Lack of drivers puts brakes on private cab companies

MINICAB firms are being forced to turn away business because they cannot find enough drivers, it was claimed today.

Abercorn Cabs in South Queensferry said a shortage of private hire drivers was being felt throughout the trade.

It said despite the relative ease with which drivers could obtain a licence, there was a shortage of suitable candidates.

Private hire drivers need only undergo police checks and a medical before being handed their licence.

With redundancies in other fields, cab firms are puzzled about the lack of candidates coming forward for jobs.

Gill Wiser, Abercorn Cabs' office manager, said some drivers willing to work a 60-70 hour week could take home up to 900.

She said: "There just doesn't seem to be enough people who have private hire licences. At a time when people are being laid off and looking for work it seems crazy that we're having to turn jobs away due to lack of drivers.

"The only people who seem to be applying are those who have a friend or family member doing the job and who know they can make a good living.

"If anything, the demand for taxis is growing as more and more people leave their cars at home. But at the moment, we're having trouble meeting that demand."

The number of private hire drivers in Edinburgh has risen in recent years, putting minicab firms on a collision course with the black cab trade.

In 2009 black cab firms cried foul after Edinburgh City Private Hire, the Capital's largest private hire firm, won the right to undercut its competitors by up to 30 per cent.

The move raised objections from Central Taxis and City Cabs, who argued it would lead to "confusion" among passengers.

The rise in the number of private hire cars has been attributed to the council's decision to cap the number of black cabs in the Capital at 1260 in 2001.

Since then two studies have found there is no "significant unmet demand" for black cabs, so the limit has remained unchanged.

A spokesman for the council said: "In accordance with the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, the council requires all vehicles operating as a taxi or a private hire car to be licensed. Drivers of these vehicles also require to hold a separate taxi or private hire car driver's licence."

[email protected]