Agenda item

The committee received the report on the review of the Taxi Licensing Policy from the Senior Licensing Officer which provided details of the results of the consultation on amending the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, including proposed amendments.

The Senior Licensing Officer provided highlights of the report which included the background to the review and the proposed amendments particularly the requirement to accept card and contactless payments and clarification on the position of drivers’ medicals.  He made the committee aware of the administrative changes in the report which concerned job title changes and slight errors that had no impact on the policy.

In response to a question from Councillor Devonish regarding the contactless payment method, the Senior Licensing Officer explained that the request had come from the trade for it to be mandatory, the officers took this under consideration.  If a driver would not comply with the policy, it would be dealt with under the compliance policy. He explained that the request had been viewed as a measure to support the trade and customer demand.  The pandemic had seen a reduction in the use of cash, and neighbouring authorities had introduced cashless payment, including Transport for London (TfL).  The decision had been made not to remove cash payment as an option, which TfL had done. 

The Environmental Health Manager explained to the committee the current licensing and enforcement regime.  Vehicles were seen every year and checked for compliance with all conditions, such as a taxi meter, smoke-free signage and safety of the vehicle.  If the policy was approved, then the annual check would include the contactless payment method.  The new signage requirement would be included in the Licensing Enforcement Officer spot checks.  There were further questions on the cost of a payment system for drivers and what support licensing would provide.  The Senior Licensing Officer responded that the costs to drivers would vary between card device providers but would be pennies upon each transaction.  In terms of education and take-up with drivers, officers had advised that there would be a lead-in time enabling them to be compliant with the policy by their licence renewal.

Councillors Allen-Williamson and Nembhard commented, as regular taxi users, that the contactless payment method would be welcomed.

RESOLVED –

That the following proposed policy amendments be approved:

·       That a condition requiring drivers to provide means to accept contactless payments be attached to all vehicle licences under section 16.13.3 of the policy (please see paragraph 5.7 of the report)

·       That the policy of requiring drivers to submit regular medicals be amended so that medicals were required upon initial application, every 5 years from the age of 45 until the age of 65, and yearly from the age of 65 under section 15.6 of the policy (please see paragraph 6.9 of the report).

·       That minor amendments to policy were approved to clarify job titles and a correct a reference to another section within the policy (please see paragraph 7.1 of the report)

These policy amendments are to be in force from 1 April 2023 or such date as decided by the committee to allow time to implement the approved changes.