Taxi Driver Online

But in all fairness they haven't had an increase since 2017.

Worcester's taxi fares set to increase

TAXI fares are set to increase by 20 per cent in the city due to the rising cost of petrol.

Worcester city councillors have backed a request by the city’s taxi drivers which would see fares for hackney carriages increase by 20 per cent.

Drivers have been demanding an increase in the city’s taxi fares for a number of months with higher costs and fees, fuel and cost of living increases, and the Covid-19 pandemic cited as reasons for a need to bump up prices.

Worcester City Council’s licensing and environment health committee backed the request by Worcester Taxi Association for a 20 per cent rise in fares at a meeting in the Guildhall on Thursday (March 24) and the proposal will now go out for public consultation.

If backed, the council estimates that the new fares could be in place by June and it would be the first increase in five years.

The rise in fares sees the initial cost of flagging a cab rise by 19 per cent to £4.30 with a one-mile journey costing £5 and the cost of a two-mile journey increasing to £7.

Special fares for late-night and Bank Holiday trips would increase to £5.50 initially and rise to £6.30 and £9.10 for one-and-two-mile journeys.

A twenty per cent increase in cab fares draws a parallel with increases in the price of fuel with the average cost of petrol and diesel rising by between 23 and 24 per cent since 2017, according to the AA, when the last fare increase was introduced in Worcester.

Haris Saleem from Worcester Taxi Drivers Association said the industry was "suffering" and a rise in fares was desperately needed.

“Oil prices are going up and up every day and we don’t know when they are going to stop and I think it is time to look after the trade.

“We proposed, with a consultation from the trade and taxi base owners, what I think is a reasonable increase which considers the trade and the customers as well.”

Councillors also agreed to look at reviewing the price of fares at least once a year in the future.

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IDFIMH

What a novel idea?

Wouldn't it be good if the government legislated councils to review taxi fares every year, doesn't mean a rise every year, just a review?

But instead we get pointless courses and bureaucracy.

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IDFIMH