Cornwall Council are proposing to remove the six ‘taxi zones’ in Cornwall.
They present the issue as the zones being just ‘legacy legislation’, and that removing the zones would ‘Make things simpler for passengers’, ‘improve taxi availability and customer choice’ and ‘create a fairer and more efficient system‘. Or at least that’s what they are selling it as.
In order for anyone to give truly relevant and effective feedback to the consultation survey being run by Cornwall Council, operators, councillors and members of the public first need comprehensive answers to the following questions:
1. The consultation says de-zoning will “make things simpler for passengers” and “improve taxi availability and choice.”
Given Cornwall’s unique geography (65% rural, large distances between villages, limited public transport), can you explain specifically how removing the taxi zones will improve availability and choice for rural residents in Cornwall as claimed in the consultation? Please do not quote generic national guidance or case studies from urban areas — I am asking specifically about Cornwall’s rural communities.
2. The consultation says this change will “create a fairer system.”
a) Caradon & North Cornwall zones currently have the 7th most expensive taxi tariff in the UK, while Restormel ranks 30th, Penwith 40th, and Kerrier 128th. To implement a unified tariff, in practice, the only workable option would be to default to the highest tariff, as drivers in higher zones will not accept a pay cut.
While officers may argue that the table of fares only represents the maximum that can be charged and that operators are “free to charge less,” the practical reality is that drivers ‘can’ and ‘will’ charge the full tariff, which quickly becomes the norm.
With that in mind, please explain how imposing a single tariff — which could raise fares by up to 40% in the cheaper zones — can be described as fairer for Cornwall’s rural, low-income communities in those areas?
National averages or other councils’ approaches do not apply here; I am asking specifically about fairness within Cornwall.
b) The current zoned system — described in the consultation as ‘legacy legislation’ — provides councillors with an essential mechanism to manage the supply of taxi services, a vital part of Cornwall’s public transport network. It ensures at least a minimum level of service across the many and varied rural communities of Cornwall. How can it be considered fairer to remove councillors’ only mechanism for guaranteeing rural service levels? And what, specifically, will replace it to give councillors equivalent or stronger control — rather than surrendering everything to market forces, where drivers will inevitably concentrate in the most profitable towns?
3. The consultation says the new system will be “more efficient.”
a) The current system not only protects service supply in rural areas, but with the existing option of dual licensing, also resolves cross-border issues and generates additional revenue for the Council. Given that Cornwall already operates dual licensing to address these issues and create extra income, what specific efficiency gains will de-zoning deliver in Cornwall that are not already being achieved? Please provide Cornwall-specific evidence, not generic references to national best practice or examples from other councils.
b) The current zoned system is entirely funded by licence fees — not taxpayers — and maintains service access through responsible geographic boundaries, while being largely self-policing. What specific mechanism will you replace this with, in order to improve on this proven efficiency while still guaranteeing rural residents access to taxi services without any need for taxpayer subsidies, once these zones are abolished?
Important Contextual Note
When answering these questions, it is extremely important to note that, as of the most recent figures, there are approximately 1,600 licensed vehicles in Cornwall. Of these, 1,047 are licensed Taxis.
A significant proportion of the remaining licensed vehicles — Private Hire Vehicles — are operated by a single company, 24/7, which only provides school transport services for Cornwall Council. This removes those vehicles from the pool of Private Hire Vehicles available for use by the public.
It would therefore be fundamentally incorrect to suggest that the private hire sector could in any way “fill the void” left by the migration of taxis toward urban centres following de-zoning. The capacity simply does not exist.
Fare data taken from PHTM: https://www.phtm.co.uk/newspaper/taxi-fares-league-tables
You can see the consultation survey here