{"id":11616,"date":"2015-01-19T17:15:40","date_gmt":"2015-01-19T16:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.propertysurveying.co.uk\/newsletter\/?page_id=11616"},"modified":"2015-09-14T08:51:41","modified_gmt":"2015-09-14T08:51:41","slug":"european-decision-reached-on-black-cabs-and-bus-lanes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.propertysurveying.co.uk\/newsletter\/?page_id=11616","title":{"rendered":"European decision reached on black cabs and bus lanes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ref. <\/em><\/strong>Eventech (Judgment)<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>[2015] EUECJ C-518\/13<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) has recently ruled on an interesting issue surrounding London\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s iconic black cabs. Specifically, whether their use of bus lanes, which minicabs are not allowed to use, amounted to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcselective economic advantage\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/h3>\n

The challenge had been brought by Eventech – a subsidiary of minicabs operator Addison Lee – and sought to argue against Transport for London\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s policy.<\/p>\n

The ECJ commented that black cabs and minicabs were:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153In factual and legal situations which are sufficiently distinct to permit the view that they are not comparable and that the bus lanes policy therefore does not confer a selective economic advantage on black cabs\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/em><\/p>\n

In distinguishing the two types of taxi, the court noted that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153only black cabs can ply for hire; they are subject to the rule of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccompellability\u00e2\u20ac\u2122; they must be recognisable and capable of conveying persons in wheelchairs, and their drivers must set the fares for their services by means of a taxi meter and have a particularly thorough knowledge of the city of London\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/em><\/p>\n

The court concluded that:<\/p>\n