Taxi & Hackney Carriages in Maidstone Survey

 

Taxi & Hackney Carriages in Maidstone Survey

June 2018

 

 

 

 

Version Number

Purpose/ Amendments

Author

Date

0.1

Draft report creation

Clare Harvey, Digital Intelligence Officer

06/06/2018

0.2

Draft Report Completion – ready for review

Clare Harvey, Digital Intelligence Officer

19/06/2018

1.0

Final version – amendments from review

Clare Harvey, Digital Intelligence Officer

25/06/2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxi & Hackney carriages in Maidstone Consultation

 

Methodology

 

Maidstone Borough Council undertook a consultation between 5th March 2018 and 27th May 2018.

 

The survey was carried out online and by email, with a direct email to approximately 8,000 customer who had consented to being contacted by email and was promoted on the Council’s website, social media and in the local press. A direct email was sent to licensed taxi operators using customer details provided by the licensing team. Paper copies of the survey and alternative formats were available on request. 

 

The survey was open to all Maidstone Borough residents aged 18 years and over. The data has not been weighted, however the top two and bottom two age brackets were combined to give the groups 65 years and over and 18 to 34 years.

 

Those affiliated with the taxi industry were asked their views on rank locations, the number of hackney licenses issued and if the limit should remain. They were also able to submit additional comments. Residents were asked the same questions as outlined above for those in the taxi industry but were also asked questions about their experience of engaging a taxi in Maidstone.

 

A total of 474 people (including 120 taxi drivers or representatives of taxi businesses) responded to the questionnaire, this report discusses unweighted results. Please note not every respondent answered every question; therefore the total number of respondents refers to the number of respondents for that question not to the survey overall. 

With a total of 474 responses to the survey, the overall results in this report are accurate to ±4.5% at the 95% confidence level. This means that we can be 95% certain that the results are between ±4.5% of the calculated response, so the ‘true’ response could be 4.5% above or below the figures reported (i.e. a 50% satisfaction level could, in reality, lie within the range of 45.5% to 54.5%).

NOTE: Unless stated otherwise, satisfied refers to the proportion responding ‘very or fairly satisfied’ and dissatisfied refers to the proportion responding ‘fairly or very dissatisfied’.

For the purposes of analysing the survey results Uber services are categorised as private hire vehicles.   Uber was set up as a peer to peer ride sharing, taxi and food delivery service. In the UK Uber drivers are required to have a private hire license and booking are make through a mobile phone application.

 

 

 

 

 

Customer Feedback on Taxi Experience

·         There are a greater proportion of men responding difficult or very difficult when compared to the response levels for women, with 11.6% of men responding this way compared to 2.4% of women.

·         The data suggests that as age increases it is easier to get a taxi with the 18 to 34 years group having the lowest levels responding very easy or easy at 73.6% and the over 65 years group has the greatest proportion responding this way at 87.1%.

Group

% Easy & Very Easy

Male

75.6%

Female

85.5%

18 to 34 years

73.6%

35 to 44 years

73.4%

45 to 54 years

80.5%

55 to 64 years

83.8%

65 years and over

87.1%

Disability or long term illness

76.6%

No Disability

81.6%

White groups

81.6%

BME groups

73.7%

Carers

78.9%

Non Carers

81.2%

Used taxi in last month

80.5%

Last used taxi over a month ago

79.8%

·         It is indicated that respondents from white groups may find it easier to get a taxi.  As white groups were more likely to respond very easy or compared to BME groups, who were slightly more likely to respond neither easy nor difficult and difficult or very difficult compared to respondents from white groups. However the difference is not significant.

·         Overall, 80.5% of respondents who have used a taxi or hackney carriage in the last month said it was easy or very easy.

 

 

·         Overall there is a strong satisfaction with the standard of driving at 80%

·         Female respondents are slightly more likely than male respondent to be satisfied with the standard of driving with 86.2% of women responding satisfied or very satisfied compared to 74% of men.

