Rogue drivers are ruining our image, taxi chief says
Taxis are being given a bad name in the city by rogue drivers who overcharge by more than 100 per cent, according to one cabbie. David Wratten, chairman of Cambridge City Licensed Taxis, said unscrupulous drivers were ripping people off by illegally charging off-meter in journeys within the city.
But as much of a stain on the reputation of the city’s 300 or so cabbies is the small minority legally charging way over the odds to the villages around Cambridge. They can do so because Hackney drivers licensed by the city council are allowed to go off-meter for trips that end outside of the city’s borders.
Mr Wratten, who lives in Waterbeach, is starting a campaign in the new year called Fare is Fair. The 54-year-old said: “Drivers can charge what they want to the villages. They can name their price, but many people do not think to move down the rank until they get a fair price.”
He added: “There are people charging £30-35 to get to Bar Hill from the city centre after a night out, when it should be £15-17. “It’s legal but it’s not right and it’s damaging trade for the rest of us”.
Not using the meter within the city zone is an offence, but Mr Wratten said one customer had been charged £15 for a journey from Hills Road to Mitcham’s Corner that should have cost £6.90. A spokesman for the city council said its licensing committee supported the idea in principle and “agreed that the scheme had the potential to deliver positive benefits”.
It recommended that Hackney drivers who signed up to charging fair prices could place stickers containing the council crest on their windows. The spokesman offered no timetable for when the scheme could be up and running.
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