Taxi Driver Online

I am reliably informed that some LA's are considering bringing in a fuel surcharge for Hackney Carriages, in the form of extras being utilised when Diesel hits 130p, for instance, an extra's charge of 20p can be made, and at 150p, and 160p, etc, etc, a 40p, 60p can be added. providing it is on the tariff sheet, one presumes it would be legal.

Naturally, when the price of fuel falls back, the extra will no longer be added.

Any thoughts?

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Former taxi driver

Not a bad idea but our extras are in increments of £1.00.

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Grandad,

Have you heard something we have'nt?

I'm pretty sure the only way extras can be added to a hackney carriage fare is via the normal hackney carriage fare procedure.

Clearly once on a driver can choose not to use it if fuel comes down, but then again I could win the lottery three weeks in a row.

I wonder which one is the least likely to happen.

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IDFIMH

We already have that, it was implemented at our last increase in 2006.

When fuel hit £1 we could add 10p, when it hits £1.20 we can add another 10p

Was those increases advertised, or is it due to you being the only council in England and Wales (other than London) to not adopt the 1976 act?

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IDFIMH

It was part of the 2006 fare table and therefore would've been advertised back then.

With regards to



What do you mean? I'm sure Plymouth licensing uses the 1976 and and is it 1847??? or am I missing something? or confused.

Plymouth does have it's own act Darren. You will see it quoted at the top of your Tariff, "Plymouth City Council Act 1975", the drivers who have been out here since before then are most aware of it. It was I believe a "trial run" for the nationwide 1976 act. Apart from the paragraph numbering which is markedly different, the only major difference is that it gives Plymouth City Council the ability to limit not only Hackney but also Private Hire numbers, a power they have never used. It is currently being considered if Plymouth should "drop 75 and adopt 76" - the Council is making soundings and have just started to discuss the issue with the Trade Reps who are basically the PLTA. One rep was voted in on his own name - he happens to also be Secretary of the PLTA. I am a rep in effect voted in by being on the PLTA committee.
As to the original thread, I will quote directly from the current Tariff:

Fuel: 10p will be added to each fare once fuel oil reaches £1.00 per litre at Exeter Street Garage with a further 10p for each subsequent increase of 20p per litre.

The new tariff which has been advertised (with errors which will be objected to) has this:

Fuel: 10p will be added to each fare once fuel oil reaches £1.30 per litre at Exeter Street Garage with a further 10p for each subsequent increase of 10p per litre.

Seems we could be playing with words a bit here, - if, and it is a big IF, fuel was to pass the £1.30 and then fall back below I would expect the "extra" to be no longer charged. The wording strictly could be misinterpreted.

Just one more point, it may be that with the 75 act being operational, the contract exemption could still exist in Plymouth as the revocation only covers the 76 Act - another reason to join the rest of the country.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

Well I never knew that.

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IDFIMH

An interesting way to do it, and one that makes a tad of sense IMO.

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IDFIMH

I would imagine that's one of the main reasons your council are considering the change.

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IDFIMH

The 1975 act is extant in Plymouth. I don't want the illustrious members of this forum thinking that it is actually very helpful to Plymouth Hackney drivers over what the 1976 act would provide. It is fair to say that the PLTA is, on the whole, happy to join everyone else. The limiting of PH numbers would be beneficial (to existing Hackney and PH drivers) but it has not and probably never will be utilised.
To be fair the Council here are licensing all "Party" vehicles despite the Contact Exclusion still existing in the 1975 act.
Back to the original thread however, as Darren63 rightly points out, our (Plymouth) Tariff has had what we term the "Fuel Escalator" since 2006, the last Tariff change. We requested it because as the request for increase was made, the liklehood of fuel price rises was very high and it was seen then as a way of precluding a further request for an increase in very short order. As it happens it was quite sometime before it became operational - you may remember fuel prices rose and then fell back. When it reached £1.00 a litre it came into force and now 20p per job is able to be charged. This takes some of the sting out of the price of fuel currently. Longer jobs (out of district) are routinely quoted and so do not really enter the scenario. Shorter jobs then are the only ones to attract the extra charge. Darren63 is also correct that these charges were advertised - the new proposal has also been advertised and we await implementation.
The Garage at Exeter Street was chosen as it is the most central to Plymouth city centre and is not the most expensive or cheapest arround - a sensible compromise.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

Thank you for a very useful post Chris.

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Former taxi driver

Just a slight ammendment, our (PLTA) Chairman tells me that once, for a short while, PH numbers were in fact limited but rather than face challenge, limitation was abandoned.
Apologies for this error.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related