·         Across the age groups the responses suggest that the older the respondent the less satisfied they are likely to be with the standard of driving. The 45 to 54 years age group had the greatest proportion responding neither satisfied nor dissatisfied at 22% and the lowest satisfaction at 70.7%. The 55 to 64 years group had the greatest proportion responding dissatisfied at 10.1%.  The 35 to 44 years group had the greatest proportion satisfied with the standard of driving at 88.7%.

Group

% Satisfied & Very Satisfied

Male

74.0%

Female

86.2%

18 to 34 years

83.0%

35 to 44 years

88.7%

45 to 54 years

70.7%

55 to 64 years

79.7%

65 years and over

77.8%

Disability or long term illness

75.0%

No Disability

80.6%

White groups

79.2%

BME groups

94.7%

Carers

70.8%

Non Carers

82.8%

Used taxi in last month

80.3%

Last used taxi over a month ago

78.8%

·         While there are a lower proportion of people with a disability that are satisfied with the standard of driving compare to respondents without a disability at 75% (compared to 80.6%) there are no significant differences between the proportions responding dissatisfied between these two groups.

·         There is a difference of 12% between those responding very or fairly satisfied between respondents who act as carers and those that do not, with those who are not carers more likely to be satisfied with the standard of driving. Respondents who act as carers also have higher proportions responding neither satisfied not dissatisfied and fairly or very dissatisfied, though when compared to the levels for respondents that do not act as carers.

·         There is a difference of 15.5% in the proportion of responding as very satisfied or satisfied between respondents from white groups and those from BME groups – this variance is significant. It shows that respondents from BME groups are more likely to be satisfied with the standard of driving than respondents from white groups.

 

 

 

 

·         There is a difference of 11.7% in the proportion that are satisfied between respondents who act as carers and those who do not. Respondents that are carers were more likely to respond dissatisfied with 10.1% of this group responding this way compared 3.5% of respondents that do not act as carers whilst these variances are not significant there does appear to be a trend with those who act as carers more likely to be dissatisfied with the surveyed elements of hackney carriage and private hire taxi services (Question 7). 

·         Whilst there is no significant difference in the proportion responding they are satisfied between respondents with a disability or long term illness and those without, the data does show that those with a disability are more likely to be dissatisfied and those without a disability or long term illness are more likely to have no strong opinion either way.

·         It is likely that the lower satisfaction from respondents with a disability and those who act as carers is linked, as these groups often need to travel together.

Group

% Satisfied & Very Satisfied

Male

80.4%

Female

89.4%

18 to 34 years

90.2%

35 to 44 years

88.2%

45 to 54 years

78.5%

55 to 64 years

82.1%

65 years and over

85.5%

Disability or long term illness

86.7%

No Disability

84.4%

White groups

84.7%

BME groups

88.2%

Carers

75.4%

Non Carers

87.1%

Used taxi in last month

82.5%

Last used taxi over a month ago

88.9%

·         Across the age groupings the 18 to 34 years group had the greatest proportion that were satisfied with vehicle cleanliness at 90.2%, the 45 to 54 years groups had the lowest proportion satisfied at 78.5% and the 55 to 64 years group had the greatest proportion that were dissatisfied at 10.4%.

·         There were no respondents from BME groups that said they were dissatisfied with the cleanliness of vehicles, and the levels of respondents that were satisfied in this group are comparable to the levels from white groups.      

·         Looking at those who said they had used a taxi or hackney carriage in the last month the response levels from this groups are comparable with the overall result with 82.5% satisfied and 6.6% dissatisfied.

 

·         Female respondents were slightly more satisfied with  driver interaction than men. Male respondents were more likely than women to have no strong feelings either way. However, the proportion responding dissatisfied was comparable with 7.8% of men and 7.4% of women responding this way.

·         Across the age groups there is a difference of 9.4% between the age groups with the greatest level of dissatisfaction (45 to 54 years at 11.1%) and that with the lowest level of dissatisfaction (65 years and over at 1.7%). The 18 to 34 years groups are the most satisfied with driver interactions at 82.4%. 

