Council allows older taxis on city roads

NOTTINGHAM City Council will allow taxi drivers to use older vehicles in a move which the authority says will make the industry as “resilient as possible.”

The council says taxi driving provides nearly 3,000 jobs in Nottingham and that due to issues including reduced customer demand a change in policy was needed to help the industry.

Previously, all taxis could only be licensed to operate up to the age of 10 years from the date of first registration. A policy passed by Nottingham City Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee, which came into effect on April 1, means they can now keep being licensed until they reach 15 years from the date of first registration.

Councillor Audrey Dinnall, the chair of the committee, said: “We’ve listened to taxi drivers in Nottingham and these changes, supported by a public consultation, have been introduced because we understand the pressures felt by the trade in recovering from the pandemic, the national cost-ofliving crisis and changes to customer demand.”

The new policies apply to both private hire vehicles and hackney carriages, with the latter type able to stand at taxi ranks or be hailed on the street. Alongside the extension of licensing deadlines, private hire vehicles will now need to have enhanced annual MOT checks up to ten years of age, or 11 years if fully electric.

After this, they will have to undergo six-monthly additional mechanical checks. Hackney carriages will need to have an annual enhanced MOT up to 11 years of age, also with the twiceyearly checks.