Taxi fares expected to soar across ChesterTAXI fares are expected to soar across Chester, putting the city's pub and restaurant trade under more pressure.
Hackney black cab drivers have asked for permission from Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) to boost prices by 12.5 per cent.
And private taxi companies are likely to follow suit, with one company boss saying the extra costs imposed on drivers by the council will have to be passed on to the customer.
CWAC has vowed to launch a public consultation to see if it should allow such a large fare hike.
Frank Marnell, chair of Chester Pub Watch and landlord at the Watergate Inn, said: “This is a real concern. Fare increases across the board will undoubtedly stop people going out to the pub as much. Many of my regular customers get a cab back to Blacon for about a fiver. If this goes through then I can see them cutting down their visits.”
Chester Licensed Hackney Association has also proposed increasing waiting time charges by 50 per cent, from £10 per hour to £15.
The council says it chose to launch a consultation after hearing that opinion was split on the scale of the proposed fare increase.
Paul Shepherd, director of Chester Radio Taxis – and also a member of the Association – said a lot of members felt it was too high.
He said: “I accept that they have not had a pay rise in the last four years and need a pay rise of some description but just not to this level. I just think it’s unfair for the local residents.”
But Richard Barker, chairman of the licensed Hackney Association stressed that a 12.5 per cent meant a £4.10 fare would only go up to £4.40 and £4.40 up to £5.30.
“It’s not extortionate,” he said. “We are far behind most of the rest of the UK on waiting time, we are just playing catch-up.”
Mr Barker said that his association had managed to speak to 112 hackney drivers – of which 88 favoured the rise.
Mark Williams, director of private hire firm Abbey Taxis, told the Leader private companies had no choice other than to boost fares, due to new rules imposed by CWAC which meant drivers had to complete an advanced driving course, and had to buy newer cars that were less than 42 months old.
He said drivers used to be able to start work within four to six weeks at a basic cost of around £400, but now it took between three and six months and £800.
“From a driver’s point of view they need to recoup that money and I’m afraid it will have to be passed on in fares,” he said. “I feel bad for the customers but this is down to the local authority.”
source:
http://www.chesterfirst.co.uk/news/1398 ... ester.aspx
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