Group

% Satisfied & Very Satisfied

Male

70.7%

Female

78.4%

18 to 34 years

82.4%

35 to 44 years

70.6%

45 to 54 years

71.6%

55 to 64 years

74.6%

65 years and over

76.7%

Disability or long term illness

76.1%

No Disability

75.3%

White groups

73.9%

BME groups

94.4%

Carers

59.7%

Non Carers

78.6%

Used taxi in last month

75.6%

Last used taxi over a month ago

71.8%

·         There is an 18.9% difference in the satisfaction levels between Carers and Non-carers, with Carers having the lowest level; one in five of this group (22.4%) said they were dissatisfied. There was no difference in the proportion responding they have no strong opinion either way between Carers and Non-carers.

·         There were no significant differences in the response levels of responders with a disability or long term illness and those without or between the overall result and those who have used a taxi or hackney carriage in the last month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·         There is a 14.1% difference in the satisfaction levels between respondents Carers and Non-carers, with Non-carers more likely to be satisfied with the wait time at taxi ranks. One in four non-Carers had no strong opinion either way while one in five were dissatisfied.

Group

% Satisfied & Very Satisfied

Male

57.9%

Female

74.4%

18 to 34 years

66.7%

35 to 44 years

70.9%

45 to 54 years

53.4%

55 to 64 years

74.4%

65 years and over

65.8%

Disability or long term illness

60.0%

No Disability

66.8%

White groups

65.0%

BME groups

76.5%

Carers

54.7%

Non Carers

68.8%

Used taxi in last month

66.5%

Last used taxi over a month ago

64.8%

·         Whilst there is no significant difference in dissatisfaction between respondents with a disability and respondents without a disability, those without a disability are marginally more likely to be satisfied than respondents with a disability. One in four respondents with a disability had no strong opinion either way.

·         Just over one in five male responders were dissatisfied with the waiting time at taxi ranks, significantly higher than the level for women (8.3%).

·         Across the age groupings the 55 to 64 years group has the greatest proportion that are satisfied with the waiting time at taxi ranks. The 45 to 54 years groups have the lowest level of satisfaction at 53.4% and greatest proportion saying they have no strong opinion either was at 29.3%. The 18 to 34 years group has the greatest proportion responding dissatisfied at 18.8%.

·         There is an 11.5% difference in the proportion that responded satisfied between respondents from white groups and those from BME groups; respondents from BME groups are more likely to be satisfied. Overall, 15.7% of white groups said they were dissatisfied compared to 5.9% of respondents from BME groups. 

·         The response levels for respondents who had used a taxi in the last month are in line with the overall result.

 

 

·         There is a difference 16.1% in the satisfaction levels between carers and non-carers, with carers having the lowest satisfaction. . For carers just over one in five respondents were dissatisfied and a quarter of respondents had no strong opinion either way.

Group

% Satisfied & Very Satisfied

Male

61.2%

Female

70.1%

18 to 34 years

69.6%

35 to 44 years

59.0%

45 to 54 years

57.1%

55 to 64 years

71.9%

65 years and over

77.1%

Disability or long term illness

60.0%

No Disability

66.7%

White groups

65.4%

BME groups

83.3%

Carers

77.1%

Non Carers

52.7%

Used taxi in last month

64.0%

Last used taxi over a month ago

69.5%

·         Respondents with a disability have a greater proportion responding dissatisfied than respondents without a disability at 25% compared to 13.6%.

·         There is a difference of 17.9% in the satisfaction level between respondents from white groups and those from BME groups, with respondents from BME groups more likely to be satisfied. Almost one in five respondents from white groups responded they have no strong opinion either way with 19.0% selecting this answer compared to 5.6% of respondents from BME groups. 

·         Men are slightly more likely than women to have no strong opinion either way at 23.10% compared to 15.3%.  

·         Across the age groupings the 65 years and over group are the most satisfied with the wait time for private hire vehicles at 77.1%, the 35 to 44 years group has the greatest proportion dissatisfied at 21.3% and the 45 to 54 years group has the greatest proportion that had no strong opinion either way with just over a quarter (26.0%) of this groups responding this way.

