Northampton taxi drivers get extra year to make cars environmentally friendly

Northampton Borough Council introduced a new emissions standard in 2018, which meant that hackney carriage and private hire drivers had to have vehicles that matched the new standards by December 2020.

But councillors on the licensing committee agreed to extend the deadline by a year after taxi drivers raised concerns over the financial output updating their vehicles would require during a time when trade has massively diminished due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It means drivers now have until December 31st next year to ensure their vehicles meet the new emissions standards, with many having already taken the decision to switch to electric cars.

Licensing officer Louise Faulkner told councillors: “Representatives from the taxi and private hire trade have informed the licensing team that the coronavirus pandemic has had a significant adverse financial impact upon the trade and have requested an extension to the 31st December 2020 date for compliance with the standards. This has adversely affected the ability of many licensed drivers to now purchase newer and compliant vehicles by the deadline.”

The resolution to extend the deadline was passed unanimously by the committee when it met virtually on Tuesday (October 13). Councillor Andrew Kilbride, a member of the committee, added: “Like all businesses with this pandemic there have been a lot of financial problems and people are struggling. Taxi drivers are in one of the industries that has been hit most hard. They’re not going to have the money to invest in electric cars, so it’s good we’re looking at this.”