Agenda item

Consideration was given to a report which provided the Committee with the recommendations on Private Hire and Hackney Vehicle Taxi Licensing Policy for Greater Manchester following a consultation in 2020.

Members were informed that, collectively, Hackney and Private Hire services provided more journeys for residents and visitors than the Metrolink or local rail, representing a significant part of the economy and employing over 20,000 people across the city region. Having Minimum Licensing Standards across all Greater Manchester Authorities represented a means of achieving a range of shared goals which included:

·         Improving public safety

·         Helping deliver clean air and reduced carbon emissions

·         Supporting the locally licensed Hackney and Private Hire trades; and

·         Complying with the Governments statutory guidance on safeguarding.

Overall, the Greater Manchester approach looked to provide:

·         the public with safe, visible and high-quality hackney and private hire services

·         the hackney and private hire trades with clarity over what the required standards will be over the long term, and through the GM Clean Air Plan, with unprecedented investment to help renew the fleet

·         local authorities with the continued regulatory role in relation to driver, vehicle and operator licensing whilst retaining scope to exceed the MLS as agreed locally by elected members.

Members were informed that there were 10 policy standards and were provided with the recommendations to meet those standards which were as followed:

·         Vehicle emissions - That vehicles should be at least Euro 6 compliant for diesel vehicles and Euro 4 complaint for petrol vehicles subject to upper age policies. For non-compliant vehicles they will have until 1st April 2024 to become complaint.

·         Vehicle age - Private Hire Vehicles may be first licensed up until 5 years old and can be licensed up until 10 with the exception of wheelchair accessible vehicles which can stay on until 15. Hackney Carriages may be first licensed as wheelchair accessible vehicles up until 7 years of age and can stay in until 15. Final transitional arrangements are being developed by Officers.

·         Vehicle colour - That all hackney carriages in Greater Manchester shall be black in colour. A single colour for private hire vehicles remains an aspiration of the MLS programme.

·         Wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV) - That all hackney carriages in Greater Manchester shall be wheelchair accessible. That for existing saloon emission compliant hackney carriages they be allowed to stay on the fleet until 10 years of age and then change to WAV.

·         Vehicle livery - That there be a standard livery across Greater Manchester with the addition of local council logos.

·         Vehicle testing - That vehicles under three have one test a year and those over three have two. Oldham already goes further than that and specifies that vehicles over eight have three tests a year.

·         Vehicle CCTV – That members approved, in principle, a policy of licensed vehicles having in car CCTV. That further work on a draft policy be commissioned and consulted on for bringing back before members.

·         Executive Hire - To adopt a common set of standards in relation to executive vehicles not having to display signage and licence plates.

·         Vehicle licence conditions - That members approve a common set of GM conditions for vehicle licences.

·         Vehicle design - That members approve a range of vehicle standards covering:

o   Vehicle conformity

o   No retrofitting of engines

o   Emissions technology to be CVRAS accredited

o   Minimum standard of window tints

o   No written off vehicles to be licensed

o   No roof signs permitted on PHVs

o   No advertising other than Council issued signage on PHVs

Members asked for and received clarification on the following:

·         How to persuade drivers to make their vehicles wheelchair accessible. Members were advised that there was now Government funding with up to £17.5k to become part of the accessible fleet.

·         Could operators be directed to use drivers only licenced from Oldham. it was noted that this was not allowed for Private Hire Drivers. However, operator conditions now included the condition to notify the users that the vehicle was not licensed with Oldham before dispatching the vehicle.

RESOLVED that the recommendations being submitted to Greater Manchester Combined Authority be noted.