The Committee considered a report that recommended the adoption of the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire and Private Hire Vehicle Strategy following the completion of a public consultation. The following documents were appended to the report:

·       Appendix 1 - Draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Strategy 2023-2028

·       Appendix 2 - Consultation Responses

·       Appendix 3 - Proposed changes following the consultation

·       Appendix 4 - Climate Impact Assessment

The report explained that the Council was committed to ensuring that the hackney carriage and private hire sector remained integrated within the town’s sustainable transport network so that it could continue to move passengers to destinations safely, whilst contributing to the town’s economy with minimal environmental impact.

The draft Strategy took account of the draft Local Transport Plan 2040, the draft Electric Vehicle Strategy and environmental factors resulting from the declaration of a Climate Emergency. The draft Strategy also detailed the Council’s commitment to ensure full compliance with statutory guidance issued by the Department for Transport (DfT) on Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards and set out the Council's position in relation to taxi ranks, wheelchair accessible vehicles, app-based taxi operations and highways use benefits (the use of bus lanes by Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles). The draft Strategy included an Action Plan that set out how and when the key objectives would be achieved.

The draft Strategy set out the Council’s overarching vision and objectives for the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire sector in Reading over the next five years and would be used to steer policy development over that period. It was intended that polices relating to the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire sector would be reviewed against the Strategy going forward. Each measure set out within the Strategy would be subject to a full consultation process and be discussed as part of the ongoing meetings held with the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire trade representatives.

The report explained that, at the meeting held on 13 July 2023, the Licensing Applications Committee had given its approval for a public consultation to be conducted on the content of the draft Strategy. The consultation had been carried out between 14 August 2023 and 18 September 2023. The consultation had been promoted on the Council’s website and had been sent to individual taxi drivers and operators. A total of 22 responses had been received. Copies of the responses were attached to the report at Appendix 2. An analysis of the consultation responses had revealed that, whilst there was support for the Strategy, a number of concerns had also been raised. The respondents’ comments and concerns, along with officers’ replies to those comments, were set out in the report under the following headings:

·       Private Hire Vehicles from out of area working in Reading;

·       Use of bus lanes by Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles;

·       Limited EV Charging Infrastructure;

·       Disabled access to services;

·       Extending the Hackney Carriage Vehicles Emissions Policy;

·       Number of Hackney Carriage Licenses/Types of vehicles in the fleet; and

·       Use of Taxi Ranks.

As a result of the consultation a number of changes had been made to the draft Strategy and Action Plan, the changes were summarised in the report under each of the above headings and were also listed in Appendix 3 of the report.

Asif Rashid, Chairman of Reading Taxi Association, and Imran Ali, a local hackney carriage driver, were present at the meeting and addressed the Committee on the item.

Resolved:

(1)           That the comments received during the public consultation process be noted;

(2)           That the changes made to the Strategy proposed following the consultation be approved;

(3)           That the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Strategy 2023-2028, as attached to the report at Appendix 1, be adopted.