Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers ask to put up fares



TAXI fares could be set to go up in the Test Valley.

Hackney carriage drivers want to increase charges, which have not changed since March last year, and have made a request to Test Valley Borough Council.

The Test Valley Taxi Association, which represents a large number of taxi proprietors, has requested an increase in the hackney carriage fares charged by taxis across the borough.

Hackney carriages may legally charge no more than the maximum fare set by the council – these fares do not apply to private hire vehicles, which can charge any fare they wish.

A council report said it was more than a year since the fares were last increased and the increase requested was not excessive so recommended that the increase be approved.

Test Valley currently charges £5 for the first two miles on tariff 1, which operates during the day, compared with rates of £6.20 in Winchester, £5.80 in Southampton, £5.80 in the New Forest and £6.10 in Eastleigh.

Under the new proposal, this would increase to £5.40 – 1p more than the national average and 45p less than the area average.

Between 7am to midnight the fare the first mile would rise from £3.40 to £3.60, between midnight and 7am it would rise from £5.10 for the first mile to £5.40 and for Christmas Day and from midnight on December 31 to 7am on January 2, the first mile charge would rise from £6.80 to £7.20.

The officer’s report stated there were currently 35 licensed proprietors in the borough, the majority of them belonging to the Test Valley Taxi Association.

It states that the association’s chairman had held a meeting to discuss the fare increase to which all proprietors were invited and the matter was voted on.

Of the 12 proprietors present, only two disagreed with the proposal, the report said.

The officer report states: “It is now over a year since the last increase and clearly there is a danger that proprietors’ income is falling behind when considering the increased costs they will have incurred in the last year.”

Test Valley Borough Council’s licensing committee will discuss the application at its meeting on Thursday.

http://www.romseyadvertiser.co.uk/news/ ... _up_fares/

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