Proposed taxi changes antagonise Fair City operators

Oct 15 2010 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A KEY player in Perth’s taxi sector yesterday mounted a fierce attack on controversial deregulation proposals.

Perth and Kinross Council this week announced it will be consulting with the public over taxi numbers. No decision has been made but the council is recommending lifting the current limit of 70.

But a potential switch to re-regulation met with a hostile reaction from taxi company owner Derek Petterson, who has urged PKC to commission an independent report on supply and demand in the Fair City before driving a coach and horses through a long-standing policy.

Mr Petterson said: “I read in Tuesday’s PA that the council is recommending the restriction on taxi numbers in Perth should be lifted and to allow a free market place.

“Councillor Peter Mulheron, the convener of the licensing committee, stated that it was not possible for a local authority to restrict access to a market to protect the economic interests of those who are already in that market.

“That seems a very uninformed stance for the position he holds as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Fife councils – the very cities and areas we rival for stature – operate the same restricted policy. It has worked very well for many years.

“Put simply, restriction is a fact of life. The councillor says that they cannot restrict access to a market but if this is the case why don’t they allow any person with an empty shop in town to turn it into a licensed public house?

“The fact is that there are restrictions in every walk of life, in both the public and private sector.

“The restriction on taxi numbers currently in place protects the incomes of hundreds of local people. The taxi service, working in its existing structure, serves not only the people of the area but thousands every year who visit T in the Park, Perth Races and hundreds of other events.

“In this age of austerity and budget cuts I can only estimate how much local authority time and money has been spent needlessly over the last year on this matter and how much more will be spent on the further consultations process.”

Mr Petterson said an independent survey carried out in 2005 found that Perth had “the correct number of taxis and that the services were of a very high standard”.

“These surveys should be carried out every three years to ensure that services are being met and have reacted to changes,” he declared.

“They provide a neutral view on taxi services which are respected by both officials and the taxi industry alike. The local authority believe that a survey of this nature costs around £20,000 to £25,000 and this is where I suspect we are getting to the nub of the push for derestriction.

“I spoke with James Cooper of the transport research department of Napier University, one of the most respected executors of taxi surveys, and he has confirmed a taxi study for the three taxi ranks in Perth would be £4700 and could be conducted within two weeks.

“Had this non-expensive survey been conducted then the findings would have been all-inclusive, neutral and, most important of all, removed the need for costly consultations.

“If a survey came back and recommended a creation of further licenses to meet demand then I and all other operators would welcome this.”

He claimed deregulation would create “an added administration burden” on an already stretched department. “It will only create a new genre of issues, emanating not just from the ranks but the streets, and ultimately lead to a disjointed and poorer service,” he added.