0 First subsidy for Dutch operator
Page 31
Page 32
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
More decisive measures have been taken in the Netherlands where legislation governing taxi and private hire operation has been considerably streamlined. For instance, the revision of Dutch taxi regulations now allows the driver to pick up anywhere on demand to reduce the wasteful empty mileage incurred when running back to a stand. Recently the city of The Hague paid an initial subsidy of almost £20,000 to the local taxi company and this has been acclaimed as a historic lead in helping to make taxi operation a vital component of public transport.
Concurrent with these measures, implementation of more stringent licensing and driver qualifying tests should do much to raise the status of the industry. However, a powerful PR exercise to highlight the valuable part the taxi can play alongside the established means of public transport is still needed to gain wider public confidence. So far efforts in this sphere have been confined to the Netherlands where a slogan competition stimulated interest in all parts of the country.