Taxi Driver Online

Well 26.7 per cent is certainly a hike, but it's the first rise since before lockdown etc


Borders councillors to consider 26.7 per cent taxi fare hike

https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/24 ... fare-hike/

SENIOR councillors will next week be asked to consider a hike in taxi fares in the Borders of almost 27 per cent.

Scottish Borders Council (SBC) reviews taxi fares every 18 months and must consult with operators and members of the public on any proposals to change the taxi fare tariff.

The local authority uses a formula which was agreed between the trade, the traffic commissioner and the council to determine variations in taxi rates.

The last review was concluded in August 2019.

A further review was due to be held in 2021, however, operational pressures and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic delayed it.

The council launched a consultation this summer over a proposed 14.9 increase but a higher hike is now on the agenda as a result of the financial pressures faced by drivers.

When members of SBC’s decision-making Executive Committee meet on Tuesday, December 3, they will be asked to consider implementing an increase of up to 26.7 per cent.

A report with the recommendation, from John Curry, SBC’s director of infrastructure & environment, states: “A formal consultation was available to both operators and members of the public and was undertaken using the council’s Citizen Space tool.

“The consultation was open from June 24 to July 21, 2024. The option to provide a written response for those unable to access the online consultation was also available.

“Ongoing discussions with taxi operators have highlighted the financial pressures facing the sector at the moment due to increasing costs and delays associated with the review.

“Operators are reporting costs increases of around 144 per cent to their businesses associated with increased operational costs including insurance, fuel, wages and other associated operating costs.

“This report requires members to note the consultation responses in relation to the 14.9 per cent increase and consider whether to apply an increase of 26.7 per cent which is more reflective of the current operating environment.”

Members will be asked to consider a date for any increase to be implemented and to agree a rise in the cost of a vehicle valet from £70 to £100.

Does 'up to' mean that the overall increase could be lower, or does it mean that's the highest increase when comparing a range of fares fares - ie, most fares will go up less than 26.7 per cent?


And if you're reporting a 144 per cent cost increase without questioning it, then maybe better to find another job

I mean, there may be the odd cost or bill that's gone up that much, but as an across the board figure it's simply not representative - it's £100 going up to £244 (say) over five years or so?

This is the problem when you leave it so long between fare rises. We had our last one two years ago, a lot of us think it’s time for an increase now of around 5% but some of the other lads think we shouldn’t have one, they stupidly think we should try and compete with poober!!. We’re already cheaper than the local PH firms some of the time. ( they have introduced a poober style higher rate at busy times, although it’s a fixed timeframe, 6am -9am etc)
We’ll put a survey out and let the members decide.

Utter stupidity from the council, and to an extent from the local trade, for leaving this so long.

Some drivers and trade reps find it easier to leave it until next year, but stuff goes up yearly. So should fares.

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IDFIMH

Not just a 'hike' here, but a HUGE hike

Other than that, pretty bog standard in terms of fare review press reports. Slightly odd comments by the councillor at the end, though - what's maybe called a 'truism', I suppose (or realism), but unusual to see it articulated like this


Near-27 per cent hike in taxi fares agreed in Borders

https://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/24 ... d-borders/

A HUGE hike in taxi fares of almost 27 per cent has been agreed in the Borders.

Scottish Borders Council (SBC) reviews rates every 18 months and must consult with operators and members of the public on any proposals to change the taxi fare tariff.

A formula to determine variations in taxi fares was agreed between the trade, the traffic commissioner and the local authority.

The last review concluded in August 2019.

A further review was due to be held in 2021, however, operational pressures and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic delayed it.

Discussions with taxi operators highlighted the financial pressures facing the sector due to increasing costs and delays associated with the review.

Operators are reporting cost rises of around 144 per cent to their businesses associated with increased operational costs, including insurance, fuel and wages.

When members of SBC’s decision-making Executive Committee met on Tuesday (December 3) they agreed an increase of 26.7 per cent.

Members also endorsed a rise in the cost of a vehicle valet from £70 to £100.

It is probable the increases will come into force in early February 2025.

Kelso & District councillor Tom Weatherston “reluctantly” supported the huge hike, saying: “I think as a committee we are in a very difficult position today and to coin a phrase, we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“I am very aware that taxi operators have been placed in a very difficult position. I spoke to one last night and he’s really struggling and he said without this rise he’ll probably fold.

“On the other had I can see the impact this will have on the public using the service, but if you haven’t got a taxi you haven’t got a service anyway, so I’m reluctantly going to support this.”

Selkirkshire councillor Elaine Thornton-Nicol added: “I know people think taxis are very expensive but it is a privilege not a right. You don’t have a right to a taxi. It’s not a human right.

“We are now at a stage that we have artificially held quite frequently the levels of increase down. We all know how much fuel has gone up.”

Given that you can't really have a small hike, one would assume you can't really have a huge one either.

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IDFIMH

An interesting way to say 'if you don't like the price then walk'.

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IDFIMH

Sussex, I'd guess the word 'huge' in 'huge hike' is what's called an intensifier in English language

In other words, some hikes are bigger than other hikes

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/gramma ... ery-at-all

Nothing new here by the looks of it, as opposed to just the next step in the hugely convoluted process.

But best to put this up just to annoy Sussex - it's that 'huge' fare 'hike' again

Seriously, though, this doesn't quite encompass how, er, byzantine the whole thing is

For example, I'd guess they've been waiting to see if there's been any appeal from the trade to the Scottish Traffic Commissioner, which is an oddity in the Scottish trade which isn't available in England


Huge hike in Borders taxi fares set to come into force

https://www.peeblesshirenews.com/news/2 ... ome-force/

A HUGE hike in taxi fares in the Borders of almost 27 per cent is on course to come into force next month.

An increase of 26.7 per cent was endorsed by Scottish Borders Council’s (SBC) decision-making Executive Committee in December last year.

At a meeting of the committee this week, John Curry, SBC’s director of infrastructure & environment, said no objections to the proposed rise had so far been received.

If no representations on the matter are received by March 20 the increase will come into force on April 14.

Mr Curry said: “The increase will coincide with the school holiday period to allow operators the opportunity to have meters set and avoid further delay to the increase and obviously impact their income.”

Scottish Borders Council reviews taxi fares every 18 months and must consult with operators and members of the public on any proposals to change the taxi fare tariff.

The council uses a formula which was agreed between the trade, the traffic commissioner and the council to determine variations in taxi rates.

The last review was concluded in August 2019.

A further review was due to be held in 2021 however operational pressures and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic delayed it.

Discussions with taxi operators have highlighted the financial pressures facing the sector at the moment due to increasing costs and delays associated with the review.

Operators are reporting costs increases of around 144 per cent to their businesses associated with increased operational costs, including insurance, fuel and wages.

And, anyway, for those who say such stuff doesn't really matter, it's interesting to compare this with the Delta/Veezu stuff stating that the industry would be turned upside down by the imposition of a 20% fare increase via the imposition of VAT

Of course, it's certainly not the same thing in terms of the financials. But if you look at it merely from the point of view of customer demand, then Delta/Veezu forecasting a collapse in demand with an additional 20% on fares, what about a huge 27% hike

As I alluded to earlier not having regular increases leads to huge bloody hike like this.

I've just done a back of a fag pack calculation for fares down here, and the trade could justify within the rules a 13% increase this year. Am I going to suggest this to the local trade, or ask the council to put in place a fare review based on a 13% increase?

Not on your nelly, someone else can but it won't be me.

The problem is if the trade doesn't have a rise this year the justified increase next year could be 20%.

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IDFIMH