Taxi Driver Online

Seems to be a recurring theme with the Angus trade and how it's reported - some of the trade in favour of a rise; others saying it'll be bad for business.

But I suppose that's the basic formula in most areas, and also with most fare-rise consultations and processes.

And Angus is mainly smallish towns, and the trade will be very fragmented, thus agreement about stuff like this unlikely.

In fact I might not have bothered with this at all apart from the misleading headline - I assumed they were seriously considering a £5 running mile, but the £5 is actually the proposed fare for the first mile only


Warning £5-a-mile daytime fare could ‘kill’ Angus taxi trade

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/52 ... se-review/

A decision will be made this week on whether Angus taxi fares should be increased, with one operator favouring a rise of almost 15% for the first mile.

Angus taxi operators are at odds over another rise in local fares.

There has not been a hike since spring 2024.

But on Thursday, a range of proposals will be put before councillors after a review of current rates.

These range from plans for rises of almost 15% to a dire warning that any increase will destroy businesses.

Who decides Angus taxi fares?

Angus Council’s civic licensing committee is responsible for setting tariffs.

The last increases came into effect in March last year.

Operators were consulted on possible increases after councillors agreed in February to launch the latest review.

There were seven responses to the consultation.

Three suggested changes of varying percentages and the remainder favoured the status quo.

What fare increases are being considered for Angus taxis?

The main Angus tariffs are currently set at:

Monday to Friday 6am to 6pm: £4.40 for first mile, £6.70 (two miles), £9.10 (three miles). rising to £37.20 (15 miles)

Nights and weekends: £5.50 (first mile), £8.10 (two miles), £10.70 (three miles). rising to £42.30 (15 miles).

Higher tariffs apply during the festive period.

Under the increases proposed in the consultation feedback, daytime fares could rise to £5 for the first mile, and £6.10 in the evenings.

Business slowing for Angus taxi operators

However, some say any increase could put cars off the road.

One Arbroath operator said: “The public simply can’t afford another rise in fares, and neither can the operators.

“Business has dropped dramatically since the last increase.

“An increase will end up killing the taxi trade.”

Another said: “It is bad enough trying to make a living just now.

“I think there will be a lot of taxi company owners against a rise.”

The civic licensing committee meets on Thursday, when operators will have the opportunity to address councillors.

Normally I'm a fan of drivers having their say, one way or the other.

But when it comes to fare rises, especially significant fare rises, IMO it's best the trade keep their traps shut and stop scaring punters away.

_________________
IDFIMH

Almost didn't bother reading this, but when I saw a certain something mentioned in the headline, just knew it would be bollocks.

And looks like it is

And the piece is also full of other bollocks

But at least the misleading stuff alluding to a £5 running mile charge has disappeared


11% Angus taxi fare rise on the horizon as operators struggle to pay minimum wage

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/52 ... ares-rise/

Taxi drivers and councillors remain at odds over whether Angus taxi tariffs should be increased.

Angus is going down the road of a double-digit taxi fares rise.

Under plans approved on Thursday, consultation will now begin on a move to raise the daytime tariff 50p to £4.90 for the first mile – an increase of 11%.

Other daytime rates for longer distances would rise 8 to 10%.

Evening tariffs would go up 7 to 9%, including from £5.50 to £6 for the first mile.

It comes as the operator of one of the area’s biggest taxi firms pressed the case for an increase.

‘Massive’ decline in Angus taxi trade

Neil Gibson of Lorimer Cabs in Montrose said no increase would drive cabbies’ pay below the living wage.

But the issue continues to split the trade after other operators said a hike would ‘kill’ the trade locally.

Mr Gibson told Angus Civic Licensing Committee the situation for individual drivers and operators like him was vastly different.

“The bottom line is that without revenue and without profit, there’s no taxi companies,” he said.

“The decline in the service in Angus has been absolutely massive.

“I had to turn off my phone for 13 minutes last night and I missed 28 calls.

“There is no way I could have kept up with that demand – but the public expect me to.

“I couldn’t because of a lack of drivers and a lack of vehicles.”

The cost of repairs has rocketed. He also said he needs to do £1,000 in extra business a week to meet the increase in the national minimum wage.

“The only way the taxis can survive is if that cost is paid by the customers.”

He added: “I understand operators that think they are going to lose business.

“In the last 10 years I’ve never had a customer complain about the price of taxis.

“The only complaint I’ve had is that they can’t get them.

“Drivers can only do so many runs in an hour.

“If they’re not allowed to charge something that allows them to make the living wage or national minimum wage, then the council is actually supporting people working below that to provide a service to the public.”

Forfar operator Wendy Foreman told the committee: “Nobody wants to do the job.

“No-one wants to work till two or three in the morning on a Saturday night because there’s no taxis.”