·         The response levels for respondents who had used a taxi in the last month are in line with the overall result.

 

 

 

 

Comments on getting a taxi in Maidstone

 

A total of 158 people provided comments about getting a taxi or hackney carriage in Maidstone, of which 104 related to the question. These comments have been categorised with some covering more than one category. While positive and negative comments have been identified it was not always clear if the respondent was referring to hackney or private hire services. Some commenters expressed negative opinions about one service and were positive about the other.

 

“Getting a taxi in Maidstone is very easy. I have never had any problem finding one as always I can see at least 5 taxis waiting for customers.”There were 22 respondents that commented that the current level of taxis is right or that they have had no problems trying to engage a taxi. Of these 22, six specifically mentioned the good availability of hackney carriages or getting a taxi from a rank.  Four of the 22 specifically mentioned good availability around engaging a private hire taxi (with one respondent mentioning good availability of Uber).

 

It is sometimes difficult to get a Taxi off peak and if in busy periods a waiting time of 20mins is not unusual.“It would be helpful to have more Hackney Carriages; Maidstone is growing in population making it more difficult to get one. I would like it to be easier to hail one.”There were 43 respondents that made comments about there not being enough taxis available. Of these nine mention difficulty engaging taxis about school start and closing times. Thirteen mentioned difficulties at peak times such as evening and Friday and Saturday nights. Eight mentioned issues engaging a taxi service at train stations. Four commenters mentioned issues due to location with Headcorn and Walderslade specifically mentioned. Two person mentioned issues when there have been events in the town and specifically during Ramadan. The remaining commenters expressed general difficulties in engaging taxi services. 

 

“Getting a taxi is easy. Unfortunately the standard of driver i.e. their respect of adhering to the Highway Code is not guaranteed. Too many drivers don’t respect simple issues such as speed limits and no entry signs. Some drivers’ belief they don’t have to adhere to the Highway Code as taxi drivers are exempt from this legislation.”There were 14 respondents that made comments about driver related issues such as driving standards and professionalism. Of these, five specifically mentioned poor experiences of using private hire vehicles and four mentioned poor experience of using a hackney carriage. The issues raised in this section were driver attitude, taking longer routes, being left stranded after booking and not knowing the destination. Two respondents made comments about drivers not speaking English and two mentioned the cleanliness of vehicles.

 

Sixteen respondents made comments around cost, of which four mentioned hackney carriages are more expensive. A further three people mentioned the impact of congestion on the cost of the journey. One person stated that the costs seem to vary a lot – specifically mentioning charges after midnight and another commented that compared to London prices Maidstone’s prices seem high.

 

“Private hire arrive generally on time but need booking in advance and you are never quite sure about the driver. Hackney should be available within minutes and are generally accepted as more reputable, Hackney may come at a slightly higher price but this should be for availability and trust.”There were fourteen ‘other’ comments about the ease of getting a taxi in Maidstone. Of these three commented on reliability stating they have had to chase booked taxis or had been left stranded. There were three comments in this section from disabled respondents, one stated they can only use taxis with ramps, and commented they rely on taxi services and were positive about hackney services and the final commenter said that service was variable. One person said they do not like being dropped at the end of the high street as private hire vehicle are not allowed to use it, another mentioned the need for card payment facilities and one expressed the need for a rank in Marden. One respondent was pragmatic about the pros and cons of the difference services.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Group

% Responding Yes (ex N/A)

Male

87.1%

Female

90.0%

18 to 34 years

86.7%

35 to 44 years

90.5%

45 to 54 years

89.4%

55 to 64 years

84.5%

65 years and over

89.4%

Disability or long term illness

78.3%

No Disability

90.1%

White groups

88.7%

BME groups

88.4%

Carers

82.1%

Non Carers

90.0%

Used taxi in last month

88.4%

Last used taxi over a month ago

85.5%

Resident Only

87.5%

Taxi Affiliated

88.7%

Hackney Drivers

83.9%

Private Hire Drivers & Businesses

95.1%

·         The majority of responders across all grouping said that the ranks were in the right place.

