The new policy which consolidates all previous taxi licensing decisions into one single formal document, restricts harmful emissions from taxis and private hire vehicles as part of an over-arching strategy to improve air quality in the city.
The council currently licenses183 hackney carriage and 580 private hire vehicles, this fleet of 763 vehicles has a significant impact on air quality in the city. So, York’s new policy focuses on requiring the purchase of replacement vehicles which meet certain emission standards. These will help cut levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulates in the city’s air that can damage health, as well as cutting down on carbon dioxide, a ‘greenhouse gas’ which has an environmental impact.
Vehicles applying to be licensed as taxis must meet European Standards known as minimum Euro 5 for petrol*, Euro 6 for diesel*, or ultra low emission vehicles from 1 June 2017 for replacement hackney carriage vehicles, and from 1 November 2017 for replacement private hire vehicles.
Currently one in ten York taxis are a hybrid or electric taxi due to City of York Council establishing the UK’s first low emission taxi incentive scheme to encourage uptake and embed knowledge and confidence in these vehicles.
Following an eight-week consultation and representations from taxi and private hire operators, an amendment was made to the policy to reflect that the choice and costs of buying wheelchair-accessible vehicles is relatively limited.
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