Survey to determine if Edinburgh has too many private hire drivers
It comes after a group of taxi drivers in the capital handed over a petition to city councillors last month, asking for a review to be carried out.
The drivers had also asked for a pause to be placed on issuing new private hire licences while the survey was carried out.
But at Friday's meeting of the Regulatory Committee, councillors did not back a Green group amendment that would have called for that.
According to council regulatory services head Andrew Mitchell, tendering for a survey would take about 12 weeks, and data collection would take place in the first half of 2026.
In a deputation to the committee, city taxi driver Keith Auld told councillors: 'We believe every passenger deserves a professional journey. But we are undergoing unsustainable pressure.
'This is not healthy competition, it is over-saturation. And it is already having real consequences. We need fair, sustainable and regulated competition.'
Mr Auld and other city black cab drivers say that private hire drivers, many of whom carry out work for apps like Uber and Bolt, end up undercutting their trade.
According to them, this comes down to the lower cost to buy and run a hire car, with the vehicles allowed for use as taxis being very expensive and requiring public hire insurance.
In addition, fares for black cabs are set by the council, while Uber, Bolt and other private hire providers have no minimum charge.
They also argued in their petition that due to the low incomes drivers get from those rideshare services, many of them work for dangerously long hours.
Officers said that 2,982 private hire cars were presently operating in the capital, while 1,090 taxis were also running.
Mr Auld said that three new private hire cars were being added in the city every day, and that the number would reach 4,000 'in no time'.
After the survey is returned to councillors next year, they may consider putting a cap on the number of private hire cars allowed in the city.
In the meeting, councillors were supportive of the idea of a survey, but the committee stopped short of supporting the temporary freeze on licence grants.
Green councillor Susan Rae put forward an amendment that would have called for this, but Mr Mitchell said that if the committee voted for it, the law could be broken.
He said: 'There is no legal power to issue a moratorium. There would be no basis in law to refuse to consider an application on the basis of overprovision [without evidence].
'In my view, an immediate moratorium is not something that would be competent.'
Liberal Democrat councillor and committee convener Neil Ross endorsed his group's motion, which called for a survey to be conducted.
He said: 'It would be helpful if we had a workshop for committee members to discuss other issues and elements of concern around the current numbers of private hire vehicles.
'I would be grateful if that were factored in. I'm proposing that we proceed with the consultation and overprovision survey.
'I'm also proposing that officers are alert to concerns raised by all members of the trade who have issues around long working hours.
'I think this is a sensible way forward, it follows the guidance that we have been given by the Scottish Government, it is a legally robust way of approaching the question.'
Labour councillor Margaret Graham put forward an amendment for the city's administration, which asked that any survey look at the number of private hire cars parked in city streets.
Conservative councillor Joanna Mowat said: 'I'm probably alone in this committee in having very great nervousness about interfering in the market.
'There is an element with any cap that is introduced with numbers, the danger of creating protected markets.
'I'm uncomfortable with that, from a political point of view, my natural mean is to be uncomfortable with protecting markets.
'I do think the terms of the petition that has been brought here today, about the public safety element, is something that means we should probably consider this.
'I don't for one minute think this is going to produce the information that everyone else seems to think this is going to produce.
'But we're not going to know that unless we carry out an overprovision survey.'
The Labour group added the Green amendment to their addendum, and the Liberal Democrat group added a portion of the administration addendum to their amendment.
