Moray Council’s licensing committee is taking steps towards improving the taxi and private hire trade. It began with a fresh review of private hire and taxi licenses and this action has been followed by a new ‘dress code’ which is to be implemented immediately.
From now on, drivers will be expected to dress smartly while on duty and they are also not allowed to smoke when required at taxi ranks. Additionally, there will be new knowledge and language tests added to their licensing application.
The committee carried out a consultation in February when representations were requested from local organisations, the taxi trade, the public, Police Scotland and other interested groups. A sub-group of five councillors were chosen to review the responses and they made recommendations based on their findings. These recommendations were then approved by the licensing committee in Moray.
It would appear that such a review was long overdue since it has been 10 years since the last one. According to the local authority, full details of the dress code will be finalised once discussions with the trade have been completed.