Why Leeds minicab drivers fear for livelihoods when more charges are introduced

Private hire drivers in Leeds fear they could be forced out of work when the council introduces Clean Air Zone charges for some vehicles.
Speedline manager Mohammed Liakat with fellow minicab drivers.Speedline manager Mohammed Liakat with fellow minicab drivers.
Speedline manager Mohammed Liakat with fellow minicab drivers.

The proposed £12.50 daily charge for taxis, lorries and buses which fail to meet emissions standards comes as many drivers are already finding it harder than ever to earn a living.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, some drivers estimated it takes three days of driving each week before breaking even, once vehicle running costs are taken into account.

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Private hire driver Suleman Mohammed said: “It’s a lot harder than it was. Expenses have gone up, there’s a lot of out-of-town drivers coming in. It’s a lot harder to make a decent wage.”

Drivers estimated they work for three days each week before breaking even.Drivers estimated they work for three days each week before breaking even.
Drivers estimated they work for three days each week before breaking even.

Like all motorists, Suleman and his colleagues worry about the costs of maintenance, insurance, road tax and petrol – but then there are the additional costs for being licensed to work.

Leeds City Council charges £290 for an initial private hire application and the separate vehicle application costs £120, with a full set of stickers costing up to £70 more.

Drivers must then renew both licences annually at £115 each as well as completing yearly Disclosure and Barring Service checks for £13 and a DVLA check every three years for £5.And if their vehicle is more than seven years old, there is an extra age criteria inspection fee of £70 when they renew.

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One driver, who did not want to be named, said: “The vehicle licensing, I think that’s as it should be for safety reasons, but the annual licence renewal fee doesn’t have to be £115.”

Mohammed Liakat and Rafiq Mohammad were among the drivers who spoke to the YEP.Mohammed Liakat and Rafiq Mohammad were among the drivers who spoke to the YEP.
Mohammed Liakat and Rafiq Mohammad were among the drivers who spoke to the YEP.
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While the number of Hackney Carriage drivers able to operate in the city is strictly limited, the council does not cap the number of private hire licences and drivers licensed elsewhere can also accept bookings.

And when the Clean Air Zone scheme currently under consultation comes into effect, it is unclear whether out-of-town drivers will be charged.

One driver, who is saving up for a hybrid car, said their existing vehicle licence had just been renewed until January 2019.

Drivers estimated they work for three days each week before breaking even.Drivers estimated they work for three days each week before breaking even.
Drivers estimated they work for three days each week before breaking even.
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He said: “I’ve spent £1,200 keeping it on the road and then I’m suddenly going to have to pay £85.70 a week, so how am I going to pay for a hybrid?

“If they introduced a charge for everyone, fair enough – but how can this possibly be a way to encourage us to switch to a newer vehicle when they’ll be taking the money I’m saving up for that car? It’s already hard enough but with this charge and getting fines...”

Fines incurred for dropping people off in bus stops or in locations where parking is restricted have become a major bone of contention and were one of the key issues behind recent ‘go-slow’ protests. Rafique Mohammad, a private hire driver for 40 years, said: “It’s as if every scrap of tarmac in town has got something on it that would make us liable for a fine.”

Mohammed Liakat, a manager at Speedline, said: “I’ve got a customer who’s about 70. She wants to get out in town where Boots pharmacy is. Sometimes she wants the driver to help her. You can’t just leave her because you’re going to get a ticket.”

Mohammed Liakat and Rafiq Mohammad were among the drivers who spoke to the YEP.Mohammed Liakat and Rafiq Mohammad were among the drivers who spoke to the YEP.
Mohammed Liakat and Rafiq Mohammad were among the drivers who spoke to the YEP.
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He said elderly and disabled customers relied on minicabs because they needed the kind of door-to-door that public transport cannot provide, adding: “If you don’t help them they think driver is ignorant – you can’t win either way.”

Some customers also become abusive if told they cannot be dropped off exactly where they want, accusing drivers of trying to rip them off.

Another key factor in the recent protests was the problem of children throwing eggs and stones at minicabs.

One driver had just had his front windscreen smashed in Harehills, leaving him with choice of footing the £200 repair or driving up his insurance premiums with another claim.

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But the drivers said they realised the hugely disruptive protests did not increase public understanding in the way hoped.

Suleman said: “After the go-slow, nearly every customer I’ve picked up thinks the drivers are in the wrong. People didn’t understand why we were doing it.

“Once you explain all this, people understand you do have a point.”