Have your say on colour of Hartlepool taxis

This follows a recent decision of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Licensing Committee to begin consulting on a number of proposed amendments to the town’s Taxi Licensing Policy, including the scrapping of the yellow-only rule.

The proposals can be viewed at:

https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/info/20023/licences_and_permits/537/taxi_licensing_policy

People can make their views known by completing an online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HBC19-TaxiColour

The scrapping of the yellow-only rule has been formally requested by the owners of 60 hackney carriages, around 45% of the entire hackney carriage fleet in Hartlepool.

Ian Harrison, the Council’s Trading Standards and Licensing Manager, said: “The request is that the Council replaces the requirement for hackney carriages to be yellow with a standard manufacturer’s colour such as white, black or silver.

“At present, any vehicle to be licensed as a hackney carriage must be re-sprayed to the appropriate shade of yellow. Those requesting a change of colour have stated that a move to a “standard” colour that is readily available from manufacturers will significantly reduce costs.”

He added that the change would also make it cheaper to repair damaged vehicles, and it would address difficulties faced by insurance companies in sourcing temporary replacements for yellow cars that have been damaged or written off.

A change to the yellow-only rule would not require existing hackney carriages to be re-sprayed, as there would be a transition period during which Hartlepool’s hackney carriage fleet would comprise vehicles of two colours (yellow and the new colour).

A number of other amendments to the Taxi Licensing Policy are also being proposed, including changes to vehicle age restrictions and the process for carrying out driver criminal record checks.

Following the consultation, the revised policy will be brought back to the Licensing Committee for further consideration - and potential approval - in December.