(The Chair advised
all that he had brought forward this agenda item in order to allow
the registered public speaker to address the meeting immediately
prior to the consideration of the report at Agenda Item 7 as their
question/statement related to the content of the Hackney Carriage
Fares report.)
The Food, Safety & Licensing Manager
presented this report which sought the Committee’s
endorsement for Officers to undertake exploratory work into the
provision for licensing rickshaws within West Suffolk.
The Chair welcomed Libby Ranzetta, Director at EcoCarriers Bury St Edmunds, and Amanda Martin,
EcoCarrier rider, to the meeting.
EcoCarriers had
approached the Licensing Authority in order to discuss expanding
their operation to include a fare driven element.
Members were advised that EcoCarriers was a not-for-profit community benefit
society, a type of cooperative. Their aim was to promote and
facilitate increased cycling in Bury St Edmunds and the surrounding
villages in order to help tackle climate change.
From March 2022 EcoCarriers had undertaken a commercial delivery
service; transporting food, medicine and parcels for customers who
wanted their goods transported efficiently and without damaging the
environment.
In September 2022 EcoCarriers launched the ‘Bury Bike
Train’ which provided a way for children to ride their own
bikes to and from school in a group, supported by adult
cyclists.
The Committee was informed that EcoCarriers was now considering expanding their
offer further to operate two rickshaws as a commercial enterprise
in order to provide an environmentally friendly taxi service to
Bury St Edmunds and surrounding villages. Bury St Edmunds Business
Improvement District (BID) had voiced support for the venture.
EcoCarriers had
approached the Council at this early stage as they wished to ensure
that the service was regulated and operated at the highest of
standards.
As EcoCarriers was
a not-for-profit venture the income generated would aim to cover
costs of the service. It was not intended to be significant
competition to rival the taxis operating in the area as it would be
a small-scale operation covering a small part of the district.
In response to questions posed, EcoCarriers confirmed they hadn’t undertaken
any formal market research to date but had received a number of
inquiries from existing delivery customers as to whether a taxi
service could be provided.
Whilst Members of the Committee wholeheartedly
commended EcoCarriers’
environmental stance some concerns were raised in respect of the
safety of rickshaws on the public highway, particularly in relation
to the roads outside of Bury St Edmunds town centre and leading to
the outlying villages.
The Committee also commented on the need to
ensure rickshaw drivers had undertaken some form of training/test
prior to operating as a licensed driver. EcoCarriers suggested that there could be scope to
work with West Suffolk College to develop an appropriate
course.
The Business Partner Litigation &
Licensing advised the meeting that in legislation there was no
discrepancy for non-motorised Hackney Carriages. Therefore, if the
rickshaws were licenced in this way the drivers would still be
required to hold a minimum of a ...
view the full minutes text for item 5.