Taxi Driver Online

This is York

April 10, 2007 Tuesday

HEADLINE: Fare blunder hits taxi rise

TAXI fares in Ryedale are set to increase by up to 15 per cent - but their introduction has been set back because of bungling council officers.

The district council's community services and licensing committee met last week to discuss the fares. Councillors decided to increase the minimum charges, which would mean people who travel short distances were hit in the pocket hardest. Coun Elizabeth Shields, chairwoman of the Ryedale District Council committee, said the fare increase, which had been agreed with operators, had been brought in to take account of higher fuel prices and other inflationary pressures.

"It goes up every year, unfortunately," she said. "There's the cost of petrol and everything else." They agreed to a 15 per cent increase in the standard minimum rate.

This charge for the first mile travelled - called "flagfall" - is set to go up from £2.60 to £3 during the day. The price for subsequent miles was left unchanged at £1.50 per mile.

Tariff II - the night time and Bank Holiday tariff - which is set one-and-a-half times higher than the standard daytime tariff, will increase from £3.90 to £4.50, with subsequent miles charged at an unchanged £2.20 per mile.

However, an error was made in the report to the committee and the fare increases must be sent back out for public consultation before they can be implemented. This will now happen no earlier than May 3.

Coun Shields said the report had listed the new Tariff II as £4.30. "For some reason, the Tariff II rate wasn't added on properly," she said. "People have

pointed out that there was this mistake and the committee has been happy to go along with that and have amended it to £4.50."

Councillors set the fares for Hackney carriages, vehicles which collect people from taxi ranks and can be flagged down in the street.

They do not set private hire fares, but such operators generally offer similar prices. Steep increases in other charges were also passed through by the committee. The charge for carrying items outside of the passenger compartment will go up more than five times, from 15p to £1. The soilage charge has been doubled from £50 to £100.
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