Agenda item

The Committee received a deputation from Russell McLeod on behalf of the Taxi Trade members of the Taxi and Private Hire Car Consultation Group (T&PHCCG) relating to agenda item 8.1 (Aberdeen City Taxi and Private Hire Unmet Demand and Overprovision Survey).

Mr McLeod (1) made reference to the Taxi Demand survey undertaken by LVSA which was commissioned by Aberdeen City Council; (2) advised that he was not surprised at all of the outcome of the survey, as the taxi trade worked hard to service tens of thousands of journeys each week getting Aberdonians and the visitors to the city where they needed to be and were confident of this outcome; (3) explained that in the trade’s opinion it totally vindicated the historical and ongoing active efforts of the T&PHCCG members and the Committee; (4)  advised that  changes had been made and continue to do so, including how to become a taxi driver, which ultimately would improve Taxi provision in Aberdeen even further; (5) intimated that the survey must bear weight and be the only thing that should be considered when shaping future policy decisions and not the outside sources “Negative narrative” which had been portrayed in the media; and (6) advised that the issues that the trade had back in November/December 2023, were very challenging, but as a trade, took stock, adjusted, then approached and dealt with the festive period in 2024 in a professional manner, where complaints were minimal and they served Aberdeen’s public admirably.

Mr McLeod made reference to the survey findings, as follows:-

·       only 17% of those who use the City’s ranks waited for a taxi to arrive, including peak times;

·       the average wait time at a rank was approximately 3 minutes, however if consideration was given to the average wait, including those who did not have to wait, then the average was only 32 seconds;

·       that the Aberdeen Tariff rate was 26 out of 32 Scottish councils, highlighting therefore that the public’s perception that fares were expensive, was just not true, with the average 2-mile journey in Scotland £6.95, and Aberdeen was £6.60; and

·       concluded by intimating that there was no significant unmet demand.

Mr Mcleod advised that none of the key stakeholders reported any issues with taxis, noting that they waited a bit longer at peak times, which was the same in any major City.

Mr McLeod indicated that there was still a requirement to recruit drivers, especially those who had a general knowledge of the city and who had at least put in some effort to become a taxi driver, if for no other reason than public safety. He explained that members of the public were generally satisfied with licensed vehicle services and accept that there were limitations with availability at certain times.

Mr McLeod intimated that the taxi trade had been completely bombarded with a negative narrative, from very active business groups that supposedly were there to support Aberdeen business’s and he wanted them to work with the trade and not against them.

Mr McLeod made reference to the city centre footfall, which reduced whilst works on Central Union Street were ongoing, explaining that the Merchant Quarter was almost inaccessible and the east end of Union Street was virtually a no-go area.

In conclusion, Mr McLeod intimated that all parties need to collaborate and  work together for the benefit of the city and its patrons instead of apportioning blame, however he stressed that there was a need to involve taxis in transport discussions.

The Committee resolved:-

to thank Mr Mcleod and the taxi trade members of the T&PHCCG for their deputation and contribution.