·         The greatest difference between groups was between respondents with a disability and those without at 11.8%. Respondents with a disability had the greatest proportion responding no, with one in five responding this way compared to just under one in ten for respondents without a disability.

·         There was no difference in the proportions agreeing and disagreeing between respondents that are taxi drivers or affiliated with a business of this nature and residents.

 

Comments about Rank Locations

 

Respondents left a total of 147 comments about the locations of taxi ranks, some of these comments made multiple suggestions or covered several themes (note this does not include respondents who answered N/A and Don’t know).

 

“There doesn’t need to be another one. Also no obvious place to put one.”14 people made comments to the effect that the current rank locations are fine or that no further ranks are needed.

 

“MBC map only shows 5 ranks on the map, but it would be good if there was a rank on the lower High St”

44 commenters mentioned the High Street, of these 41 were specific mentioning bottom or lower High Street, or landmarks that are located towards the river end of the High Street. 21 commenters said there should be a rank on Earl Street with a couple of people mentioning the Hazlitt and restaurant culture on this road.

 

Seven people said there should be a rank at Lockmeadow or by the cinema complex, 19 people mentioned train stations of which 14 mentioned Maidstone West other stations that were mentioned include Barming, Bearsted, Headcorn and Marden.

“By the bus station. There are very few buses these days”

Eight people mentioned King Street or the Bus Station, five said St Faith’s Street or by the Museum and a further five said the bottom of Gabriel’s Hill or Gala Bingo. Four commenters said there should be a rank at Maidstone Hospital.

 

There were 11 other suggestion for where a rank should be placed, three people mentioned supermarkets with one specifying Sainsbury in Aylesford and Waitrose in Allington. Two people mentioned St Peter’s Street, one mentioned Pudding Lane, one mentioned the football grounds and Library and two mentioned the Union Street area (Mumu’s). One person said there should be ranks near park and Ride locations and another said there should be ranks in the outer suburbs (Chatham and Walderslade were also mentioned but fall outside of Maidstone).    

 

“They need to be mobilised rather than ranked”There were 17 other comments which did not make location suggestions; a couple of these make suggestions including making the current rank on the High Street larger or utilising the bus stops after midnight at the weekends. Four people said there was no room for additional ranks and one said they should be mobilised rather than ranked, two said the locations for the ranks should be central of which one also said they should be well lit too. One person suggested a larger rank but all stated the narrowness of the High Street was an issue and that taxis are in competition with buses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·         Female respondents were more likely than male respondents to say that 48 hackney carriages is enough for the town. There was a 13.9% difference between the response levels for these groups. One in five female respondents said there are too few hackney carriages compared to almost one in four men.

·         In terms of the age groups; the proportion of responders answering ‘About right’ increases with age, however, the 18 to 34 years group have the greatest proportion responding too many at 27.5% while the 35 to 44 years group have the greatest proportion responding too few at 30.5%.

Group

% Responding About Right

Male

54.0%

Female

67.9%

18 to 34 years

47.8%

35 to 44 years

55.3%

45 to 54 years

51.7%

55 to 64 years

68.0%

65 years and over

73.1%

Disability or long term illness

53.4%

No Disability

59.4%

White groups

61.8%

BME groups

40.8%

Carers

52.9%

Non Carers

60.9%

Used taxi in last month

59.9%

Last used taxi over a month ago

72.2%

Resident Only

64.0%

Taxi Affiliated

44.2%

Hackney Drivers

48.2%

Private Hire Drivers & Businesses

40.6%

·         There is a significant difference in the response levels between carers and non-carers, with carers more likely than non-carers to respond that there are too many hackney carriages at 28.8% compared to 15.5% a difference of 13.3%.

·          There are slight differences between the response levels of respondents with a disability and those without a disability, with those with a disability marginally less likely to say the current number of hackney carriage is about right, however these variances are not significant.

