We will continue with the balance of item 1, which is the consideration of continued petitions. PE1856, on supporting the taxi trade, was lodged by Pat Rafferty on behalf of Unite. Members will recall that the petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to protect the future of the taxi trade by providing financial support to taxi drivers, setting up a national stakeholder group with trade union driver representatives and reviewing low-emission standards and implementation dates.
At our last consideration of the petition, we agreed to write to key stakeholders and to seek information directly from people in the sector. In particular, the committee sought figures on the number of taxi licence holders prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and the current number.
So far, we have received responses from 12 local authorities and the Scottish Taxi Federation. Five of those local authorities provided details of taxi and private operator figures, which indicated that there were 3,748 operators before the pandemic and that the number has now fallen to 3,258 operators. That illustrates a reduction of 490, with four out of the five local authorities seeing a reduction in the number of operators in the area.
Twelve local authorities provided details of taxi and private driver licences, which indicated that there were 11,436 licences before the pandemic and that there are now 9,348 licences. That is a reduction of 2,088, or nearly 20 per cent, which is pretty significant, with 11 out of the 12 local authorities seeing a reduction in the number of driver licences.
The Scottish Taxi Federation’s response highlights a number of issues for its members, including an ageing workforce—I think that I read that taxi drivers tend to be in their mid-50s or, increasingly, older still. Other issues include low-emission zones and their possible impact on the viability of the taxis that many owners have invested in and the high cost of low-emission zone-compatible vehicles. I imagine—although it has not been suggested in advance of today’s meeting—that a very immediate challenge could well be the price of fuel, which we know will be affected by the current international situation.
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In the light of all that, I certainly found the reduction in the number of taxis in my local authority quite significant, given the post-pandemic challenges in relation to the restoration of bus and rail services. With a 20 per cent reduction in the number of available taxis, they could become an increasingly difficult to obtain and even more expensive option. There are some really serious issues underpinning all of this.
Do colleagues have any comments or suggestions on how we might proceed?