Committee votes on taxi fare increase

Councillor Kenny Braes said: “I’ve done the sums and there’s no way I’d be investing in a taxi business because I can’t make them stack up.”

He said the proposed fares were the maximum tariffs which Angus taxis could charge. It would remain open to any driver to peg fares at a lower rate.

However, council leader George Meechan backed no increase after four responses to the committee favoured the status quo.

The committee voted 6-2 in favour of an increase. The proposals will now be advertised for further comment.

Ah, gotcha. I assumed the minimum wage thing in the headline was just waffle, but in actual fact it appears he is paying the minimum wage


Ah, I see - he's not actually paying them the minimum wage at all; he's just alluding to what they're earning as self-employed drivers. Who'd have expected that?





Ah, at two calls per minute he must have had zillions and billions of calls over ten years. And thousands of face-to-face conversations with punters. Yet not one has ever questioned the fare

Make it make sense


Show your workings

Because I'd guess there aren't really any plausible workings


Ah, I see - one minute he's saying fares aren't high enough to make a any money, next he's effectively encouraging fare discounting

No doubt he's 'done the sums' on that

But irrespective of whether a fare rise is actually needed in an objective sense, most of the above is just the same old, same old, which has been around for decades. Namely operators who can never get enough drivers. And there are never enough in the early hours of Sunday in particular. And lots of waffle about wages and earnings which doesn't really mean much in terms of substantive economics.

Of course, that's not to say things haven't gotten worse in all of the above regards. Maybe there are fewer drivers after lockdown, particularly working late at night. Can certainly identify with that

And there's a certain something that's happened in the last couple of years that may also be a factor (hint - rearrange the letters C and R and M and H )

And I think Angus pubs and clubs have also been allowed to open for an extra hour or two over the last few years, again something I can identify with - another hour or two sitting on the ranks waiting for the worst of the drunks to be shoved out of the pubs?

Another hour or two into the early hours for the same money, just even later into the night?

And, as a consequence, the ranks are even more shambolic than they were previously? (Hint to councillors etc - if drivers are waiting round an extra hour or two because of later licensing hours, that just clogs up the ranks with taxis to an even greater extent than previously ).

But, aye

Normally Angus fare rise stuff is in the local press (Courier), so this business-oriented source is a bit different - it's one of those Reach plc titles, which covers a lot of local press titles, and also many of those local 'Live' sites, and similar.

But it's the usual Local Democracy Reporting Service thing, so potentially shared by the BBC et al. I think the Courier usually uses its own local reporters (for what it's worth).

Not much here, but it follows the typical formula for stuff like this, and I found the committee convenor's comments about discounting quite interesting, but no point in examining that in detail.

(But which might question the rationale for regulating fares at all... )

On the other hand, meaningless waffle from the taxi business, which doesn't mean much at all in terms of concrete figures.

Likewise the comments from the councillor opposing the rise, which again doesn't mean that much in terms of specifics and economics etc

But, basically, some taxi providers want an increase, but some customers don't. Who'd have expected that?


Taxi firms hail 14% Angus Council fare rate increase

https://www.insider.co.uk/news/taxi-fir ... s-35787750

The director of one local business warned that the change was key to their ongoing survival

Taxi fares in Angus are set to rise by 14%, as the council approves new rates.

Under the new rates, the daytime tariff will increase 60p to £5 for the first mile – an increase of 14%.

Other daytime rates for longer distances will rise by 6% to 12%.

Evening tariffs will go up between 6% and 11%, including from £5.50 to £6.10 for the first mile.

Councillors agreed to introduce the new rates at a civic licensing committee.

Neil Gibson, director of Lorimer Cabs in Montrose - one of the area’s largest taxi firms - urged councillors to back an increase, saying it was vital to the survival of their business.

“The bottom line is if we can afford to be in business, if we can’t actually charge pro rata against what our product costs us to produce when we sell it, then we are out of business,” he told the committee.

The new fares will come into effect on Halloween.

Committee convener Ross Greig said: “Even though there has been an increase in the taxi fares, this is the maximum that can be charged.

“Taxi operators do have the choice of charging lower fares if that suits their business model better in specific areas.”

However, the proposals split the opinion of councillors.

During the committee meeting, independent councillor Lois Speed - backed by council leader George Meechan - put forward an amendment asking fellow committee members to stick with the status quo.

“What concerns me is there is different feedback in different localities,“ she stated. “It’s very clear that a lot of the consumer base are the more vulnerable within our society.

“They are the ones who are the most reliant because, for whatever reason, they haven’t got other means of transport or because they need that door-to-door service due to their vulnerabilities whether it be age, disability, ill heath or pregnancy.”

Despite this, councillors approved the increase, with seven votes in favour and three against.