Taxi Driver Online

Planned taxi fares increase to be discussed by Crawley Borough Council


TAXI fares in the town look set to rise following a request from drivers.

Members of the Crawley Hackney Carriage Association have asked for the increase following a ballot of members.

A proposal to raise the starting tariff by 20p to £3.80, and the midnight to 6am tariff by 30p to £4.80, is set to be discussed by Crawley Borough Council.

The last increase in Hackney carriage fares took place in January.

Taxi drivers the News spoke to said prices had to rise, or drivers would no longer be able to make a living.

Gerrard Lavery, 64, said: "I have been driving for 15 years and things have never been tougher.

"There is too much competition out here, too many drivers for too few passengers.

"It doesn't bother me too much as I'm set to retire, but for younger drivers it's going to be a real problem."

One Hackney carriage driver working the rank outside Crawley station on Tuesday said the increase did not go far enough.

The driver – who said he did not wish to give his name because he dealt with the council regularly – added: "Business is quiet, and a rise of 20p is nothing when you think about it.

"The cost of petrol is going up. The cost of living generally is going up. And people are tipping less than they used to, and less often.

"We can get one job every hour-and-a-half here. And we're competing with too many private hire and minicab drivers, who are keeping their prices down because it's a competitive market.

"In the time I have been driving, things have gone downhill. Prices must rise."

Crawley Borough Council's licensing committee will discuss the issue at its meeting on Monday.

source: http://www.thisissussex.co.uk/Planned-t ... story.html

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