Agenda item

To receive and consider the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2024 report.

The Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2024 report was presented by Keiran Hinchliffe.

Members were asked to consider the amended conditions regarding the licensing requirements for vehicles which were listed on page 21 of the agenda, paragraph 22.

Of note was the proposed restriction to the age of non-adapted vehicles that exclusively undertake local education authority contracts for education transport to 15 years.  This change would impact 8 existing school transport vehicles.  The oldest vehicle in this category was 19 years old.  It was up to the Committee to determine the imposition of an age restriction, the Committee could choose 20 years or another number of years, or no age restriction at all.

Members were also requested to note the amendment to the convictions policy around plying for hire, touting, and driving without insurance offences to a recommendation for seven years to have elapsed since conviction or endorsement.  And driving with a mobile phone to five years, which met the Department for Transport (DfT) statutory guidance on convictions for use of handheld devices.

During the discussion of the item the following comments and questions were made:

·           Members asked what the total number of school transport vehicles was and their age distribution.  Keiran Hinchliffe informed that there were 40 vehicles in this category, with the majority being 10 to 15 years old.  There were three vehicles that were modified for wheelchair use, those would have incurred considerable expenditure to be adapted;

·           Keiran Hinchliffe explained that the 15 year age restriction already existed for private hire vehicles.  The proposal was to extend this age restriction to hackney carriage vehicles and apply an age restriction to school transport vehicles (school transport vehicles were not subject to age restriction under the current policy).  It was also proposed that grandfather rights be applied to hackney carriage vehicles in the fleet, but apply the new restriction to new licences;

·           The amendments, if agreed by the Committee, would be incorporated into paragraphs 3.29 to 3.33 of the policy;

·           Members asked if any progress had been made in relation to changing the wording to include other providers, not just Blue Lamp?

·           Members were informed that work was underway with the Council’s Home to School Transport Manager to ascertain the training requirements and possible providers;

·           It was explained that the new policy required all vehicles that were older than five years to undertake biannual checks.  Any new age restrictions imposed by the Committee would be communicated to drivers to set out the Council’s expectations;

·           Members asked what were the School Transport and Environmental Health (concerning air pollution) departments views on the proposals?

·           Keiran Hinchliffe informed that the Environmental Health and Climate Emergency departments had been consulted.  There was a clear understanding that a balanced approach needed to be taken in relation to imposing Euro 5 and Euro 6 emissions standards and the need to transport children to school.  The School Transport team was anxious about the potential implications of the proposal;

·           In response to a question Keiran Hinchliffe stated that he believed that the age limit proposed for private hire and hackney carriage vehicles was right, especially in view of the generous grandfather rights being allowed;

·           In response to questions, it was clarified that the Euro 5 and Euro 6 emission standards were linked to the age of the vehicle and that each local authority was able to determine its own age limits;

·           Members expressed concern over the safety of old vehicles, and proposed introducing a cascading scale when introducing the age restriction for school transport vehicles, in order to support the transition;

·           In relation to insurance - Members expressed concern that the policy mentioned original documents, and this needed to be amended as most documents were issued via emails nowadays.  There was general agreement on this point;

·           Members were concerned about the safety of older vehicles and considered that three inspections a year were necessary for older vehicles.

After much debate about the appropriateness of restricting the age for education transport vehicles, in view of the potential impact on the fleet, Public Health and the duty to transport children to school; Members decided to restrict the age of those vehicles to 15 years for new licences and on a 20 years sliding scale for existing licences (aiming to get to a 15 years limit in 5 years time).  Older vehicles would also be subject to three inspections a year.

RESOLVED That:

1)     The age restriction of 15 years to school transport vehicles be introduced for all new licences and that an age restriction of 20 years, on a sliding scale for existing licensed vehicles;

2)     Older vehicles of more than 15 years would be subject to three inspections per year;

3)     The wording within the policy in relation to original documents for insurance be amended to reflect the modern way of working with emails; and

4)     The new policy be implemented with the amendments requested during the meeting.