East Renfrewshire taxi driver hails move to introduce EV charging fee

Stuart Swan said the news to roll out a fee to charge electric motors across the area is "really good and welcoming."

It comes after East Renfrewshire Council recently announced fees are to be brought to the local authority later this year for public chargers.

The move will see users pay a rate for the electricity they consume, which is to be set at 40p per kWh for standard charging units (7kW and 22kW), and 70p per kWh for rapid units.

There will also be a £1 minimum fee and no overstay charge for standard charging units, and there will be a £1 per minute, after 60 minutes, overstay fee for rapid units, with a 10-minute grace period.

Stuart at an EV charger in Barrhead (Image: Newsquest)

Before the move, Stuart told the Barrhead News the free charging was becoming a "problem" as he was often finding himself unable to charge his car when he was working.

The 40-year-old called for "overstay charges" and a "fee" for charging to be introduced following the issues he was facing.

He said: "The biggest problem is the chargers that are free. I know that for a fact because Glasgow City Council was also free until about four months ago and many taxi drivers were having the same problem."

The keen worker says before starting a shift he will always try and leave his house with a full battery.

However, depending on the type of journeys he does, in terms of distance, it can impact how long his car charge lasts.

Stuart, who has been a cabbie for over four years, claims when he makes longer trips out of the area, once he arrives back and needs a charging boost that's when he drives into issues.

He said: "As soon as I get back to my ranks that's when I start having issues trying to find a charger.

"What happens is there's a lot of people that will plug in their car and leave it.

"So basically, depending on how low my charge is and if I can't drive anywhere else, I'm sitting waiting.

"This mostly happens on the chargers that are free in East Renfrewshire."

The taxi man revealed he bought his new EV earlier this year for several reasons including his previous motor wasn't LEZ compliant in Glasgow and he thought he'd save some cash.

Currently, the cab driver finds himself heading out of the local area to grab a quick charge while on shift but the introduction of the fees will "save" him for doing this, he said.

Stuart also revealed due to the issue, it has started to affect his shift patterns (changing from day to night), profits, and health.

He said: "It's starting to mentally get me a bit down because I'm thinking - 'What's going to happen today?'

"You just constantly think in the back of your mind of making a plan B if there's no chargers in East Renfrewshire available."

He added: "With the money that I'm also saving on it being cheaper than diesel - I immediately lose it due to working shorter hours on some days."

Now, with the council set to introduce fees, the cabbie is feeling less frustrated and more happy.

The South Ayrshire man said: "It's just really good and welcoming news to hear because it's going to free up the charges completely.

"I know the moment they introduce the fees a lot of people will just start charging at home so when I'm out at work and need a charge, I'll probably have a lot more options.

"I'm very happy about it."

He added: "With them introducing an overstay fee on the rapid chargers it just means that I'll be able to get on them a lot quicker.

"It's all I really wanted. It's going to be life-changing for work and take a lot of stress away. It's going to save me driving to different council areas to charge my car now."

Approval was granted by cabinet members in the council on December, 1, 2022 for the introduction of tariffs and overstay charges.

Members met last Thursday (August 24) to agree on minimum fees, tariffs, overstay charges and grace period for overstay charges.