This is mostly about opposition to a fare rise proposal (except for one councillor), but not clear from the article where the impetus for the proposal came from in the first place
Taxis in Dorking and Leatherhead could become most expensive in Surrey with 10% cap rise
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey ... e-15727545
Drivers say they do not want the maximum fare cap to go up because it could harm their livelihoods
Taxis outside Dorking main station (Image: Grahame Larter/Get Surrey)
Taxi drivers in Dorking and Leatherhead have raised concerns over a planned rise in the maximum fare which one councillor says could make Mole Valley the most expensive area for a cab in Surrey.
Mole Valley District Council's (MVDC's) overview and scrutiny committee discussed a proposed 10% rise in the maximum fare cap at a meeting on Tuesday, January 22.
Cabbies said they "already have enough problems" competing against app-based taxi firms such as Uber and that fares were already "too high", so they objected to the idea.
The objections were raised after MVDC's Hackney Carriage Consultative working group made the recommendations, following consultation with drivers.
In a joint objection letter sent in by 25 Dorking-based drivers and some from Leatherhead, one cabbie said: "If you increase fares too much or too quickly there is a risk you will end up doing even less work and earning less despite charging the higher fares."
The cap is designed to protect customers from being overcharged and while drivers do not have to charge the maximum fare, there are concerns it would create confusion if some charged more than others.
The objection letter stated: "People may think some drivers are overcharging them or ripping them off as this could lead to an increase in distrust and have a detrimental effect on trade."
Cllr Stephen Cooksey, Lib Dem member for Dorking South, said: "It seems to me that what we are doing is increasing the fares that residents have to pay by 10% and creating a situation where, if not the highest, certainly almost the highest, fares in all of Surrey are going to be imposed in Mole Valley. And there needs to be a good reason why that is the case.
"We are inflicting on our residents a very significant increase at a time when many of them have money difficulties. But actually taxi drivers are saying no 'we don't want to do this because the nature of our business has changed'."
Cllr Paul Elderton, Lib Dem member for Dorking North, said the council is not setting a fare, but setting a maximum fare and he had made it clear to drivers "they do not have to charge the maximum fare".
He said: "The maximum fare protects the consumer; in other words the customer is not going to be paying more than the maximum fare we set."
He said drivers may negotiate fares "more often than in the past" and that rates had not been increased for a number of years so addressing the increase in inflation had been "neglected".
The Hackney Carriage working group, which includes five drivers, will now meet every year to discuss charging.
The recommendations will be put to cabinet next month for approval.