Both positions were tied, and as convener, Cllr Ross made a tiebreaking vote that saw the Liberal Democrat position win out.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
17 hours ago
- STV News
Survey to determine if Edinburgh has too many private hire drivers
A survey to determine whether there are too many private hire cars in Edinburgh has been approved by Edinburgh councillors. It comes after a group of taxi drivers in the capital handed over a petition to city councillors last month, asking for a review to be carried out. The drivers had also asked for a pause to be placed on issuing new private hire licences while the survey was carried out. But at Friday's meeting of the Regulatory Committee, councillors did not back a Green group amendment that would have called for that. According to council regulatory services head Andrew Mitchell, tendering for a survey would take about 12 weeks, and data collection would take place in the first half of 2026. In a deputation to the committee, city taxi driver Keith Auld told councillors: 'We believe every passenger deserves a professional journey. But we are undergoing unsustainable pressure. 'This is not healthy competition, it is over-saturation. And it is already having real consequences. We need fair, sustainable and regulated competition.' Mr Auld and other city black cab drivers say that private hire drivers, many of whom carry out work for apps like Uber and Bolt, end up undercutting their trade. According to them, this comes down to the lower cost to buy and run a hire car, with the vehicles allowed for use as taxis being very expensive and requiring public hire insurance. In addition, fares for black cabs are set by the council, while Uber, Bolt and other private hire providers have no minimum charge. They also argued in their petition that due to the low incomes drivers get from those rideshare services, many of them work for dangerously long hours. Officers said that 2,982 private hire cars were presently operating in the capital, while 1,090 taxis were also running. Mr Auld said that three new private hire cars were being added in the city every day, and that the number would reach 4,000 'in no time'. After the survey is returned to councillors next year, they may consider putting a cap on the number of private hire cars allowed in the city. In the meeting, councillors were supportive of the idea of a survey, but the committee stopped short of supporting the temporary freeze on licence grants. Green councillor Susan Rae put forward an amendment that would have called for this, but Mr Mitchell said that if the committee voted for it, the law could be broken. He said: 'There is no legal power to issue a moratorium. There would be no basis in law to refuse to consider an application on the basis of overprovision [without evidence]. 'In my view, an immediate moratorium is not something that would be competent.' Liberal Democrat councillor and committee convener Neil Ross endorsed his group's motion, which called for a survey to be conducted. He said: 'It would be helpful if we had a workshop for committee members to discuss other issues and elements of concern around the current numbers of private hire vehicles. 'I would be grateful if that were factored in. I'm proposing that we proceed with the consultation and overprovision survey. 'I'm also proposing that officers are alert to concerns raised by all members of the trade who have issues around long working hours. 'I think this is a sensible way forward, it follows the guidance that we have been given by the Scottish Government, it is a legally robust way of approaching the question.' Labour councillor Margaret Graham put forward an amendment for the city's administration, which asked that any survey look at the number of private hire cars parked in city streets. Conservative councillor Joanna Mowat said: 'I'm probably alone in this committee in having very great nervousness about interfering in the market. 'There is an element with any cap that is introduced with numbers, the danger of creating protected markets. 'I'm uncomfortable with that, from a political point of view, my natural mean is to be uncomfortable with protecting markets. 'I do think the terms of the petition that has been brought here today, about the public safety element, is something that means we should probably consider this. 'I don't for one minute think this is going to produce the information that everyone else seems to think this is going to produce. 'But we're not going to know that unless we carry out an overprovision survey.' The Labour group added the Green amendment to their addendum, and the Liberal Democrat group added a portion of the administration addendum to their amendment. Both positions were tied, and as convener, Cllr Ross made a tiebreaking vote that saw the Liberal Democrat position win out. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Nuclear fusion firms pledge 1,000 jobs at old Berkeley nuclear site
Two nuclear energy companies have signed deals to create technology centres at a former nuclear reactor nuclear power station in Gloucestershire was shut down in 1989, but a developer now wants to build a "nuclear centre of excellence" on the Leap Energy and Astral Systems have signed deals to set up plants Eden, from Quantum Leap Energy, promised "hundreds of jobs" creating fuel for nuclear said: "Nuclear fusion is now the technology of tomorrow, not of distant years."Chris Turner, CEO of developers Chiltern Vital Group, said Berkeley will become "the centre of the world" in nuclear, low carbon, green technologies, and "up to 1,000" jobs would be created if the plans went ahead. In the shadow of the old reactor lies a maze of old buildings, mostly empty and derelict. Lying next to the River Severn at the end of a single track road, it's a quiet place. And the former nuclear station, still being decommissioned, lends it a chilling man who has bought the site has big dreams. Mr Turner's "centre of the world" comment is a bold claim, the sort many people make, so I asked him to introduce me to some real investors. He found two. Bill Eden works for the UK arm of American firm, Quantum Leap Energy. Like most of the firms in this venture, the technology is complex. But my basic understanding of it is that they make fuel for the nuclear fusion industry."Nuclear fusion?", I asked Mr Eden, "is that a thing yet?""There is so much research going on," he reassured me. "It needs specific fuel to make it work, and we are going to produce that here, at Berkeley."He said they could be commercial within two years. 