Cab discrimination

4:39pm Thursday 20th September 2007

It should be of no surprise that the county council rejected allowing private hire vehicles to use bus lanes (Oxford Mail, September 7).

Private hire vehicles are supposed to be part of the public transport system, as are hackney carriages.

However, hackney carriages have reaped the benefits of being allowed to use bus lanes ever since the lanes were introduced.

Ian Hudspeth, the county council's cabinet member for transport implementation, says there is a problem distinguishing between private hire vehicles and ordinary vehicles, hence making enforcement difficult.

How can that be?

Every private hire vehicle has to display a yellow sticker on the sides of the vehicle, with the private hire number which must correspond with the private hire number on the plate, on the rear of the vehicle.

It will be interesting to see what comes of the "review" in six months' time.

C WILLLIAMS 001 Cars St Aldate's Courtyard Oxford