Taxi-Cab licences and badges issued (FOI)

​​Request

Article 9(2) of the Motor Traffic (Jersey) Law 1935 empowers the Minister to grant a public service vehicle licence subject to conditions. 

A

In respect of public service vehicle licences issued in the past five years, what standard provisions have been included in conditions of Article 9(2) of the Motor Traffic (Jersey) Law 1935?

Please provide the most recent set of conditions. 

B

Article 9(6) of the Motor Traffic (Jersey) Law 1935 provides that the Minister may, in respect of a class of public service vehicles, determine that public service vehicle licences shall not be granted in excess of such number the Minister considers desirable. 

What determinations have been made in the last five years? 

C

What criteria are used to assess what is “desirable”?

D

Since January 2021 how many licences have been surrendered and how many new licences have been issued?

E

A Freedom of Information response dated 23 April 2019 stated: “Taxi plates are the property of the Minister for Infrastructure and are issued to the next eligible PSV badge holder on the waiting list once a taxi plate is surrendered.”

Is it still the practice that when a taxi plate is surrendered it is issued to the next eligible PSV badge holder on the waiting list?

Response

A

There are currently three standard sets of licence conditions for licenced Taxi Cabs as attached.

Taxi-cab conditions.pdf​

It should be noted that the mileage requirement may vary depending on historic conditions. 

B

The Minister for Infrastructure has made no determinations that public service vehicle (PSV) licences shall not be granted in excess of such number the Minister considers desirable in last five years.

Therefore, no requests for taxi-cab PSV licences have been refused by the Minister for Infrastructure in the last five years on the basis of a quantitative restriction.

C

The criteria as to what is considered ‘desirable’ should be considered through the Minister for Infrastructure’s obligation under the Motor Traffic Law (Jersey) 1935 (“the Motor Traffic Law”) is to ensure that “there is an adequate, efficient and reasonably priced cab service available throughout Jersey at all times”.

The last time this prerogative was exercised was in 2017 by Deputy Noel, who stated any such review should be on the basis of unmet demand surveys.

Since 2020 there has been a surplus of licence plates available to be taken up by either drivers or companies, therefore, no unmet demand surveys have been considered necessary as the supply of plates has continually exceeded demand. 

While they may be cognisant, it should be noted that future Ministers are not bound by their predecessor’s specified assessment methodology and it is open to the Minister to expand or change the emphasis of the criteria.

The number of taxi licences in issue has fallen from 297 in January 2021 to 272 in March 2024. 

D

65 Licences have been surrendered since January 2021 to March 2024

40 New licences have been assigned since January 2021 to March 2024.

E

The surrendered taxi plates continue to be offered to the next eligible drivers on the list. 

It should be noted that during and after the pandemic many drivers chose to surrender their plates and leave the industry, resulting in a position since 2020 where the supply of taxi plates for owner drivers and companies exceeds demand.   

Therefore, plates are currently available for uptake by any eligible badge holder on the waiting list. Eligibility is subject to individuals having gained 18 months supervised experience as a company driver since receiving their PSV Badge. 

​Driver and Vehicle Standards regularly contacts these qualified drivers to enquire whether they would wish to take up a plate, however the badge holders on the waiting list do not necessarily wish to take up the licence (purple) plate when offered. PSV Badge holders often have other interests and, while wanting to retain their badges and place on the list, they are not actively seeking to be purple plate owner drivers or work in the industry at that time.​​