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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IDFIMH

Not sure I'd call LVSA independent, Sussex, since they're presumably also doing the SUD assessments. And if they ratchet fares up, then less chance of finding SUD

Anyway, this is the official news release on the consultation. And Fife Council take note - it's possible to round the numbers showing on the meter appropriately and micro-adjust the yardages instead

And to that extent it wouldn't make our council look innumerate. Or, maybe more to the point, it wouldn't cause problems for drivers. In fact, I suspect the rationale was to create the latter, as opposed to preventing the former


Review on taxi fares to go to consultation

https://www.stirling.gov.uk/news/review ... sultation/

The taxi trade in Stirling as well as members of the public are to be consulted over proposals to increase taxi fares by 11.7 per cent and to introduce new tariffs to cover the festive period.

Stirling Council commissioned a Taxi Fare Review from independent traffic consultants, Licensed Vehicles Survey and Assessment (LVSA). Stirling Council’s Planning and Regulation Panel has agreed to seek the views of the taxi trade as well as members of the public on the proposals set out in the Taxi Fare Review.

Proposals in the Taxi Fare Review include:

No change to the waiting time charge

An increase of 11.7% in flag drop fares for Tariffs 1, 2 and 3 rounded to the nearest 10p to the following rates:
Tariff 1 drop fare increase from £3.50 to £3.90
Tarif 2 drop fare increase from £4.10 to £4.60
Tarif 3 drop fare increase from £5.60 to £6.20

The distance increments for tariffs 1 to 3 to be reduced and be charged at 10p:
Tariff 1 – 83.5 yards to 74.8 yards
Tariff 2 – 66.8 yards to 59.8 yards
Tariff 3 – 52.2 yards to 46.7 yards

A new tariff (Tariff 4) to cover the festive period (6pm on 24 December to 6am on 26 December; and 6pm on 31 December to 6am on 2 January). The flag drop fare to be set at £6.20 and distance increment to be set at 46.8 yards)

A new tariff (Tariff 5) to cover the festive period (6pm on 24 December to 6am on 26 December; and 6pm on 31 December to 6am on 2 January) for five or more passengers. The drop fare to be set at £10.00 and distance increment to be set at 29.2 yards.

The fare review considers changes in costs associated with operating a taxi, including the price of a vehicle, servicing, fuel, insurance, vehicle excise duty, licensing cost and average national earnings.

The consultation is open until 7 October 2026 and available to view on the Engage Stirling platform at: https://engage.stirling.gov.uk/en-GB/pr ... eview-2026.

Council officers will report back to the Planning and Regulation Panel in due course with the outcome of the taxi trade consultation and next steps for consideration.

A recording of the meeting can be viewed here: https://stirling.public-i.tv/core/portal/home

That said, do they really need to fine tune the yardages to fractions of one yard?

I'm not even sure if my meter can be reprogrammed to fractions of yards. Which is why when I suggested fine tuning the Fife yardages instead of the increments (21p/28p and the like ) I rounded to whole yards rather than fractions of a yard

Rubber-stamped, by the looks of it.

Huge blizzard of numbers, though, and pretty much meaningless to everyone in the whole wide world unless you want to sit down and crunch the numbers.

But spot the odd-looking number here. And it's not the fares per se


Stirling councillors back big hike in taxi fare prices despite inflation fears

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/loca ... e-37826551

Members on the council committee questioned the inflation-busting rises as passengers face tightening pockets.

Taxi fares are soaring by more than THREE times the rate of inflation in Stirling after councillors controversially agreed to put them up, despite their criticisms and strong opposition from members of the public.

A special meeting of the Stirling Council Planning and Regulation Panel on Monday heard proposals to crank up the costs.

It was proposed to increase the fares by an overall 11.7 per cent.

The report also sought no change to the waiting time charge and the flag drop fares for tariffs one to three, it was suggested should be increased by 11.7 per cent.

The Tariff One flag drop will be increased from £3.50 to £3.90 and Tariff Two flag drop from £4.10 to £4.60 and Tariff Three flag drop is set to be increased from £5.60 to £6.20.

Tariff Two would no longer apply during the festive period.

The introduction of Tariff Four will cover the period from 6pm on December 24 until 6am on December 26 and 6pm on December 31 until 6am on January 2. The proposal is that Tariff Four flag drop is set at £6.20 and the distance increment is set at 46.8 yards.

Also proposed was the introduction of a new Tariff Five to cover the festive period for five or more passengers from 6pm on December 4 until 6am on December 26 and 6pm on December 31 until 6am on January 2. The proposed tariff flag drop is set at £10 and the distance increment is set at 28.2 yards.

The distance increments for Tariffs One to Three change and will be charged as follows:

Tariff One – distance increment reduced from 83.5 yards to 74.8 yards charged at 10 pence

Tariff Two – distance increments reduced from 52.2 yards to 66.8 yards to 59.8 yards, charged at 10 pence.

Tariff Three – distance increment reduced from 52.2 yards to 46.7 yards charged at 10 pence.

In total, 323 responses were received. Some 216 of the responses were from members of the public, while 107 were from members of the trade.

The responses from the public generally indicate disagreement with the proposal, although some did acknowledge the challenges the trade face with increased costs and the need to maintain the financial viability of taxi services.

Several members of the public indicated that the 11.7 per cent proposed increase is too high in comparison to the current level of inflation and when having regard to the current economic climate and cost of living.

Concerns around equality and accessibility featured prominently throughout the responses, particularly in relation to older residents, disabled people, low-income households, those living in rural areas, and individuals without access to private vehicles.

The public’s view on the introduction of new festive tariffs was mixed.

The responses from the trade generally expressed support of the proposals, although this was frequently accompanied by suggestions of further amendments to the tariff structure .

Tory Cllr Rachel Nunn: “This is a fair old chunk which is well above inflation and the kind of pay increases people have to take taxis may well be getting.”

Cllr Alasdair MacPherson said: “There is a real balance to be struck – 11 per cent is a lot, I hear all the time the industry is on its knees. The cap got lifted which has destroyed the industry locally, there are too many drivers that is the bottom line.

“With the national insurance contributions living wage increase, the price of fuel, tyres and servicing. This business is not sustainable in Stirling any more- you speak to the drivers, a lot of them are going out of business. I am reluctantly going to have to agree to this, but you feel sorry for the drivers, working 80 or 90 hours a week and hardly making a living.

Cllr Gerry McLaughlan said: “If you take the driver’s salaries out and compare the increase in costs, then the increase is 11.2 per cent rather than 11.7 per cent so I think it is reasonable.”

The increases were agreed by the committee.

Oh, aye? It's not often I pay much attention, but usually the public responses can be counted on one hand

But maybe the council here was a bit more pro-active in garnering the views of the public, or whatever...


Drivers were never capped

And I'd guess that while he's saying there are 'too many drivers', at the same time a lot of people in the trade will be claiming there's a shortage