Consultation regarding Taxi and Private Hire Provision in Edinburgh

Published: April 20, 2017

CH2M has been commissioned by City of Edinburgh Council to carry out an independent review of Taxi and Private Hire operations in Edinburgh. Taxis are the only vehicles that can be obtained at a rank or flagged down in the street.  Taxis in Edinburgh have illuminated roof signs stating ‘TAXI’ and are generally purpose built ‘London style’ cabs. Private hire vehicles are vehicles that must be pre-booked and are typically saloon vehicles; they must have door stickers visible with ‘Private Hire’ or ‘Pre-Booked Hires Only’ on them. Both taxis and private hire cars must display a yellow and white plate on the front and rear of the vehicle to show they are licensed.

To carry out our review, CH2M needs to know what type of service currently exists, and whether it meets the needs of those using the services. As part of this process we wish to consult with stakeholders across Edinburgh. As such we would be grateful if you could let us know what you think about taxi and private hire services across Edinburgh. Topic areas you might wish to consider include: 1. Adequacy of taxi supply across Edinburgh:  Across all times of the day?  Across all areas? 2. City of Edinburgh Council currently restricts the number of taxis licensed to work in the city to 1,316 licenses. Do you support this policy? 3. Adequacy of private hire supply across Edinburgh:  Across all times of the day?  Across all areas? 4. Image of the taxi trade, which could include:  Vehicle age, type and quality?  Vehicle cleanliness?  Driver quality including standard of driving?  Driver appearance?  Any need for additional training? 5. The adequacy of taxi rank/stance locations, including:  Do you know where the taxi rank/stances are in Edinburgh?  Would you know how to find out this information?  Are ranks/stances in the most suitable places?
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 Are any additional ranks/stances required? (Please give location)  Anything that could improve the accessibility of ranks/stances or make them more user friendly? 6. The accessibility of vehicles, including:  Are additional wheelchair accessible taxis required?  The ease with which it is possible to pre-book wheelchair accessible vehicles?  Is there anything that could be done to make taxis more accessible for those with disabilities or mobility issues who do not use a wheelchair? 7. The level and structure of fares. This may include if you consider them to be high, medium or low during the daytime and night-time hours. 8. Publicity about services, including sufficient advertising of taxi and private hire services across Edinburgh. 9. Safety issues, including:  Perceptions of safety using taxis in Edinburgh?  Perceptions of safety using private hire vehicles in Edinburgh?  Safety while waiting at ranks?   Does the presence of taxi marshals affect your feeling of safety at ranks?  What else could be done to improve safety for those using taxis? 10. Transport integration including how well taxis complement other types of public transport across Edinburgh. 11. Environmental factors. Emissions from transport, including the taxi trade contribute to air quality issues across the city. Is air quality a concern and should measures be taken to improve air quality in Edinburgh? Considerations could include:  Eco driving training for drivers (taxi and private hire) to encourage a more efficient driving style.  Implementation of clean air zone for vehicles operating in the city centre.  Vehicle licensing to limit/remove the most polluting vehicles from operation.

Any information you provide will be summarised in our report and included in the appendices to the final report. In order that I may incorporate any comments you may have into the report, I would appreciate if you could let me have any contribution by 30th May 2017. Please provide any comments via email (liz.richardson@ch2m.com). Alternatively you can post your comments using our freepost address:

Freepost RTLC-BRRH-LHHJ, CH2M Hill, Park House, 8 Victoria Road, LEEDS, LS6 1PF

If you have any queries please call me on 0113 220 8234. I look forward to hearing from you.

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