Cardiff taxi drivers stage protest outside county hall against plans to issue ‘too many licenses’

Unite Wales members working within the Cardiff Taxi trade have staged a protest against Cardiff County Hall.

The protest by several hundred taxi drivers is aimed at stopping what they say is the the increasingly over-saturation of the Cardiff taxi trade.

Alan McCarthy, Regional Officer, said that there were “too many licenses issued for a city the size of Cardiff”.

“This decreases earning opportunities for existing drivers, with over-competition for fares,” he said. “Private Hire licenses are already uncapped, and coupled with unchallenged cross bordering from neighbouring authorities, the Cardiff market is completely oversaturated.”

Today, Cardiff Taxi Drivers sent a clear message to @cardiffcouncil that plans to remove vehicle cap restrictions for electric/euro 6 cars are unacceptable.

The Drivers are willing to put up a fight and we want the council to rethink these plans before this dispute escalates. pic.twitter.com/IkNP99j8ws

— UniteWales (@UniteWales) December 7, 2022

Alan McCarthy said that they were protesting specifically against proposals to lift a cap on the issuing of new licenses to those presenting electric or new Euro 6 compliant vehicles, which they said would be unaffordable to many current drivers.

“Cardiff Council have already spoken about a desire to see the entire fleet upgraded to electric vehicles in the coming years. How are drivers supposed to face the current cost of living crisis whist also saving to purchase an electric vehicle?” he said.

“Issuing new licenses to those financially capable of owning an electric vehicle simply forces the poorest drivers out of the trade.

“Cardiff Council need to stop and carry out a thorough Equality Impact Assessment to ensure that the poorest in our capital city are not being disproportionally hit by this disastrous proposal.”

In November of 2020 taxi drivers staged a protest outside Welsh Government offices in Cathays Park protesting against a lack of financial support during the Covid–19 lockdown.