'Targeted radiotherapy' Talmon Firestone's tech is even harder to get to grips with. Also nuclear, but this time harnessing physics for medicine."This is targeted radiotherapy," he explains."Far more effective, and far more pleasant for the patient."Nuclear medicine is not new tech. Hospitals round the country use it all the time to find and treat cancer. Small amounts of radioisotopes are injected, which find their way direct to tumours. Once there, they show up under scans so the extent of disease can be identified. The same technology can also be used to direct radiotherapy specifically to the site of the the UK has to import all the vital radioisotopes used in this medicine from reactors in 2024, the supply chain was interrupted when two of them shut down for planned maintenance at the same time, and then the third sprung a fault."Something like 75% of our supply was lost," said Dr Stephen Harden, from the Royal College of Radiologists."It makes a really strong case for making these radioisotopes in the UK." Working with Dr Tom Wallace-Smith of Bristol University, Mr Firestone's company has found a new way to make these vital nuclear ingredients, without using a big nuclear fission showed me his latest array, a steel tube barely two metres problem is that to run his fusion reactors at full strength they need serious protection. At Berkeley, there is an old building, called C35, which is just the trick."C35 has a deep bunker, created to store nuclear waste, but never actually used," he smiled. "For us, it's the perfect place to carry out our research, and then eventually produce the radioisotopes at scale." Old, unused bunkers, nuclear fusion fuel, buildings with codenames, it's all very Turner clearly relishes it all. And he has more, he says, in his nuclear pipeline."We're negotiating with the South Koreans about world-leading maritime nuclear technology."We're talking to a whole range of international companies about different nuclear and zero carbon technologies."Developers always make big claims, it's their business. Chiltern Vital Group is about to submit a planning application and then will have to deal with more mundane matters. Among them, how a small country road will cope with hundreds of tech workers commuting down it every day. Transport links needed The promise of new jobs was welcomed by Berkeley town councillor, Liz Ashton."It will generate lots of high level tech jobs which is what we need in the area. But she raised concerns about the impact of the development on transport links."There are lots of problems regarding the motorway junctions. They really need to revive a good public transport system, so people won't be coming in their cars."
Time Out
a day ago
- Time Out
R.I.P. Revel—the Uber rival is ceasing its rideshares in NYC and beyond this week
Pour one out for the big blue Teslas: Revel, the all-electric rideshare that promised to make getting around New York cleaner (and sometimes cheaper), has officially pulled the plug on its car-hailing service as of Monday, August 11. The company says it's ditching passengers for plug-in stations, shifting its focus to building electric vehicle charging hubs in cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The decision ends a short but memorable chapter in New York City transit. Launched in 2021 with just 50 cars, Revel quickly became known for its sky-blue Model Ys and 30-percent-off promo codes that made the long wait times easier to swallow. For a certain slice of New Yorkers, the service was a go-to for clean interiors, courteous drivers and an occasional cheaper airport run. For others, it was the app they opened, saw a 40-minute wait, and closed again. CEO Frank Reig called the move bittersweet but necessary. 'The best way we can keep the EV transition moving forward is by ending our rideshare service and focusing on building the fast-charging infrastructure our biggest cities need,' he said in a statement. Revel currently operates 100 chargers across New York City and one in San Francisco, with another 100 under construction and plans to hit 2,000 by 2030. It's not Revel's first pivot. The company's original claim to fame was its rentable navy-blue mopeds, which zipped around the city until safety issues, insurance costs and several high-profile crashes ended that business in 2023. The rideshare service, while praised for paying drivers better than many competitors (at least early on), faced uphill battles against Uber and Lyft's scale, New York's tight licensing rules and the brutal economics of VC-funded transit startups. In recent months, Revel ended its Hertz rental car deal, moved drivers from employee status to contractors and, according to industry chatter, may be looking to sell its 100-plus corporate TLC plates. Most of its 500 leased vehicles will head back to owners and drivers say they got little notice of the shutdown. For riders, the loss means one fewer option in a city where 'choice' usually means picking which surge price hurts less. For Revel, it's a bet that the future (and the money) is in powering the cars, not driving them. Whether that future arrives before your next Uber surge hits $75 remains to be seen.
