Buses and Taxis (Hansard, 24 July 2002)

§ Mr. Sheerman
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve the sustainability and environmental quality of buses and taxis in city areas. [73206]

§ Mr. Jamieson
The Government have introduced a range of fiscal incentives to encourage the wider availability and use of cleaner fuels such as ultra-low sulphur petrol and diesel and road fuel gases such as LPG and natural gas. These incentives are relevant to all road vehicle sectors including buses and taxis.
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My Department's PowerShift and CleanUp programmes-administered by the Energy Saving Trust-provide grants towards the cost of converting vehicles to run on cleaner fuels and towards the cost of fitting emission reduction technologies such as particulate traps. Both taxis and buses have benefited from these programmes.
In addition, my Department has set up the New Vehicle Technology Fund to support the demonstration of innovative clean, fuel-efficient technologies such as fuel cells and hybrid vehicles. The Department views urban vehicles such as taxis and buses as important early markets for the introduction of these technologies and is currently assessing a number of taxi and bus proposals.

§ Mr. Sheerman
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will establish a working group to review the quality of taxi systems in major English cities. [73204]

§ Mr. Jamieson
While we are responsible for the legislative framework for taxis throughout England and Wales, taxi licensing rests with local authorities; it is up to them to use their licensing powers to ensure that their local taxi system is of a satisfactory standard.

§ Mr. Sheerman
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will license a new class of taxis in inner city areas based on smaller vehicles. [73203]

§ Mr. Jamieson
Under the legislation governing taxi licensing in England and Wales, a taxi must be a vehicle with fewer than nine passenger seats. Within this broad provision, it is up to local licensing authorities to determine which vehicles they consider suitable for licensing as taxis, bearing in mind that taxis are licensed for the purpose of enabling both individuals and small groups to hire them at a rank or hail them in the street.

§ Mr. Sheerman
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the Smart car and similar vehicles as taxis for city areas. [73205]

§ Mr. Jamieson
The Department has made no specific assessment of the Smart car or any similar vehicle for use as taxis in city areas. Decisions about which vehicles to license as taxis are made by local licensing authorities based on their assessment of local conditions and circumstances. They would, of course, want to bear in mind the needs of people who wish to travel in small groups as well as those of disabled people, some of whom may need to travel in a wheelchair.