Report says more taxis needed on ranks in Poulton on late weekend nights

That was one one of the findings in the Tri-annual Hackney Carriage Unmet Demand Survey, commissioned by Wyre Council.

Poulton has a booming night time economy, with a string of pubs, bars and restaurants and late night venues, attracting visitors from across the Fylde coast who need taxis to get home later on.

But there have been reports of some unruly behaviour when people wait at the ranks for cabs, partly due to an apparent shortage of vehicles at those peak times on Fridays and Saturdays.

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Wyre commissioned this latest survey to determine if there was an unmet demand for Hackney-style taxies (those which can be flagged down or work on ranks) and whether this would require an increase of the license plates issued by the council.

This has been limited to 160 since 1974.

However, the report said the issue in Poulton, where the main rank is on Ball Street, is not down to a shortfall in licences but because some drivers prefer to avoid working ‘awkward, late hours;..

The report by LVSA (Licensed Vehicle Surveys and Assessment) found that increasing the number of licensed plates would not solve that particular issue and Wyre agreed not to change the existing number of plates.

Looking at at taxi use in Fleetwood, Cleveleys, Thornton and Garstang, the survey found that customers were still happy to wait at taxi ranks across Wyre.

However, it said: “There is, a clear issue that the demand at Poulton particularly is suffering from a reduced level of drivers willing to service those hours – this has got worse since COVID and the last survey.

"This issue does need to be addressed to ensure the continued safe growth of the night life of Poulton.”

Methods to encourage more drivers to work these hours was seen as a better solution than issuing more licenses, with some drivers asking for more assistance from marshals at busy and rowdy times.

A separate survey also identified a reduced level of wheelchair accessible hackney carriage vehicles, with this also seen at ranks, finding that action was needed across the industry to address this issue, including a change in attitude and operation.