A major South Wales taxi company will be allowed to display its branding in Cardiff despite the concerns of competitors in the city. Newport-based Veezu was granted permission by Cardiff Council on Wednesday, October 25 to be exempt from a condition which restricts the size of the livery which private hire vehicles can display.
Exterior advertising is permitted on the outside rear door panels of private hire vehicles in Cardiff provided it does not exceed the dimensions of the panel and is restricted to one advertisement only. Veezu, which owns Cardiff-based Dragon Taxis, made a proposal for the livery on its Cardiff vehicles to cover a larger proportion of the vehicle than the rear door.
Unite's Cardiff representatives committee wrote to the council saying that allowing exceptions to uniformity among taxis in the city may lead to a "fragmented and potentially confusing experience for passengers". The committee also raised concerns about the potential of an unfair economic advantage being given to Veezu and for a precedent to be set. For more Cardiff news, sign up to our newsletter here.
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A letter from the committee states: "This could lead to an array of different vehicle appearances, potentially complicating enforcement and oversight for the council." In response to queries about the potential for competitors to be economically disadvantaged members of Cardiff Council's public protection committee were told on Wednesday that other operators are free to make the same application to the council that Veezu did.
Explaining the benefit of having vehicles wrapped in the Veezu livery company representative Katie Oram told the meeting: "Cardiff is very [popular] for customers to come to on a night out... wrapped vehicles will provide assurances to them that they are going into a licensed vehicle. It just gives them that feeling of being safe."
An independent research group carried out market evaluation of the proposed wrapping on the vehicle, bringing in participants from Veezu's passenger base and other taxi passengers from the same area. In a letter to the council Veezu said: "We believe that [the] higher the instant recognition of a pre-booked vehicle is, safeguarding and general standards of personal safety, particularly for women, vulnerable groups, and people with visual impairments are significantly enhanced."
