Taxi Driver Online

Festive fares freeze when you take a taxi


TAXI drivers in Southampton are freezing fare increases to help passengers in the city through the credit crunch.

Cabbies are putting a planned rise in prices on hold until later next year to help families cover the cost of Christmas and through into the new year.

Following a 20p tariff increase in July, taxi firms had agreed with the city council to look at another rise in January but that will not now go ahead.

Clive Johnson, chairman of Southampton Taxi Consultative Council, said: “We were looking at about 3.5 per cent but now we are not even putting anything forward.

“I have been speaking to drivers and none of them say it would be a good idea and people need to save money at this time.

“Some have said it would be suicidal for us to increase fares at the moment. We will look at doing it later in the year.”

Transport and General Workers’ Union cab section chairman Perry McMillan said drivers welcomed the move even though it meant they would effectively be taking a pay cut.

“We are all behind it because we want to give the people something back at Christmas and it is already an expensive time of year without more transport costs going up.”

Cabbie Dave Griffiths said that taxi drivers were backing it to support passengers despite feeling the pinch of the credit crunch themselves.

“Everybody is feeling it so we need to help each other out. For us Friday night trade has dropped a huge amount. It used to be that we would have two good nights for picking people up but now people just go out on Saturdays.”

As well as freezing planned increases, which at 3.5 per cent would mean an estimated increase of 14p per mile from 6am to 11pm, cabbies are also pushing back the double fare charges that apply over Christmas and new year.

Instead of doubling their daytime tariff from 8pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27, drivers will hold back on putting in doubling the fares until 11pm.

The same will apply on New Year’s Eve when fares will again be doubled from 11pm to 6am on New Year’s Day, instead of from 8pm.

Councillor Royston Smith, the city’s Cabinet member for economic development, welcomed the decision of the drivers to hold off applying to licensing chiefs for a fare rise.

“I commend this gesture of goodwill during what is a difficult time,” he said.

“Hopefully this will help to save a few pennies for people using public transport in Southampton this Christmas.”

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

What month is Christmas again?

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Why not just say we can't put up fares cos we might lose punters.

Now I can see their point, but come next year when the justified increase of 3.5% becomes 7%, everyone will be accusing the trade of being greedy b******s.

No one will give a monkeys that the fares have remained static for two years.

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IDFIMH

I tend to sadly agree

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin