Agenda item

(A)       In terms of Standing Order 10(2), the Council received a deputation from Mr Christopher Davidson regarding the review of the Accessible Vehicles Policy.

Mr Davidson was of the opinion that Aberdeen’s mixed taxi fleet was a success and that there was no reason why this could not continue. He advised that 52% of the fleet was wheelchair accessible and provided some statistics relating to usage - in 2014 Rainbow City Taxis received 11,193 requests for a wheelchair accessible vehicle compared to 35,704 requests for a saloon vehicle; in 2015 there were 10,934 requests for a wheelchair accessible vehicle compared to 39,142 requests for a saloon vehicle. Mr Davidson stated that the figures spoke for themselves.

Mr Davidson highlighted that many passengers struggled to get in and out of wheelchair accessible vehicles which meant they would have to phone the booking office to request a private hire saloon vehicle which would incur an additional £1 booking charge - this represented, on average, a 20% increase to their fare.

Mr Davidson estimated that around 25% of drivers would change to private hire if the accessible policy went through. He added that drivers were being forced to buy new vehicles that were not needed and many drivers would struggle to get the finance to do so. He also referred to the physical ability of many older drivers who would struggle to lift ramps and manoeuvre passengers in wheelchairs, which could lead to the Council receiving a flood of exemption notices from doctors.

Mr Davidson questioned why private hire vehicles were not being required to be wheelchair accessible, and emphasised that the Council should be catering for everyone’s needs not just people in wheelchairs.

Members asked questions of Mr Davidson and thanked him for his contribution.

(B)       The Council next received a deputation from Mr Steve Robertson representing Unite, also regarding the review of the Accessible Vehicles Policy.

Mr Robertson called on the Council to look at the practical side of things, emphasising that not everyone can access a wheelchair accessible vehicle. He also highlighted the additional £1 booking charge that customers would incur if they wanted to book a saloon vehicle instead.

Mr Robertson advised that he had met with disability groups who said they did not agree with the concept of a 100% wheelchair accessible fleet as many people with disabilities, who were not in wheelchairs, struggled with wheelchair accessible vehicles.

Mr Robertson emphasised that a mixed fleet had been operating successfully for 22 years and requested further consultation and proper discussion. He stated that demonstrations could be arranged for the Licensing Committee with different vehicles and a variety of passengers.

Members asked questions of Mr Robertson and thanked him for his contribution.

(C)       The Council next received a deputation from Mr Graeme McColl representing Aberdeen Taxi Group, also regarding the review of the Accessible Vehicles Policy.

Mr McColl advised that Aberdeen Taxi Group was an advocate of a mixed taxi fleet which was proven to work. He explained that a 100% wheelchair accessible fleet did not represent what the public wanted and needed. He added that there was a wide range of disabilities and wheelchair accessible vehicles could not handle many of them.

Mr McColl advised that 54% of the taxi fleet was now accessible vehicles and that this was probably sufficient. He explained that a number of drivers had already moved to an accessible vehicle in order to comply with the policy prior to its implementation in June 2017, and that these drivers would have a potential grievance if the policy was to be overturned. Therefore, he requested that whatever policy was agreed in respect of the taxi fleet and accessible vehicles was watertight in law.

Members asked questions of Mr McColl and thanked him for his contribution.

(D)       The Council next received a deputation from Mr McColl on behalf of Aberdeen Taxi Group regarding the Age of Vehicles Policy.

Mr McColl advised that the Age of Vehicles Policy had been considered at the meeting of the Taxi Consultation Group on 1 March 2016 and quoted from the draft minute, where the decision had been that officers check current legislation, investigate the procedures involved and report back to the Licensing Committee; and it was suggested that no action be taken in terms of age of vehicles being transferred at this stage.

Mr McColl questioned putting in place an interim measure ahead of a permanent solution, and that Aberdeen Taxi Group felt that current age limits still needed to be enforced. He added that any increase to the age of vehicles would result in the standard of the fleet reducing, and that it appeared that the Council was considering changing for change’s sake.

Mr McColl concluded by questioning whether the proposal was the best way to keep the standard of Aberdeen’s taxi fleet high.

(E)       The Council next received a deputation from Mr Steve Walker, Stagecoach North Scotland, and Mr Daniel Laird, First Aberdeen, regarding the transport implications of the City Centre Masterplan.

Mr Walker stated that traffic congestion was bringing the roads in Aberdeen to a halt; however the AWPR and other road construction projects provided an opportunity for a complete overhaul of the roads hierarchy, which could be used to limit the impact on sustainable transport and promote it further to release the gridlock. He added that the City Centre Masterplan was an excellent opportunity to improve transport links, improve local air quality and deliver real benefits to the city.

Mr Laird advised that approximately 410,000 people used First and Stagecoach buses each week in and around Aberdeen. He emphasised that the Council had the chance to improve the transport network and they were keen to work in partnership. He added that every £1 spent on bus infrastructure helped to generate up to £7 for local businesses.

Mr Walker underlined the benefits of partnership working and encouraged the Council to work in partnership to maintain the benefits of the public transport network and deliver the improvements that were required. He stated that Broad Street was a crucial interchange in the city centre, and that bus journey times needed to be maintained if not improved, and that restricting bus access to Broad Street could result in lengthy diversions.

Mr Laird explained that the city bus network suffered from slow journey times - the operators wanted to improve those times but needed to work in partnership with the Council in order to do so. He stated that they could not support a move to restrict bus access to Broad Street even on a temporary basis, and highlighted that Broad Street provided direct access for large numbers of people travelling to the less affluent parts of the city, and that these people depended on bus services.

Members asked questions of Mr Walker and Mr Laird and thanked them for their contribution.

(F)       The Council next received a deputation from Mr Russell Borthwick of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce in relation to the City Centre Masterplan.

Mr Borthwick explained that he was speaking on behalf of the 1,300 businesses that were members of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce who in turn employed over 130,000 members of staff, and that he was also speaking on behalf of Aberdeen Inspired.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

At this juncture, Councillor Yuill declared an interest as a member of the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce Policy Council but did not consider that the nature of his interest required him to leave the meeting.

Mr Borthwick stated that the City Centre Masterplan laid the foundations for what the city aspired to be, however 12 months had already passed since it was approved and the clock was ticking - other cities had pushed ahead without the economic benefits that Aberdeen benefitted from. He argued that the Council should be looking to deliver the City Centre Masterplan within 15 years, not 25 years, and underlined that quick wins would help build unstoppable momentum.

Mr Borthwick emphasised that the city’s economy was at a crossroads, and that outsiders felt that Aberdeen was infamous for complacency and inertia. He called on the Council to prove those people wrong, to move forward with the City Centre Masterplan and to do it now.

Mr Borthwick stated that if further consultation was agreed that this should take place quickly and that the do nothing option should be removed in terms of Broad Street. He underlined that the Council needed to get the message out that Aberdeen was open for business, and they could not afford for the City Centre Masterplan to become a political football ahead of the local government elections in 2017.

Members asked questions of Mr Borthwick and thanked him for his contribution.