Taxi Driver Online

Corby taxi fare rise plan is rejected


FARE DEAL – councillors have thrown out plans for a price rise

"This decision will help us maintain our current customer base that we feared losing with 10 per cent rises year on year"

Hackney carriage taxi fares in Corby will stay the same, despite proposals by council officers to put them up by 8.5 per cent.
Members of the One Corby Policy Committee had been given an option to increase the basic flag rate from £1.70 to £1.80.

However, after protests from Sky Cabs Ltd and the Hackney Carriages Association, councillors chose not to impose any rises at their meeting on Tuesday night.

Joe Hayes, from Sky Cabs, said: "It was inappropriate to raise prices in this current climate.

"This decision will help us maintain our current customer base that we feared losing with 10 per cent rises year on year.

"But we look to the future and hope to communicate with the council on a better level."

Mr Hayes went on to say that business wasn't going well for the company in the current climate.

He said: "If the town had much of a nightlife we would be a lot happier. The Village Inn and Wetherspoons are the only places that are busy at this time."

Sky Cabs accounts for 95 of the black cabs in Corby and was set up as an association but argued in a letter to the council that it has never been recognised by the authority for being "representative of the businesses it serves".

The company says it has lost half of its account work to the private hire trade.

As the licensing authority, the council has discretionary powers under law to fix the rate of prices.

When consulting its members on the 8.5 per cent, it found only seven of them agreed with the proposal.

Committee members also considered a 10p increase in the basic starting fare as well as the option to reduce the distance for subsequent mileage.

However, councillors rejected all the fare increase suggestions.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Here's little me thinking the council set a maximum fare and a driver can discount from that?

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I believe they have the power to fix fares under the legislation. However, I was aware of any that do. It would appear that Corby are one such LA.

Is anyone aware of any other LAs who fix fares ie prohibit discounting, rather than setting maximum fares thereby enabling discounting?

IIRC OFT report said only London.

Illegal elsewhere, suspect just loose use of language by reporter.

I think a council could do it by byelaw....but it would be impossible to enforce.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin