Reading Taxi Drivers Win Key Emission Relief

Reading taxi drivers are set to get more time to meet tough new emissions and age rules after councillors agreed changes to the licensing policy.

Earlier this year the council said all new licensed vehicles must be ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV) and less than five years old, and from October 2028 new vehicles must have a Euro 6 rating. Drivers asked for a longer transition period.

Private hire driver Azad Asghar warned some common hybrids would still fail. He said: "The emissions limit they have set is way too low. "I mean, not even a normal Prius would be eligible for a license. "We can't go fully electric because the platform is not there for both public and private charging points. "Purely electric minibuses can only do 120 miles. It would just get me to Gatwick and back, that's it. "If I have back-to-back bookings, I have to charge up and wait half an hour to 40 minutes to charge, then I'll lose out on my next job, so that's exactly what the problem is."

Nazneen Ali, who runs home-to-school transport, told councillors the same rules do not fit drivers who work different hours or include many older, retired or part-time workers. She said: "We've got the issues of licensing not accepting Euro 6 and the fact that we need electric vehicles. "We don't work like the private hires. We don't work 24 hours round the clock. "We work entirely differently to the way private hire works. "A lot of our workforce are senior, retired or semi-retired workers and parents. You can't ask them to shift back into full-time work."

A council report by principal licensing enforcement officer Clyde Masson said trade representatives flagged a shortage of larger vehicles, particularly seven-seat multi-person and wheelchair accessible vehicles. The report noted: "The outcome of this research showed that there is sufficient availability and affordability of vehicles suitable for transporting between four and six passengers." It also said: "Officers recognise that the availability of appropriate vehicles to transport seven passengers and wheelchair accessible vehicles is not as abundant and is creating supply difficulties and potential economic disadvantage."

The officer proposed pausing the strict emissions policy so currently licensed vehicles can remain on the fleet, with any new vehicles required to be a minimum of Euro 5b. Councillors approved the changes for a six-week public consultation at the licensing applications committee on Thursday, November 5.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter