Policy instruments (2) - Transport Policy and Planning in Great Britain - page 216

these problems ATCO (the Association of Transport Coordinating Officers) proposed
that the draft Local Transport Bill published in 2007 should enable authorities to
designate 'Tendered Network Zones' where the majority of services were already
operated under contract in which the local authority would take responsibility for
planning the network as a whole (LTT 471).
13.6 Taxis and other demand-responsive transport
The local bus services considered in the previous section are defined by their
characteristics of a fixed route and journeys operating to a set frequency or timetable.
Their provision is confined to corridors and times of day and week when there is a
sufficient concentration of passenger demand to enable operation on a commercial
basis or under public contract (subject to value-for-money criteria). Complementing
this are various forms of demand-responsive transport (DRT) which cater for more
individual requirements. Typically these provide a superior (quicker, more convenient,
door-to-door) but more expensive service. They also provide a 'fall-back' facility at
times or places when little if any other public transport is available (mainly during
evenings and nights and generally in more rural areas).
Taxis and private hire vehicles (commonly known as minicabs) operating
commercially are the most widespread form of DRT. The principal difference
between them is that taxis may be hailed in the street or hired from designated ranks
whereas PHVs have to be pre-booked. Perhaps surprisingly taxis and PHVs are used
disproportionately by members of lower-income households; they are also used more
frequently by disabled people.
The use of taxis and PHVs is not necessarily confined to a single individual or group
of people making the same end-to-end journey. Sharing is common (significantly
reducing the fare differential relative to buses) but the distinctive feature of taxis and
hire cars is that such sharing has to be co-ordinated by the hirer. In this they are
different from 'jitney' services operated in some other countries where a driver sets out
with one person or group travelling in a certain direction and then plies for additional
passengers as he goes along, adjusting his route accordingly.
Taxis are referred to legally as 'hackney carriages' (reflecting their existence long
before motor vehicles). Outside London they are licensed by district or unitary councils
who have traditionally exercised control over quality, quantity and maximum fares.
Only quality licensing is applied to PHVs. Within London the vehicles, drivers and
fare tariff of 'black cab' taxis are licensed by the Public Carriage Office under the GLA,
but no control has ever been exercised over the number of taxis operating.
Taxis, private hire cars and other forms of DRT may be utilised to meet social
needs. In these cases the eligibility of users is determined by the public authority or
charitable organisation which arranges the time and route of the journeys and provides
all or part of the necessary funding. Examples are journeys arranged by or on behalf of
education, social service or health authorities to enable pupils, clients or patients to
access their facilities, and 'dial-a-ride' services operated to meet the special needs of
elderly or disabled people.
In more rural areas there is an especially wide gulf between the limited availability
of bus services on the one hand and the high cost of commercial taxi services on
the other. This has led to a plethora of experiments beginning in the 1970s seeking
to bridge the gap (Nutley 1990). As a result a number of regulatory changes were
introduced in the 1985 Transport Act to facilitate various forms of 'unconventional'