Toon colour taxis approved despite outcry from drivers

Taxi drivers believe improved CCTV at ranks would be a better use of money

Plans to rebrand a city's hackney carriages in black and white in a bid to deter bogus operators have been approved despite taxi drivers saying they were not cost effective.

Dozens of drivers gathered outside Newcastle Civic Centre on Monday to protest against the move that would require them to fit a white wrap around their bonnets.

Council bosses said the design, to match the colours of Newcastle United, would make licensed cabs more recognisable.

However, the Newcastle British-Bangladeshi Taxi Drivers’ Association said improved CCTV at taxi ranks would be a better use of money.

More than 40 drivers staged the demonstration calling for the idea to be dropped.

The council said the "distinctive" look would make licensed cabs more recognisable, and protect vulnerable customers from falling victim to bogus drivers.

The authority is also planning to give a £100 grant to each of the 597 licensed hackney carriage drivers in the city to help with fitting the white vinyl wrapping - a cost of nearly £60,000.

However, drivers believe they will be forced to pay out regularly to have them replaced. 

'Vetting procedures'

Mohammed Subhan, secretary of the drivers’ association, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “They [the council] thinks this will safeguard the public, but we don’t understand how it will do that.

"It is a huge burden on the drivers and it does not make any sense.

“At night time you won’t be able to tell if a car has a black or white bonnet or not.

"We drive these cars miles and miles, a white bonnet is going to get dirty very quickly, the wrap will get ripped and it will lose its elasticity."

Other concerns included criminals being able to copy the new taxi design as well as the colours deterring non-Newcastle fans.

A report to the council's cabinet said that 96% of drivers surveyed about the changes were against the proposal.

Labour councillor Paula Maines, the council’s cabinet member responsible for taxi licensing, said that the new look would help people recognise official taxis and find drivers who have passed the council’s vetting procedures.

She added: “Recent police and licensing operations have shown that we must take some action to safeguard vulnerable people in our city who are a part of our night time economy.

"A distinctive fleet of hackney carriage and private hire vehicles are seen as being essential to this.”

The new taxi policy was approved by the cabinet on Monday and will go before a full council meeting next month before it comes into force.