FARES AND FEES
SOMERSET W & TAUNTON: FARES SET TO RISE IN DECEMBER
Taxi fares in the Taunton and Minehead areas are set to rise ahead of the Christmas rush. According to the Somerset and County Gazette, a spokesperson for Somerset West and Taunton Council said: “There are currently two different tariffs in Somerset West and Taunton, for the two former districts of Taunton Deane and West Somerset. These tariffs have not changed since 2010 and 2011 respectively. “Our proposal to increase fares follows a request from a taxi business. We are proposing to replace the two existing tariffs with one, for the whole of the Somerset West and Taunton. “The proposed fares will come into force if there are no objections once the consultation is finished on 6 December. Max Bishop, a director at Taunton Taxi Services said: “There is a definite need for an increase fom 11 years ago - not to mention the increase on insurance, vehicle licensing, medical checks, DBS checks - the list goes on.” He added that there is a “huge shortage” of drivers and the increase will “hopefully entice drivers to come back and also bring in new drivers to better serve our community”. Jared Colclough, of Grab-A-Cab, said the last increase in the Taunton area was in November 2010 and the latest rise equates to a 1.1 per cent increase.
BRADFORD: FIRST FARE RISE IN 12 YEARS APPROVED
Councillors have agreed to the Hackney Carriage Owners and Drivers Association request for a fare rise - the first increase in 12 years - which will take effect from 1 December. Rising costs of living, fuel prices and the introduction of the new CAZ next year were reasons given for the request. A report to members said: “The cost of living running and maintaining a hackney carriage vehicle has increased signif- icantly since the last increase. HCVs work predominately from the ranks in the city centre or towns within the Bradford district. Many of these ranks are within the CAZ boundary and subsequently hackney carriage proprietors are having to upgrade their vehicles to meet the require- ments of the CAZ or be charged daily for entering the zone.” Currently a Tariff 1 journey (Monday to Saturday, 7am to 11pm) costs £2 for the first 97 metres and then 10p for each subsequent 97 metres. Under the approved changes, pas- sengers will be charged 10p for every subsequent 88 metres. A Tariff 2 journey (11pm to 7am Monday to Saturday and all day on Sunday/Bank Holidays) is currently 10p for every 87 metres. This will be changed to 10p for every 80 metres. The fine for “fouling” a vehicle will remain at £50.
26 HARROGATE: DISTRICT TAXI LICENCE FEES FROZEN AGAIN
Taxi licence fees in the Harrogate district have been frozen for the second year running due to the pandemic. The Stray Ferret reports that members of Harrogate BC’s licensing committee unanimously agreed not to increase fees for the 2022/23 financial year after a big drop in the number of taxis and PHVs on the roads was revealed. Gareth Bentley, licensing manager at the council, said there are around 50 fewer PHVs operating in the area, although he added there are “early signs” that the trade is recovering. He said the reduction in drivers meant less income for the council but added he was hopeful that the recent removal on the limit of WAV taxi licences would boost vehicle numbers. Richard Fieldman, of A1 Cars Ripon, said he would not “heap any praise” on the council for freezing the fees again as many drivers had not forgotten the authority introduced a 10% rise before the pandemic.
REDCAR AND CLEVELAND: PHV FIRM ASKS COUNCIL TO RETHINK FEE RISE
A PHV firm says the trade is being “hammered” with “massive” fee increases after Redcar and Cleveland Council put forward plans to hike licence fees. According to the Northern Echo, Boro Cars urged the council to look again at the proposed price increases. The changes mean that, for example, the cost of renewing a HC licence will increase from £240 to £270, while renewing a PHV licence will go up from £235 to £265. A new PH operator seeking or renewing a five-year licence, will see the fee go up 48% from £500 to £740. Members of the council’s regulatory committee approved the new fees at the end of October, which were subsequently advertised and will stand unless objections are received when the matter will refer back to the regulatory committee. A spokeswoman for Boro Cars said the planned increases were disappointing as the taxi industry was facing a national shortage of drivers. She said: “It would be interesting to know if the council has reviewed and streamlined its own processes before hammering the trade with these proposed massive fee increases. We urge them [the council] to review their proposal before proceeding any further.” A council report said: “Following a review of the council’s taxi accounts in 2017, the accounts that cover HCVs, PHVs and PH operators were found to be in surplus which meant that the fees were reduced to balance the accounts. “The surpluses for those accounts have now been reduced which means that the relevant fees need to be increased to allow the council to recover its costs.”
DECEMBER 2021
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