·         There are significant differences in the response levels between respondents from white groups and respondents from BME groups. The lowest proportion of people responding ‘About right’ are from BME group with just 40.8% of this groups selecting this answer and a difference of 21% compared to the response from white groups. Respondents from BME groups were more likely to say that there are too many hackney carriages with 32.7% answering this way compared to 16.3% from white groups.

·         There is also a significant difference in the response levels between residents and those affiliated with the taxi industry, with those in the industry more likely than residents to say there are too many at 35% compared to 12.2%. 

·         Male respondents were more likely than female respondents to say that the council should have a limit on the number of hackney carriage licenses it will issue with 69.2% answering this way compared to 35.5% of female respondents.

·         Across the age groups the 55 to 64 years group have the greatest proportion responding that hackney carriage licenses should be limited at 54.1% and the 18 to 35 years group have the lowest at 44.9%. The 65 years and over group had the greatest proportion responding not sure with one in four responders in this group answering this way.

Group

% Responding yes

Male

29.6%

Female

35.5%

18 to 34 years

39.1%

35 to 44 years

34.0%

45 to 54 years

35.6%

55 to 64 years

27.6%

65 years and over

22.4%

Disability or long term illness

25.0%

No Disability

33.0%

White groups

32.3%

BME groups

30.6%

Carers

28.6%

Non Carers

32.4%

Used taxi in last month

37.0%

Last used taxi over a month ago

33.9%

Resident Only

41.5%

Taxi Affiliated  (Combined)

73.9%

Hackney Drivers

91.1%

Private Hire Drivers & Businesses

58.7%

·         Respondents who act as carers and respondents with a disability of long term illness have higher levels of people responding that hackney carriage licenses should be limited that their Non-carer and no disability counterparts.

·         Respondents from BME groups are more likely than white groups to say that hackney carriage licences should be limited with 57.1% responding this way compared to 49.5% of respondents from white groups – a difference of 7.6%.

·         There is a difference of 32.4% in the proportion of people saying they think the number of hackney carriage licenses should be limited between respondents from the taxi industry and residents, those from the taxi industry were more likely to respond yes.

 

 

 

 

Additional Comments

 

A total of 156 additional comments (excludes no comment responses and comments which could not be understood) were submitted, these have been assigned to broad categories, some comments related to more than one category.

Seven said there should be no limit or did not see the need for there to be a limit on the number of taxis able to operate in the town and nine people made comments to the effect that the current system is fine as it is.

Twenty people said that the current limit should be increased, some of these suggested new limits these ranged from and additional two plates up to having a total of 75 however none of these commenter said that the limit should be scrapped altogether. Six respondents made negative comments about waiting times.

Twenty one people made comments to the effect that they are against removing the limit or that they do not want/see the need for the current limit on taxis to be increased and five made comments that there are too many taxis in Maidstone

Seventeen responders made comments about driver and vehicle standards and or attitude, these included comments around a dress code, mobile phone usage by drivers, unhelpful drivers and driving standards.

There were ten comments about there being enough work for drivers to make a living. 

Seven mention drivers that are not registered in Maidstone (i.e with MBC Licensing team) being able to operate in the Maidstone area.

Five commenters said that both hackney carriage and private hire vehicles should able to pick people up from anywhere. While four commenters said that hackney carriage were unnecessary or outdated. Nine people specifically mentioned the Uber in their comments, one of these was negative about the company, one suggested having a similar rating style as Uber for drivers and one mentioned a balance of private hire and hackneys or an Uber service.

Eleven people made comments about the cost of taxis with the general view being that hackney carriages are more expensive than private hires. 

Eleven made suggestions for rank locations. None of these suggestions were new but included, Lockmeadow, bottom of the high Street, train stations and other areas outside of the town centre such as Allington, Barming, Grove Green and Parkwood.

Ten people made safety related comments, with a couple stating they feel safest in a hackney carriage and a couple stating they feel safest in a private hire. Three people mentioned the importance of checks on drivers and regular enforcement. There was a suggestion that license plate cameras could reduce the number of illegal vehicles accessing the High Street.

