‘I’ve worked every Christmas Day except three since 1965’, says Harrogate cabbieHarrogate’s biggest taxi firm calls for action on UberCabbies angry over plans to shorten Harrogate taxi rank

Cabbies have reacted angrily to plans to shorten the length of the main taxi rank in Harrogate as part of the £11.2m Station Gateway scheme.

The rank on Station Parade, opposite the train and bus stations, currently accommodates about a dozen hackney carriages.

Councillors want to reduce this by two vehicles and introduce a new bay over the road under plans to introduce single-lane traffic on Station Parade and create new cycle paths.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is leading on the gateway scheme, included the taxi rank proposals in new design plans that went out to consultation yesterday.

Tania Weston, the council’s programme manager for the gateway scheme, told a media briefing about the new designs last week that cabbies were satisfied with the new arrangements, which also include creating extra bays outside Mainline Taxis further along Station Parade.

Paul McMahon, who owns PM Taxis, said cabbies were told in talks with the council that the Station Parade rank would stay in its entirety.

He said:

“They have completely backtracked on what we were told.

“How can you possibly service a busy railway station, especially when conferences are in town, when you shorten the taxi rank?”

Kevin O’Boyle, who owns Central Taxis, said several town centre bays would be lost if the part-pedestrianisation of James Street also went ahead. He said:

“This would be an unfair, derogatory step.

“Problems were pointed out at council liaison meetings a good six months back but it appears to have changed nothing.”

Mr O’Boyle said shortening the main rank and creating a new bay over the road, which he understands will be for wheelchair-accessible taxis, would cause tensions among cabbies.

He said drivers sometimes already had to loop round Harrogate because spaces weren’t available on the rank and the situation would get worse.

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He added it would also cause a scramble for customers on two fronts and cause ill feeling amongst cabbies waiting on the current rank who saw a wheelchair-accessible vehicle nip into the new bay over the road and pick up a non-wheelchair user.

Mr O’Boyle added:

“They need to get it into their heads that taxis are part of the infrastructure of the town.”

“Creating another rank will only cause divisions within the taxi trade.”

Harrogate taxi

Ms Weston said in a statement:

“During the second consultation we received feedback from taxi drivers and companies about the proposed changes.

“As a result, we are retaining the current taxi rank on Station Parade but this will be slightly shorter.

“There will be a relocated taxi space on the opposite side of the road.

“We have also included a raised table on the northern part of Station Parade (between Bower Road and Cheltenham Parade) to make easier for people to cross the road to access the taxi company.

“Previously taxi drivers requested additional taxi rank spaces on the west side of the town centre and we will offset any loss through the Transforming Cities Fund project by providing new spaces in this area.

“Additionally, should a decision be taken to progress the scheme, the contractor will be contacting taxi companies to understand their requirements during construction, including the potential location of temporary taxi ranks.”

‘Fantastic regeneration project’

The gateway project is one of three active travel schemes in North Yorkshire, and 39 nationally, being funded by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund.

It is supported by North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Councillor Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said last week hailed the scheme as a “fantastic regeneration project and the first major investment in Harrogate in 30 years”.

But business groups have expressed concerns about its impact on retail.

Harrogate district taxi drivers hit out at ‘unfair’ penalty points proposal

Taxi drivers in the Harrogate district have hit out at “unfair” plans that could see them lose their licences if they get seven or more penalty points.

Harrogate Borough Council has put forward the proposal for approval at a full council meeting tomorrow in a move which it says is “reasonable” and will improve safety for passengers.

But cabbies argue the policy is too severe and will result in a further loss of drivers in the district.

Kevin O’Boyle, owner of Central Taxis, described the proposals as “draconian” and said it will become “far too easy” for drivers to lose their licences.

He also argued cabbies are more likely to pick up points than regular road users because they spend more time on the roads. Mr O’Boyle said:

“There’s a serious shortage of taxi drivers and this just isn’t going to help.

“I’ve done between 2.5 million and 3 million miles, and the chances of me getting points are much greater than the average driver.

“If you’re driving in a strange place that you don’t know too well, it’s easy to drift over the speed limit by a couple of miles per hour.”

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Under the proposals, drivers would still be given the chance to argue their case and give reasons why their licence should not be revoked.

Currently, the council said licences are reviewed on “an individual basis when points accumulate”.

It also said there is no minimum or maximum time that licences can be revoked for and that drivers can re-apply at any time.

Passenger safety

Speaking at a recent meeting, Gareth Bentley, licensing manager at the council, said while he recognised the concerns over a reduction in drivers, this had to be balanced against the safety of passengers.

