Oil Engines to Reduce Taxi Costs?
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TWELVE conclusions have been L reached by an independent committee appointed by the Government to consider the effects of economic and fiscal circumstances on the taxicab service, particularly in London. One is that the use of oil engines might be extended.
The conclusions are:—
01 Under present conditions the decline in cabs is likely to continue until there ceases to be an effective service in London.
(2) To raise or lower fares would offer no solution of the trade's immediate difficulties.
(3) Vehicles built to the Metropolitan specification should be exempt from purchase tax, regardless of their use.
(4) The London type should be freed from the operation of the Hire Purchase Order a 1952.
(5) There should be no rebate of petrol duty in or outside London.
(6) There should be no statutory limitation of cabs and drivers.
(7) An amendment of the six-mile limit in London is desirable.
(8) The law relating to plying for hire needs clarification.
(9) Applications for fare changes should he supported by uniform statistical and financial data from the trade.
(10) Cab radio is useful, but has limitations n2
(II) Use of cab ranks should be encouraged and their telephone facilities improved.
(12) Apart from any large fall in the price of petrol, the only foreseeable development to reduce running costs would be the general adoption of oil engines, if present experiments proved successful.
The London Motor Cab Proprietors' Association and the Taxi Fleet Operators' Federation said that the report did nothing to assist London cab owners to overcome their many present difficulties.
The National Taxi-Car Association pointed out that the position of the hiring trade in London was no 'different from that in other parts of the country. In evidence to the committee, they stressed the urgent need to amend existing legislation to correct the uneconomic position caused by part-time operators and to stabilize
the trade.
Of over 900 councils, about 700 either had no' hackney carriage by-laws or had not amended them since before the war. The Association are continuing to press or an early revision of out-of-date legislation.