A taxi driver has said that the business is ‘struggling to survive’ in Bracknell.
Hackney carriages, commonly known as black cabs, are regulated by Bracknell Forest Council.
These cabs can be hailed on the spot, and are also based at taxi ranks, such as the one at the station.
Councillors recently received a report into the state of the taxi trade.
Manoj Lacximicant from the Bracknell Hackney Taxi Association argued that drivers are struggling.
He said: “We urgently need to find a practical solution and take action before it’s too late. Our trade cannot afford to stand still any longer.
“For decades, many drivers have proudly served our community, and today they are struggling to survive.
“Right now, we in Bracknell have 42 hackney drivers active.
“Hardly any new drivers are joining. The truth is, it’s no longer financially viable.
“Drivers are struggling, working longer and longer hours just to keep up with living costs.
“Three drivers have left already to drive for Uber. Not because they wanted to, but because they had no choice. If things don’t change soon, this local trade will vanish.”
He then stated that the number of cab drivers had declined from 80-87 to 42 following the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Lacximicant requested adjustments to the council’s cab licensing policies to extend the age policy for cab vehicles from up to five years old to nine years old.
He also asked the council to cap vehicle licence and renewal fees for one year.
Mr Lacximicant said: “Local drivers are being pushed to the edge. We need Bracknell council to take action to protect the local drivers, restore fairness and ensure our community has a sustainable, competitive taxi service for the future.”
He then explained that a second-hand cab costs £25-25,000 at a minimum.
Meanwhile, new vehicles cost £35-38,000 and more.
Mr Lacximicant also requested that Bracknell Forest could have a mix of wheelchair accessible cabs and saloon cars, in a similar fashion to those in West Berkshire.
Currently, all cabs in Bracknell are wheelchair accessible.
Mr Lacximicant said that he could not recall the number of wheelchair using customers he has per year, before answering that he had no wheelchair using customers in recent memory.
Councillor Nazar Zahuruddin (Liberal Democrats, Sandhurst), after asking a question about how Bracknell Forest could have a mixed fleet, was told that such a change would require a public consultation.
However, councillor Nick Allen (Conservative, Owlsmoor & College Town) argued that it would be unlikely there would be a move towards saloon cars.
He said: “The issue here is not the mixed vehicles, that isn’t something which we would consider.
“It’s something which West Berkshire is thinking about removing.”
The discussion took place at a licensing and safety committee meeting on October 23.
