Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Allen, Khan and Shearman.

Councillor Murphy was in attendance as a nominated substitute for Councillor Khan for the duration of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

         The minutes of the meeting held on 15 December 2011 were approved as a true and accurate record.

         The Chairman advised that there had been requests received for speakers to be allowed to address the Committee with regards to both items. Committee approval was required and the Committee agreed to allow the speakers.

         The Committee received a report following a referral from the Licensing Department, Taxi Enforcement.

         The report requested Members to determine whether to vary the licensing conditions to permit the licensing of single passenger “Fortwo” Smart Cars. This was in response to a request received from a licensed operator to amend current vehicle licensing requirements to facilitate the licensing of a “Fortwo” Smart Car as a private hire vehicle.

         The licensed operator, trading under the name of Green Leaf Cars, was committed to being Peterborough’s first truly environmental friendly private hire company and at the current time, two Toyota Prius Hybrids were in operation. Due to his strong environmental credentials and strong customer service, the operator had experienced a large amount of interest in his firm and a sharp rise in bookings. As a result, he wished to expand his business in order to meet demand. The operator wished to expand his fleet to include a diesel version of the single passenger “Fortwo” Smart Car.

         The Committee was advised that, as it currently stood, the operator would be prevented from licensing the Smart Car as the vehicle requirements stated:

         1(b) No vehicle shall be licensed unless it is a standard car with a minimum of four doors; and

         1(c) The cubic capacity of the engine is not less than 1300cc.

         The Licensing Department did not wish to remove the requirements outlined above, as they served to ensure the private hire fleet provided a level of comfort and safety to all passengers. It was anticipated that if approved, the Committee would approve the “Fortwo” Smart Car as a separate tier within private hire licensing and that the specific model of vehicle be named within the private hire vehicle requirements, listing it as an exception to the requirements outlined above.

         The Committee was provided with an overview of the Smart Car, and it was stated that high levels of passenger comfort were found inside and there was a generous amount of space in terms of head and leg room.  The safety credentials of the vehicle were outlined, as were the vehicles environmental credentials. Dependent on the model, the engine would either be an 800cc (turbo diesel) or 900cc (petrol). The Committee was advised that it could permit the licensing of the diesel version only if it so wished.

         A quality impact assessment had been undertaken and checks had been conducted with other authorities who currently licensed Smart Cars and it was acknowledged that the car could not carry a passenger sitting in a wheelchair, however it was to be noted that the vast majority of saloon cars in operation could not carry passengers sitting in wheelchairs either. The vehicle could however store a wheelchair in the boot and there was plenty of room in the front of the vehicle to accommodate a passenger requiring an assistance dog.

         The vehicle would be required to be booked in advance and therefore it would be for the operator to highlight to the customer whether the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

         The Committee received a report detailing a number of recommendations relating to the Council’s Vehicle Age Policy in relation to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles.

The report requested Members to determine a number of requests which had been received from both the Peterborough Private Hire Drivers Association and the Peterborough Hackney Carriage Drivers Federation to amend the Council’s vehicle age restrictions. These related to the lower age limit, this being the maximum age of a vehicle when it was first licensed, and the upper age limit when a vehicle was considered no longer eligible to be licensed.

A recommendation had also been put forward by Officers that the Committee considered a revision of the current six monthly testing frequency. Currently this commenced when the vehicle reached the age of five years and an extension to six years was proposed.

The Council had adopted its policy on age restrictions many years ago and was considered to have some of the most stringent of conditions in comparison to many neighbouring authorities. Since the original age restrictions were adopted, both technology and build quality of vehicles had moved on producing a higher quality of vehicles which were designed to last longer, and in turn support the worlds sustainable resources. Many manufacturers were now offering five and seven year warranties as standard on vehicles which indicated confidence in quality of build. Technology in relation to body work and painting processes had also developed in recent years meaning that the life expectancy of a vehicle in relation to rust and corrosion had greatly increased due to these advances.

Maintenance was a key factor with any vehicle and it was good practice for all commercial vehicles to be part of a planned preventative maintenance programme where all vehicles were routinely serviced to ensure safety and quality. The Council expected this level of commitment from drivers and it was highlighted that the 12 monthly and six monthly tests carried out by the testing centres were to confirm a level of safety and quality, rather than to highlight to any maintenance work needing to be undertaken.

Councillor Mohammed Nadeem addressed the Committee and in summary the issues highlighted included:

·         In the first instance, Councillor Nadeem wished to declare that his brother held a taxi badge;

·         It was good to see Officers and the taxi associations working closely together and that they were in agreement over the recommendations;

·         The report was balanced and well constructed and had been produced after a thorough consultation process;

·         Councillor Nadeem urged the Committee to accept the recommendations as outlined in the report;

·         The implementations of the recommendations would benefit both the trade and members of the public.

Mr Brian Gascoyne, from Peterborough Hackney Drivers Federation, addressed the Committee and responded to questions from Members. In summary the issues highlighted included:

·         The Hackney Federation did not wish the lower age limit to be extended for a number of reasons one being that the newer vehicles on the market had better green credentials;

·         With  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.