Taxi drivers are urging council chiefs to let them use older vehicles.
Hackney carriage and private hire drivers say they should be able to operate in cars that are up to 15 years old – five years longer than allowed currently.
A petition signed by dozens of Kirklees’ taxi drivers has been handed to Kirklees Council’s licensing and safety committee.
Cabbies also want the age a vehicle is eligible to be licensed for the first time to be increased.
Currently drivers can have a vehicle licensed for the first time if it is no more than six years old.
It must then be replaced once it reaches ten years old.
Kirklees’ taxi drivers say the system should be scrapped and one age limit applied to both first applications and renewals.
If approved, the move would allow cars with registrations as old as the 2001 Y plate to be put in to use ferrying Huddersfield’s passengers around.
London ‘Black Cab’ style cars are exempt from the rules but they must be tested twice a year once they are 15 years old.
Wheelchair accessible vehicles also have different rules, allowing them 12 years.
A report for councillors says it is “perfectly possible” for older cars to be in a good condition.
But it says it is likely older cars would probably require the cash strapped council to do more costly inspections and mechanical testing of taxis.
Taxis have a mandatory annual compliance test but it is thought ones over ten years old would likely be needed to be tested twice per year.
The council’s licensing panel will consider the issue at its meeting on November 4.
Councillors are likely to defer the decision until the spring of 2016 to await the result of taxi policy work from West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which oversees matters for all councils in the region.
