Taxi Driver Online

Council considering putting up taxi fares in Warwick district for first time in a decade

Taxi charges across Warwick district could soon increase by around 30 per cent, if plans are signed off by the council.

With fares having not been put up since 2014, local taxi drivers have called on the council to allow them to increase their charges, with Warwick District Council set to consider the plans next week.

An online consultation of local firms saw taxi owners ask for anywhere between a 20 per cent and 50 per cent price hike.

But Warwick District Council (WDC) has proposed a 30 per cent increase - which would still see the authority cease to have one of the cheapest tariffs in the country.

If approved, the change would see the price of a two-mile fare in the day increase from £6 to up to £7.65.

"Requests have been received from the taxi trade for the current Hackney Carriage fare tariffs to be increased," a council report said.

"The current tariff has been in place since 2014 and should be reviewed in line with the current economic climate."

The fare increases would only apply to the 143 Hackney Carriage taxis registered with WDC, not to private hire vehicles.

Taxi drivers do have the ability to offer discounts, but the council dictates what the maximum rate they can charge is.

If the council's licensing and regulatory committee signs off on the proposal next week, the public will be given the chance to object to the scheme.

If no objections are received, the price hikes will be introduced in May 2024.

"The cost-of-living crisis, including increase in fuel and running costs (maintenance and insurance etc) is considered as the main reason why the council has received several enquiries by the taxi trade for a fare increase," the council report added.

See the full council report here. https://estates8.warwickdc.gov.uk/cmis/ ... fault.aspx

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IDFIMH

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IDFIMH

Idiots that will alienate taxi users for sure what they should have agreed to is inflation + a couple of percent every year for the next few years to gradually lift fares to a better level

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

No, what they should have done is not wait 10 years in the first place.

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Grandad,
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I doubt they have an association if they do then shame on them for leaving it so long for an increase.

only for a couple of weeks and then they will have no choice but to accept the fares if they want a taxi. drivers need to realise their worth and not work for peanuts.
I have upped our prices for Saturday night to double fare, some folks moan a bit but many are ok about it and the drivers are happy to be getting more for the jobs they do.

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Grandad,
To support my charity text MAYORWALK to 70085 to donate £5

Taxi fares to rise by 30% across Warwick district

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg3qljx1y6zo

Taxi fares are to rise by 30% across Warwick district after councillors approved an increase.

This means the current daytime rate of £6 for a 2-mile (3.22km) trip would go up to £7.65 from May 2024.

Warwick District Council has not increased the rates Hackney carriages can charge since 2014.

During a consultation of operators, all except one called for fares to rise, with a number commenting a review had been left too long.

Lead licensing officer Rachael Russell said a phased rise had been looked at, but the authority sought to balance differing views from operators.

Almost half told the authority they wanted a 40 to 50% fare increase, with a quarter saying it needed to be between 30 and 40%.

“Since [2014] neighbouring authorities have increased [fares]," she said. "We feel it is probably appropriate to ask the trade every 18 months.

“We definitely don’t want to leave it another 10 years, absolutely not, I acknowledge that,” she added.

The current daytime rate, which applies from 06:30 GMT until 22:00 GMT, is £3.40 for the first 700 yds (0.6km), then 20p per 100 yds (0.09km) after that and 10p per 30 seconds waiting.

Cabs charge 50% higher for five or more passengers in the day or for fares overnight and double the day rate for five or more passengers overnight.

Warwick district is among the 50 cheapest areas for a 2-mile journey nationally, with all neighbouring councils charging more following reviews within the past two years.

The new fares will be advertised and any objections would mean they go before the council's cabinet for a final decision.

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IDFIMH

how about reviewing it annually the way most councils review and increase their charges annually


as for advertising the increase there will be objections from disabled and pensioner groups if there are active campaign groups in the area and with local elections coming up in May will a few nervous councillors want to stop this to win votes ?

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Warwick does not have an election this May.
Theirs were last year.

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Grandad,
To support my charity text MAYORWALK to 70085 to donate £5

Warwick District Council opposition leader expects public pushback over taxi fare hike

An opposition leader expects questions to be raised over Warwick District Council’s plans to hike taxi rates by 30 per cent.

Conservative group leader Councillor Andrew Day (Bishop’s Tachbrook), who was leader of the council until May 2023, acknowledged the need for taxi drivers to be paid properly but said that the scale of the hike in one go was too much.

The district sets the maximum rates for Hackney carriages – taxis that can be hailed without notice as opposed to private hire vehicles which must be booked – in its area and they have not changed since 2014.

The current daytime rate – 6am until 10pm – is £3.40 for the first 700 yards, 20p per 100 yards after that and 10p per 30 seconds waiting.

It is 50 per cent higher for five or more passengers in the day or for fares between 10pm and 6am. A third tariff for five or more passengers between 10pm and 6am is double the day rate.

National data compares local authorities based on the cost of a trip of two miles taken in daytime hours.

It is currently £6 in the district of Warwick with the new tariff set to put that up to £7.65 from May 2024, provided the council does not face opposition when it advertises the changes.

If it does, the cabinet – the panel of Green and Labour councillors in charge of major service areas that this week supported the proposals in principle – will consider the matter again.

“Our group has concerns about the big step that is being taken here, not the principle,” said Cllr Day.

“It is such a significant increase in one go. We need to be mindful that the use of our Hackney cabs tends to fall mainly on those outside our towns, it has a disproportionate impact on people who, for example, wish to travel to shopping centres.

“At a time of cost of living increases, and again part of the way through a budget cycle, we see a 30 per cent increase in charges. That financial pain will fall disproportionately on a particular group in our community.

“Maybe consideration could be given to stepping it in, even over six-monthly intervals over two years so people have the opportunity to adjust their budgets and deal with this.

“It is a very significant increase and is clearly something that should have been attended to earlier, that is acknowledged, but to take one jump is something I think our residents would be asking questions about.”

Councillor Judy Falp (Whitnash Residents’ Association, Whitnash) took a different view.

“In mitigation, we did start looking at this in 2019 because we realised how long it had been and then Covid came along,” she said.

“That department led on so much in relation to Covid, items like this got dropped, they didn’t have the time to do it and we would have done that had it not been for Covid.

“I welcome it because these drivers have not had an increase since 2014 and they can only have an increase if we agree to it. Private vehicles can charge what they like, we also have Uber now, and the cost of living crisis affects them as well as the people who use them.

“It is long overdue and it needs to be done. Yes, it is a big hike now but I don’t see the point in doing a little bit then in 12-18 months they say they need another hike because we are not where we should be.

"I think we need to take the pain now. I don’t think they are asking for an unreasonable amount.”

Councillor Jessica Harrison (Lab, Leamington Clarendon), the district’s portfolio holder for transformation, said: “It is eye watering when you just hear 30 per cent but if you talk about numbers, £6 will increase to £7.65.

“These rates are maximum charges, drivers can charge less, and private hire taxis can charge higher rates anyway.

“Taxi drivers deserve a decent wage, the consultation put it towards a higher figure and there have been complaints over the long time it has taken to get here.

“Our taxi drivers are good, reasonable people who provide an essential service – school runs, disabled passengers, getting people to and from our towns.”

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IDFIMH

Says someone who, when in power, gave the drivers an extra sweet f*** all.

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IDFIMH