Taxi Driver Online

Never really sure what the point of articles like this is - it's just like a verbal summary of a tariff card in the context of the fare rise.

And, in practical terms, who can really glean much concrete information from a tariff card, particularly the members of the public this stuff is pitched at?

Anyway, if it's genuinely 12% across the board (or thereabouts) then it's certainly a bit higher than the current norm elsewhere


Stirling taxi fares could rise by almost 12% under new proposals

https://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2026/08/ ... proposals/

https://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/wp-conte ... scaled.jpg

STIRLING taxi fares could rise by almost 12% under new proposals being considered by councillors.

Groups of five or more passengers could also face a minimum £10 fare during Christmas and New Year.

Stirling Council’s Planning and Regulation Panel will consider the findings of a taxi fare review when it meets on Tuesday.

The review, carried out by Licensed Vehicles Surveys and Assessments, recommends increasing fares by approximately 11.7% to reflect higher operating costs.

Under the proposals, the minimum Tariff 1 fare covering the first half-mile would rise from £3.50 to £3.90.

The Tariff 2 minimum, which applies overnight, on Sundays and on specified bank holidays, would increase from £4.10 to £4.60.

Tariff 3, charged when five or more passengers travel, would rise from £5.60 to £6.20 outside the festive period.

Passengers would also see the meter increase more frequently during longer journeys, with the distance covered by each additional 10p charge being reduced.

The review estimates that a one-mile journey under the standard tariff would rise from £4.60 to £5.10, while a two-mile journey would increase from £6.70 to £7.50.

Two new festive tariffs have also been proposed.

Tariff 4 would set a minimum fare of £6.20 for journeys beginning between 6pm on Christmas Eve and 6am on Boxing Day, or between 6pm on Hogmanay and 6am on January 2.

Groups of five or more travelling during those periods would be charged under Tariff 5, with a minimum fare of £10 for the first half-mile.

A further 10p would then be added for every 29.2 yards, or part of that distance.

The existing Tariff 2 rate would no longer apply during the designated festive periods.

Waiting-time charges would remain unchanged, with the first three minutes free and every subsequent minute, or part of a minute, costing 30p.

Other additional charges, including the £50 soiling fee and call-out charges of up to 50p, would also remain unchanged.

The review calculated that the annual cost of operating a representative taxi had risen from around £50,893 in 2024 to £56,817 in 2026.

It found fuel costs had increased by 28.6%, servicing costs by 12.7% and driver costs by 11.8%.

The report acknowledged that the proposed increase was higher than CPIH inflation of 6.2% over the same period, as well as the 4.2% increase in the median two-mile taxi fare across the UK.

Stirling’s current fare scale was reviewed in 2024 and came into effect on April 28 last year.

Councillors are being asked to note that officers will now consult the taxi trade and the public.

The findings will then return to the panel with recommendations before any changes are approved.

It's good to see an independent assessment actually being independent and not kowtowing (I didn't know how to spell that, thank you, AI) to the disabled/poor/vulnerable lobby.

However, I suspect some in the trade and/or councillors might well scupper it.

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