Taxi drivers fear being 'priced out' of Cambridge

It was agreed in 2018 that from April 2020 all new saloon taxis licensed by the authority needed to be zero or ultra-low emission

Cambridge taxi drivers are concerned a council policy change could "price [them] out" of the city.

The new policy requires taxi drivers to buy an ultra-low emission or electric car when they need to replace their existing vehicles.

Due to issues around the availability of the cars, the city council agreed in 2022 to delay the change for two years.

Drivers called for another review after they told the licensing committee they faced financial struggles, but a majority of councillors voted in favour of keeping the policy change.

'Climate emergency'

Mohammed Irfan told the meeting through a statement he struggled to keep up with "rocketing living costs".

He said his self-charging car was "reliable and cost effective", but raised concerns about the financial impact of buying a new vehicle.

"Over the last few years, for most months my income has averaged below the minimum wage, so it's been a real struggle to keep up with rocketing living costs and increased costs on debts and my mortgage as more bills pile up," Mr Irfan said.

"I accept we all have some responsibility to minimise the factors causing the devastation to our planet and the threat to our future generations...

"But I believe the current decision not to extend standard hybrids won't make much difference to Cambridge's air quality."

The city council said drivers had known about the policy change for years, with it first being agreed in 2018.

In 2015, the city council set a policy direction for pursuing a low emission strategy for buses and taxis within Cambridge over a period of 10 years

Driver Cihan Bashan said he lived in a flat and would have to rely on "pretty expensive" public charging stations if he had to switch to a plug-in hybrid or fully electric car.

Concerns were also raised that some drivers could be "priced out" of Cambridge if they faced even higher costs.

Another driver said they would consider handing back their plates to the city council and gain a licence under a new authority.

The meeting heard the city council had declared a climate emergency and drivers were told to contact the authority if taxis from other areas were using ranks in Cambridge.

A majority of councillors on the committee voted in favour of keeping the policy change