Cabbies defend plans for 6% hike in taxi fares
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/08/23/cabbies-defend-plans-for-6-hike-in-taxi-fares-100252-21589970/
TAXI drivers today defended plans to raise fares for the eighth year in a row.
Union bosses want to increase prices by 6% this year, which Liverpool council says would make them the third most expensive in the country among similar-sized cities.
Passengers have increasingly complained about the regular noticeable rises, which some say have discouraged them from hailing hackney cabs.
But drivers today said higher fares were the only answer to rising fuel and insurance costs and increased competition.
Darren Talbot, 39, a hackney cab driver for 17 years, said: “With the fuel situation, I am £50 down every week. Everybody gets a rise each year and this is ours.
“We work unsocial hours and we have to put up with our doors being kicked and windows smashed in.
“Not as many people get a taxi now, but the point about night buses from town is they do not drop you at your door.”
Some drivers argue Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year has not brought the expected benefits for their trade, with fleets of buses laid on for big public events like Creamfields.
Charlie Stuart, from Knowsley private hire drivers association, believes too many drivers are competing for too little business.
He said: “It is becoming harder and harder to earn a living, especially since our council scrapped the knowledge test.
“It resulted in a large influx of drivers over the last six years. As long as you pass a medical and a police check, you are then given a licence.”
Drivers also disputed the council’s claim the proposed rise would make fares among the highest in the country, pointing to a different table in which Liverpool is the 239th most expensive area.
If the changes are approved by councillors, the cost of a three-mile journey would go up from £6.20 to £6.40, five miles from £9 to £9.40 and 10 miles from £14.20 to £15.
On Wednesday, the council’s licensing committee agreed to advertise the proposed rises and gather public views.
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