A new report has revealed Fifers are largely satisfied with the region’s taxi service, despite concerns that some cabs are “old and grubby.”
An independent study, ordered by Fife Council and carried out by Halcrow, was established primarily to examine the extent of any unmet demand for cabs.
It also looked at the public’s perception of local taxi and private hire car services in Fife.
Back in June a St Andrews firm was stripped of several operating licences after councillors heard details of a shocking litany of test failures.
Alarming DIY repairs using everything from sections of garden hose to cable ties were flagged up as cabs owned by GS Enterprises (St Andrews) Ltd were put under the microscope. Five of the firm’s six cabs were found to fall short of the standards required.
At that time elected members raised serious concerns over the “alarming and horrific” conditions of some local taxis, warning the public were being put at risk.
However, the new report paints a brighter picture of local services.
“The authority currently maintains a limit on the number of taxi licences and as a result the authority currently licenses 478 taxis,” the Halcrow report states. “In addition to taxis, Fife Council currently licenses 340 private hire vehicles.”
The cabs operate from 37 official ranks across the area.
Halcrow carried out more than 1000 “face to face” surveys with taxi users and found the results to be encouraging.Satisfied”Overall the public were generally satisfied with the service,” the report states. “The majority of respondents felt safe using taxis during the day and night.
“Most respondents had not given up waiting for a taxi or private hire vehicle in the last three months anywhere in Fife.”
Some people did say that fares were too high but, in all, members of the public had very few gripes.
Halcrow also found that there was no significant unmet demand for taxis in Fife.
The report includes comment from several stakeholders, including representatives of the Fife Chamber of Commerce.
Chief executive Alan Russell said the standard of taxi services “varied” and warned that vehicles tended to be “old and grubby.”
He also suggested that drivers should be more professional and “improve their dress sense.”
Meanwhile, members of the Fife Elderly Forum suggested that taxis are “generally easy to book” and that the overall vehicle quality is “good”.
However, they felt some drivers would benefit from more training regarding attitude and courtesy.