Liverpool cabbies were left bewildered at the North West Taxi & Private Hire Exhibition in the city last weekend.  Visitors to the Cab Direct stand struggled to understand why Liverpool City Council’s Licensing Committee continues to block the way for drivers wanting to use the modern Peugeot E7 Hackney Carriage, despite the fact it operates successfully in 95% of UK towns and cities.  

Promoted to raise funds for the annual taxi driver’s outing for underprivileged children, the show was well organised and attended by drivers from across Merseyside.  Yet while operators in boroughs such as The Wirral, Sefton and Wigan were able to go ahead and place orders for the modern E7, cabbies operating in the city centre were left asking “Why on earth can’t we have this up-to-date vehicle in Liverpool?”

It’s the same question put to the Council’s Licensing Committee earlier this year by Glasgow manufacturer Cab Direct, supported by more than 300 Liverpool taxi drivers and by local wheelchair users.  The Council’s refusal to grant the E7 a Hackney Carriage Licence is currently being challenged through the courts.

Cab Direct’s Donald Pow, who was at the event, commented: “It’s ironic, to say the least, that drivers kept asking us ‘when will I be able to buy one of these cabs?’. Clearly we’d love to able to answer that but for whatever reason, we still can’t sell our purpose-built, safely accessible taxi here in Liverpool”. 

Cabbies were genuinely impressed by the modern comfort, storage and safety features the E7 provides. Many drivers reported how angered and frustrated they felt by the lack of choice of vehicle available to them in the city, they can currently only opt for the old-style TX4 taxi. The Peugeot E7 from Cab Direct also offers taxi operators a lower purchase price, superior fuel economy, longer service intervals and reduced CO2 emissions.

www.cabdirect.com