licensing Committee, Samir Ali from the Private Hire Trade said: “We’ve lost two years opportunity to make any money due to Covid and to ask drivers to install these changes is going to have a huge impact on them.

“Electric taxis are super-expensive – a vehicle that I bought a year ago that cost me £14,000, that same vehicle today is nearer to £30,000 and that’s without any of the modifications you are talking about today.

“We all want to drive something greener, something safer, but prices have literally jumped up by thousands of pounds in the past few months and we’re all of us already struggling with the cost of living crisis – so to add this on top of that we feel is unfair and will cause problems.

“We are happy with regard to the rest of the implementations for safer and security, we all want those, but please I would implore the committee to bear in mind the cost of a new vehicle.”

Mr Ali’s comments also come as one of the proposed changes is the age limit for a petrol or diesel vehicle coming into the taxi trade.

The proposals call for a four-year age limit – so currently no vehicle licensed before 2018 could be accepted as a taxi.

The committee did raise a motion to alter this figure from four years to five years but it was defeated on a majority vote – four votes and seven against.

The council will retain Aragon as the only appointed testing station for licensed vehicles.

The maximum age for any electric taxi is set at 20 years old and setting the maximum CO2 emission level.

The Committee resolved unanimously to recommend the new licensing policy for approval at Full Council which will be on 27 July 2022.