Plans to rebrand Newcastle’s taxis in black and white have been put on hold for now.
Council bosses have pressed pause on their proposals to require the city’s hackney carriage drivers to deck out their vehicles in the famous colours of Newcastle United. The idea was unveiled last month and was designed to give officially-licensed taxis a “distinctive” look that could help to cut crime, amid concerns that criminals have been posing as cab drivers to target vulnerable victims in the city centre.
But the scheme sparked anger among drivers, who staged a protest outside Newcastle Civic Centre in June and claimed that the cost of fitting white vinyl wraps around their bonnets would become a “huge burden”. The controversial new taxi policy was due to get the final seal of approval at a Newcastle City Council meeting on Wednesday night, but was pulled from the agenda just a few hours before.
