Glasgow taxi drivers will hold a rally and hand-in a petition
today (Wednesday 30 July) signed by over 500 people against the
proposal to consider lifting the cap on private hire vehicles
across the city.
A petition launched by Unite's Glasgow Cab Section has gained 545
signatures so far protesting against the prospect of the
number of taxis and private hire cabs cap being lifted by the
city's authority.
Unite Glasgow taxi demonstration
WHEN: Wednesday 30 July Time: 12:30 to
13:30
WHERE: Cochrane Street by John Street with
Keep the Cap Petition to be handed to Council officials.
A public consultation held by Glasgow City Council on the private
hire cap finished on May 28. The current private hire vehicle
limit is 3,450 but companies including Uber are pushing for the
cap to be lifted.
Sharon Graham Unite general secretary said: “The cap
in place for private hire vehicles is about protecting a fair,
safe, and accessible transport system. The demonstration and
petition being handed in by Unite's taxi membership raises
really important issues not just for the drivers but for everyone
in Glasgow. The drivers will have their union's full support in
the fight to Keep the Cap.”
Unite's Glasgow Cab section claim that any move to remove the cap
would cause serious harm to taxi accessibility for passengers
with mobility problems, reduce vehicle standards, increase
pollution, and create a ‘race to the bottom' in the city's
transport system.
The union added that Glasgow's transport system could be
‘overwhelmed' by unregulated operators if the cap is lifted, and
this could raise wider safety concerns as private cab firms and
operators may not hold the same rigorous safety checks and
procedures.
Unite industrial officer
said: “The fact is that there is no shred of
evidence to support Glasgow City Council lifting the current cap
on private hire vehicles. The opposite is true because the cap in
place helps to protect vehicle standards, the environment, and,
critically for our members, it guards against a race to the
bottom. The only people to benefit from any cap being lifted is
multi-national firms such as Uber whose exclusive motive is
profit.”
