Glasgow City Council is set to take steps to limit the number of new taxis and private hire cabs.

The council says it may start turning down applications for new vehicle licences because there are too many taxis and cabs on the road.

There are currently 1,420 taxis and almost 3,900 licensed private cabs.

The policy is designed to ensure work is not spread too thinly between existing drivers. Applications to renew existing licences will not be affected.

Personal licenses - that is, the certificate required to become a driver in a vehicle with an existing license - will also be unaffected.

The council was always free to turn down applications for new taxi licences but the new policy makes this explicit.

Until recently, licence applications for private hire cabs could only be turned down if the person or company was deemed unsuitable - the number of cabs on the road was not a consideration.

Glasgow believes it is the first Scottish council to set upper and lower limits for the number of black cabs and licensed private hire vehicles. In Glasgow, all licensed taxis are black Hackney vehicles.
The council was always free to turn down applications for new taxi licences but the new policy makes this explicit.

Until recently, licence applications for private hire cabs could only be turned down if the person or company was deemed unsuitable - the number of cabs on the road was not a consideration.

Glasgow believes it is the first Scottish council to set upper and lower limits for the number of black cabs and licensed private hire vehicles. In Glasgow, all licensed taxis are black Hackney vehicles.

source: BBC News