PEOPLE are being asked for their views on whether the number of Hackney carriages normally operating in Leicester meets passengers’ demands.
Leicester City Council licenses over 300 hackney cabs to work in the city, and is carrying out a consultation with customers to gauge their past experience of getting a taxi.
Passengers will be asked a number of questions about their use of taxis, including how easily they were able to flag one down and whether they were able to get one where and when required.
The passenger survey is being carried out online at Leicester City Council’s consultation page, and runs until June 11.
Work began just before the coronavirus lockdown to survey taxi numbers, the number of ranks and the numbers of passengers queueing.
Originally the passenger survey was due to be carried out in person, but the lockdown means it is now being done online, so the results can be matched to the traffic data.
Passengers will be asked about their experience of using taxis before the lockdown, although they will also be asked if the coronavirus crisis will affect their decision on whether or not to use taxis in future.
Leicester deputy city mayor responsible for regulatory services, Cllr Piara Singh Clair, said: “It is important to know whether the number of Hackney cabs licensed to operate in Leicester reflects the needs of customers, who want to be sure they can get a taxi whenever they need to.
“The market has changed over recent years, so this survey will help give us an up to date understanding of people’s experiences of using taxis locally.
“Unfortunately the work that we’d started was then interrupted by the lockdown, so we are carrying out this passenger consultation online, to ensure it is as close in time as possible to the original traffic surveys we’ve already done.”