34 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
CREDIT CRUNCH CABBIES
SUNDERLAND’S TAXIS FLAT FARE SOUNDS FAIR
Cut-price taxi journeys are on the cards thanks to a new recession- busting offer.
Cab drivers in Sunder- land have banded together in a bid to help customers beat the credit crunch.
Hackney cabs bearing the ICHOS (Indepen- dent Hackney Carriage of Sunderland) logo have introduced a flat fare of £2 for trips into Sunderland city centre. The move came after a successful petition from cabbies to have daytime tariffs raised. Some drivers were wor- ried they would lose customers, so decided to give a little back. ICHOS representative met Sunderland City Council and thrashed out the plan for cut-prices cabs round the clock. Customers wanting to take up the deal must
hail cabs taking part from the roadside, not a rank, on a straight run back into the city cen- tre, and within the borders of the A19. ICHOS member Graeme Storey told the Sunderland Echo: “It’s our way of saying sorry for the tariff increase and to give a little bit back to the customer. “A fare from Town End Farm to the city centre could be £9 to £10, so you are saving £8. Some fares could work out lit- tle as 30p per person.” The cabbies’ group is hoping to link up with the University of Sun- derland Students’ Union and local dis- abled groups to bring more bargain deals. Mr Storey says taxi drivers from Washing- ton may get involved if the scheme works out. “If any independent
drivers want to take part they just need to get in touch with us, or if anyone has other ideas of other deals we could do,” he said. Councillors agreed a rise in taxi fares in November last year after bodies represent- ing Wearside cabbies lobbied for the increase.
Sunderland Hackney Carriage Operators’ Association made a successful bid for rises of between 4.9 and 6.4 per cent on all three tar- iffs used for taxi journeys in the city. IHCOS wanted fares to rise for customers travelling between 2am and 6am, when they would be charged the most expensive tariff three - usually reserved for the festive season and bank holidays.
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BARNSTABLE CABBIES FED UP WITH FARE HAGGLING
Taxi customers in Barnstaple are increasingly haggling for the lowest possible fares as ranks become flooded with drivers desperate for trade, a furious cabbie has claimed.
Mike Dewberry, of 001 Taxis, said credit crunch-wary customers were now dictating fare prices to him, rather than the other way around.
Mr Dewberry, who has been in the trade for more than 20 years,
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told the North Devon Journal: “I really love this job and do my absolute best to keep my customers satis- fied, but it is becoming harder to make a liv- ing.
“There are too many cars out there on the ‘cream’ nights. Most of the drivers out on those nights have other full- time jobs but just turn up with their cars on the busy nights and vie for everyone else’s business.
He said intense compe-
tition meant drivers were now offering “stu- pidly cheap fares” and pricing each other out of the market.
“The answer is simple - we need marshalled taxi ranks. Customers should queue and take the next cab that comes along, regard- less of the firm.” “I also think it should be compulsory to turn your meter on - it’s the only way of creating fair price structures and, after all, isn’t that what it’s there for?”
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