Taxi Driver Online

New taxi drivers face 90 per cent fees hike

NEW taxi drivers face a hike in fees as more and more cabbies jockey for position on the ranks in Dorchester. The 90 per cent increase would take the cost of a licence for a new driver to £200 - up from the current £105.

But that's not enough, say established taxi drivers. They want to see the fee set higher to help limit the ever-growing number of taxis circling the town looking for fares.

Roy Christopher, chairman of the West Dorset Hire Drivers Association, said members backed a West Dorset District Council proposal to raise the fees it charges for hackney carriage and private hire licences.

He said: "We're 100 per cent behind it. We knew it was coming up and we had a meeting about it. Some members thought it should be more - one wanted to see it set at £1,000.

"Personally, I think that's a bit high - I would go for around £350. But when you set it against the cost of a vehicle it isn't much overall. "There are more than 60 taxis in Dorchester and only ten spaces on the two ranks in town.

"It means drivers spend a lot of time circling the town. It just wastes fuel and wastes money."

Mr Christopher said there was a pressing need for more spaces. At present there are seven in Trinity Street and three in Charles Street plus one at Weymouth Avenue.

He said the area at High West Street and South Street needed a space and others could be worked in across the town. He said: "There's a lot of scope for more and we need them. People seem to forget that taxis are a form of public transport."

Mr Christopher, who has been a taxi-driver in Dorchester for 22 years, said he feared that the extra expense for drivers forced to circle the town looking for passengers could cause some cab companies to cut back on maintenance.

The proposed changes in fees also include smaller rises on other licences including renewals for vehicles, drivers and operators. Members of the district council's licensing and appeals committee consider the recommendations next Wednesday.

Licensing officer Martin Hedges states in a report to the committee that the proposed rise for new vehicles would help slow the number of taxis in Dorchester and in Bridport. He states: "There is some evidence that there are too many hackney carriages in Dorchester and Bridport."

Fees were last increased in April 2006.

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IDFIMH

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IDFIMH

De-limiting in action?

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Former taxi driver

No, stupidity.

Instead of asking the council to fleece them why don't they ask the council to improve standards of driver and vehicle?

And what law allows councils to suddenly increase fees just because drivers want fewer cabs?

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IDFIMH