Tech has shaken up the taxi trade – we need a fair policy for the future
Derek Halden reports on the implications of start-ups like Uber for on-demand transport and what it means for workers
Few trades or industries have experienced the pace of change, political controversy or press coverage that has surrounded the global taxi marketplace in the past five years.
Start-up technology companies like Gett, Lyft, Blablacar and Uber have become household names seemingly overnight and have changed the way many people think about personal transport.
Booking a trip through an app, tracking journeys when travelling for safety of drivers and passengers, choosing when to share vehicles with others, and convenient ways to pay have been just some of the changes.
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) has been highlighting the need for reform in the taxi industry for at least 20 years.
Scots residents spend more on taxis than either bus or rail services – but, despite this, bus and rail have attracted more attention by policy makers.
The neglect of taxis has led to outdated legislation, inefficient licensing conditions and little forward planning. The taxi business has been taken for granted, but this is now set to change. Central government and local authorities are now looking at new ways to make more of the strengths of demand responsive transport, including taxis.
CILT is the largest professional body certifying professional skills and training in transport and has appointed Tony Kenmuir as chairman of the Scottish Region.
Tony has been playing a key role in developing the taxi market in Scotland as a chartered member of CILT. As chairman of Central Taxis, the largest taxi operator in Edinburgh, Tony is a prominent figure in the taxi trade at a national and European level. He is a member of the executive committee of the Scottish Taxi Federation and the European Radio Taxi Association, so is able to use his new leadership role within CILT to nurture leading practice across the industry.
Governments, the transport sector and the global business community are working to grasp the implications of changes taking place in transport that enable people to buy better value, faster and more convenient trips.
People have adopted a new vocabulary for the ways they pay for and use taxis: “on-demand transport” to describe more convenient and faster response to bookings, “sharing economy” describing better use of vehicles, and “surge charging” with higher prices to increase taxi supply at peak times.
These concepts open up a new world of rapid change in the future of personal transport, where we can now imagine driverless, electric cars that we don’t own, conveying us from one place to another when required and arranging the whole trip through nothing more than a couple of taps on the screens of our smartphones.
Writing to CILT members as the new chair, Tony said: “There is widespread recognition from government, industry and the travelling public that on-demand transport is massively influencing not only the way people move from place to place; but the way we find, book and pay for services and the way that millions of people earn their living.
“Policy makers are now trying to write legislation to keep up with the pace of change brought about by new technology but the real challenge is in grasping the social and economic implications of changing transport and working habits and designing policy to anticipate and guide these changes moving forward. Through my involvement with CILT I have gained tremendous insight and contacts in the wider transport industry.
“The recognition that I have received from the institute through my charter and appointment as chairman in Scotland will enable us to keep sharing information across the sector and ensure that we can contribute to future policy at a national level.”
CILT has supported skills development over the last 20 years as logistics providers have transformed from movers of goods to managers of global supply chains.
As the transport revolution extends to passenger transport under Tony’s chairmanship, CILT will be consolidating its position as the go to body for support and advice on planning and managing the future of transport in Scotland. Derek Halden, CILT Scottish Committee.