He also said taxi drivers had to be treated differently to regular road users as “they are in an elevated position in terms of looking after people’s safety.” Mr Bentley added:

“There is a higher responsibility and a higher need for us to ensure safety.”

The proposals have been put forward as part of new statutory standards from the Department for Transport which all councils are expected to adopt unless there are “compelling reasons” not to.

However, the standards are silent on how many penalty points a taxi driver can get before their licence is revoked, and it’s up to individual councils to decide this.

Nearby in Leeds, hundreds of drivers have gone on strikes over similar proposals that could see them suspended if they get more than six points.

‘People will leave the trade’

Harrogate Borough Council held a consultation on its seven points policy during February and March when it received comments from several drivers, one of which described the plans as “unfair”.

The driver said:

“It’s just another example of one rule for everyone else and one for us as we are at the bottom of the food chain.”

Another added:

“The taxi trade is getting harder year on year with longer hours for less reward and councils are doing nothing to help.

“The long term result will be people leaving the trade.”

The policy has been recommended for approval by the council’s licensing committee at tomorrow’s full council meeting.

Working on Christmas Day: Harrogate taxi driver

Not all heroes wear capes, and while most of us are tucking into our turkey spare a thought for those who are still working on Christmas Day.

Kevin O’Boyle, the owner of Central Taxis in Harrogate, says he has worked every Christmas Day except three in the last 56 years.

Mr O’Boyle may therefore appear more likely to wear a Grinch outfit than a Santa hat on the big day, but he certainly has that special Christmas spirit inside.

He is semi-retired but always steps up to the plate when needed. And he is rarely more needed than on Christmas Day.

Central Taxis has a contract with Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust as well as Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

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So when public transport stops on Christmas Day, NHS staff turn to taxis to get them to work. Mr O’Boyle told the Stray Ferret:

“There are quite a number of NHS staff who rely on public transport so when that stops they turn to us for help.

“Not only do we take NHS staff to work but we also do other vital work. Like last Christmas, I was picking up drugs for the hospital from Manchester.”

He may have regrets about missing Christmas with his four children but Mr O’Boyle feels a sense of duty to the NHS so he is willing to make the sacrifice.

So when you are celebrating tomorrow spare a thought for those in the Harrogate district who are working.

Harrogate district taxi driver shortage revealed due to covid

There has been a drop in the number of taxis on the Harrogate district’s roads in what drivers have blamed on the pandemic forcing them to abandon the trade.

Several cabbies quit during the lockdowns and many have now found new jobs with little desire to return as figures suggest around 60 fewer drivers are operating in the district.

Richard Fieldman, who runs A1 Cars Ripon, said his business only survived the pandemic by the “skin of its teeth” and that it has now continued to struggle.

He said:

“Times are still difficult for the trade.

“We are not back where we were before covid by any stretch of the imagination and we are not going to get there any time soon.

“As a driver for 29 years, I thought about packing it in myself during the lockdowns as this period highlighted to me how vulnerable we are.

“I personally managed to ride through this period, although I did end up in debt because of it.

“A lot of drivers have now realised there is very little reward in this trade.”

With fewer drivers on the roads, it has also had an impact on customers who could be left waiting on taxi ranks or unable to book journeys during busy periods.

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Kevin O’Boyle, owner of Central Taxis and the longest holder of a taxi licence in the district, said he believes the lengthy process that it takes to become a driver could be a reason why he is now finding it “impossible” to recruit them.

He said:

“I’m offering £600 for five shifts with tips and I don’t even get people coming through the door.

“Trade is still slow and the only reason people are making a living now is because the number of taxis on the roads have been diluted.

“We are involved with services for the NHS and if it had not been for these contracts we would have gone under during the pandemic, I have no doubt about that.”

Taxi licence fees frozen

The figures that around 60 fewer taxis are on the roads was revealed in a Harrogate Borough Council report, which has proposed no increase for taxi licence fees for the second year running.

Prior to this period, the council increased fees by 10% during 2020/21.

Mr O’Boyle said the proposed freeze for the next financial year would be “greatly appreciated” if approved by the council’s licensing committee on Wednesday, but added it only went so far to support the trade.

The report to the committee said: 

“Every year the licensing committee reviews the fees and charges for these licences. However, as a consequence of the impact of covid in 2020 there are now 60 fewer private hire vehicles.

“The proposed fees are set on a cost recovery basis and are not at a level that would discourage the trade investing in quality standard and accessible vehicles.”