Eight respondents had comments that related to the environment and pollution. One stated all hackneys should be electric or hybrid and four specifically mention idling vehicles.

 

 

Resident Taxi Usage

·         It seems that women respondents are slightly more likely than men to have used a taxi in the month prior to completing the survey. 

·         There is a difference of 24.1% between the age groups that has the greatest proportion (18 to 34 years) using a taxi service in the last month and that which the lowest proportion using a service in the last month (65 years and over).

Group

% Used in last month

Male

65.1%

Female

70.0%

18 to 34 years

78.8%

35 to 44 years

68.5%

45 to 54 years

75.9%

55 to 64 years

58.0%

65 years and over

54.7%

Disability or long term illness

72.3%

No Disability

66.6%

White groups

67.4%

BME groups

63.2%

Carers

70.8%

Non Carers

66.4%

·         Respondents with a disability are slightly more likely to have used a taxi service in the last month than respondent without a disability at 72.3% compared to 66.6%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Group

Rank

Phone

Male

36.4%

54.3%

Female

38.8%

48.2%

18 to 34 years

54.7%

30.2%

35 to 44 years

42.5%

39.7%

45 to 54 years

30.1%

57.8%

55 to 64 years

33.3%

62.3%

65 years and over

31.7%

61.9%

Disability or long term illness

43.8%

47.9%

No Disability

36.6%

51.9%

White groups

37.2%

51.6%

BME groups

42.1%

47.4%

Carers

45.8%

44.4%

Non Carers

35.5%

53.2%

Used taxi in last month

39.7%

49.1%

Last used taxi over a month ago

33.0%

57.4%

·         Just over half of all responders said they generally get a taxi by calling a taxi company directly.

·         Respondents aged 55 to 64 years were most likely to phone a taxi company at 62.3%, and  least likely to get a taxi from the rank at 30.1%

·         The 18 to 34 years group was the least likely to phone with 30.2% responding this way and the most likely to use a rank at 57.4%.

·         Respondents who said they last used a taxi service over a month ago had slightly higher rates of people phoning for a taxi than those who have engaged a taxi in the last month at 57.4% compared to 49.1%.

·         There are no other significant differences between groups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Demographics

Respondents

Base

474

100.0%

a resident

354

74.7%

a Hackney Carriage Driver

56

11.8%

a Private Hire Driver

54

11.4%

a taxi operating business

10

2.1%

Gender

Total

Resident

Taxi Affiliated

Total

461

345

116

Male

287

173

114

62.3%

50.1%

98.3%

Female

173

171

2

37.5%

49.6%

1.7%

Other

1

1

-

0.2%

0.3%

-

Age

Total

Resident

Taxi Affiliated

Total

459

342

117

18 to 34 years

69

53

16

15.0%

15.5%

13.7%

35 to 44 years

103

73

30

22.4%

21.3%

25.6%

45 to 54 years

120

83

37

26.1%

24.3%

31.6%

55 to 64 years

99

69

30

21.6%

20.2%

25.6%

65 years and over

68

64

4

14.8%

18.7%

3.4%

Health problem or Disability

 

Total

Resident

Taxi Affiliated

Total

448

336

112

 Yes

58

48

10

12.9%

14.3%

8.9%

No

390

288

102

87.1%

85.7%

91.1%

 

 

 

 

 

Carers

Total

Resident

Taxi Affiliated

Total

452

338

114

Yes, 1 to 19 hours a week

68

45

23

15.0%

13.3%

20.2%

Yes, 20 to 49 hours a week

23

14

9

5.1%

4.1%

7.9%

Yes, 50 hours or more a week

14

13

1

3.1%

3.8%

0.9%

No

347

266

81

76.8%

78.7%

71.1%

Ethnicity

 

Total

Resident

Taxi Affiliated

Total

454

340

114

White Groups

405

321

84

89.2%

94.4%

73.7%

BME Groups

49

19

30

10.8%

5.6%

26.3%

 

 

 

 

 

Are you affiliated with a taxi or other vehicle hire company?

Total

111

Yes

75

67.6%

No

36

32.4%