Taxi Driver Online

Planned hike in cost of taxi licences slammed


TAXI firms across Dwyfor and Meirionnydd fear a proposed increase in taxi licence fees will have a huge impact on their business.

Gwynedd Council’s general licensing committee is set to approve a 25 per cent increase on hackney car-riage, private hire and operators li-cence fees.

The increase would see hackney carriage and private hire drivers licences rise from £82 to £102.50, and private hire vehicle licences increase from £92 to £115.

A report to the committee states that there is a “significant budgetary deficit” which can’t be sustained in the current economic climate.

The report claims that to make up the deficit, fees need to be raised by 37 per cent.

Huw Edwards, of Porthmadog’s Duke’s Taxis said the increase will have a huge effect on his company, which operates around 50 cars.

Mr Edwards, who operates both hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, said: “The increase will end up being passed onto the customer because the money will have to come from somewhere. It has a knock on effect.“It is going to cost us over £1,000 a year extra. It is ridiculous.”

He added that he thought it was disgusting that the council hadn’t informed taxi companies of the pro-posals.Mr Edwards, who has run the company for 30 years, said: “They should have discussed it with us and asked for our opinion, but we haven’t got a say.”

Wyn Humphreys, of Speedy Cabs, Aberdyfi, operates six hackney carriage vehicles.

He said that he can’t make up the extra cost by charging the customer extra as the meter is regulated by Gwynedd Council.Mr Humphreys said: “We will have to try and make the money up elsewhere as we can’t put our prices up.”

The council claims another reason behind the increase is that they charge less than other councils.

But Mr Humphreys argued that the council makes up for the lower cost with stricter rules than other councils on aspects such as the age of the car, and a six-month safety check costing more than £150 per vehicle.

source: http://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/news/i/32826/

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

£150 every 6 months for an inspection?? Doesn't it go out to competitive tender? An MoT only costs around £45 here!

Ours went up without them telling us, it's now £355 I think, it did go down £4 for a few weeks but it went back up again.

I've been trying to get it taken out of the Councils control and put out to tender but the Council make to much money on Tests.

Just increase the amount required for doing school contracts by 50% and sight the reason down to higher licensing fees

So the council have carried out a 'worst value' assessment.

_________________
IDFIMH