Agenda item

            The Chairperson reminded the Committee that, at its meeting in September 2015, it had considered a number of proposals by the Department of Regional Development (DRD) to provide additional rank capacity for public hire taxis, in particular, a new feeder rank in Donegall Square West, using part of the area which had been allocated for coach parking (pick up and drop off), which would be in direct line of sight of the Donegall Square North rank.  However, at that time the Council had not supported a new feeder rank in Donegall Square West as it would have reduced the space available for coach parking in the city centre by 20 metres and instead requested further assessment for an alternative site.

            Subsequently, at its meeting on 13th January, it had agreed to defer consideration of a response to a DRD consultation on increasing the Belfast Public Hire Taxi Rank capacity within the Donegall Square area in order to invite representatives from the Public Hire Taxi Association to present to the Committee.  The Committee was advised that Mr. Pat Meighan and Mr. Ciaran Reilly from the Belfast Public Hire Taxi Association were in attendance and they were admitted to address the meeting. 

            Mr. Meighan advised the Members that they represented 450 licensed public hire taxi drivers and that all of their cabs were wheelchair accessible. He outlined that they were regulated by the Department of the Environment (DoE) but that their ranks were regulated by the DRD and that he felt that both departments were reluctant to bring change or invest in the Public Hire taxi service.

            The representatives from the BPHTA outlined that there were just six spaces for taxis to park in their main rank in Donegall Square North and that there were often more than 40 taxis requiring use of the rank and, to avoid parking tickets, the drivers therefore spent a large proportion of their time driving around the city centre.  The Members were reminded, while there was an additional rank on Chichester Street, that it was rarely used by drivers due to low footfall.  Mr. Reilly highlighted that, in any other major city, public hire taxi ranks were based outside the airports and main tourist attractions and that he felt that this should also apply in Belfast.  He invited the Members of the Committee to undertake a site visit with the BPHTA to allow them to illustrate the issues first hand.During discussion, a number of Members asked that comparator information on taxi rank provision in other cities, such as Glasgow, be explored.

            Mr. Meighan reminded the Committee that, in May 2010, a DRD consultation had been brought before the Council’s former Development Committee which had proposed a number of new ranks and extensions to eight existing ranks.  He also advised that, in 2011, a DOE Consultation had recommended increased provision for public hire taxis, better signage for consumers, ranks to be located at areas with higher footfall, and that existing rank capacity should be increased. However, Mr. Meighan pointed out that, in the past five years, no progress had been made following these recommendations.  

            In response to Mr. Reilly’s suggestion that they would like to have signs erected to advise tourists of the location of their ranks, a Member suggested that perhaps the Council should seek to incorporate the city’s Public Hire Taxi Service into its City Centre Regeneration and Investment Plan along with details of how public hire taxis operated in other UK cities, particularly given that Belfast was seeking to improve its night-time economy.

            After discussion with Members, the Chairperson thanked Mr. Meighan and Mr. Reilly for their presentation and they retired from the meeting.