Taxi Driver Online

It's likely there won't be a rise in taxi fares on the Isle of Wight.

Councillors are due to debate the issue next week but it's being recommended that fares stay the same 'in order to keep them affordable for residents and visitors'. However a group of taxi drivers have handed in a petition to the Isle of Wight Council arguing the method that fares are calculated is wrong and unfair.

At the moment the Isle of Wight Council uses figures from the AA to calculate how much taxi drivers can charge. Currently a five mile journey on the Isle of Wight during the day costs £10.20. The highest in the country is Kerrier at £15.49 and the lowest is Bolsover at £5.80. The national average is £10.67 and the average in the south is £11.47.

The Isle of Wight Council is therefore recommending fares stay the same and that officers continue to use AA figures to calculate the amount drivers can charge. However taxi drivers argue the figures used by the AA are not appropriate and only relate to private motorists not taxi drivers.

A taxi driver told Isle of Wight Radio, "the average cost per litre of fuel on the Island the other day was 138.9p for petrol and 142p for diesel. These prices are more than the average prices supplied by the AA."

"Also the average figures provided for repair and servicing costs supplied by the AA are for a new vehicle. They don't take into account that there should be an additional amount added to cover the costs of older cars and high mileage vehicles."

The last time the fares were increased on the Isle of Wight was March 2010.

_________________
IDFIMH

I find it strange that in areas that don't increase fare the drivers complain about it and in areas that do increase the fares, the drivers complain about it.

_________________
Grandad,

Looking at the report to councillors I think the trade would be mad to get rid of the fare formula.

http://www.iwight.com/council/committee ... er%20B.pdf

Might be an idea to look at it's make up, but getting rid of it would be a more than a tad daft.

_________________
IDFIMH

I like that formula Sussex. I have forwarded the link to our Council. Cheers.

_________________
Grandad,

Yes, but the figures include depreciation for brand new vehicles, not the old tat they're actually running

You make a good point, which I've had to remind the thicko's down here of.

One union is on a crusade to increase the age limit of hackney saloons from 7 years to 10 years.

There are two points here, the minor one being they are encouraging the Law Commission to go for a one-tier system, as if there is no different in entry criteria for taxi and PH vehicles, along with no difference in entry criteria for taxi and PH drivers, then one has to wonder what's the point of having the two tiers. Still they know what their doing.

The major point is that how can you expect a council to include a new car write down of several thousands pounds a year (in the fare formula), when owners can put on a £1,000 Skoda?

So the choice is crystal clear, if you want to license s**t, then fares either stay as they are for several years, or go down.

_________________
IDFIMH

Our council like it as well.

_________________
Grandad,

So presumably the union's rationale is to effectively have the current PH fleet included in one bit quota?

Of course, that would provide a premium on current PH licences, the problem being that taxi licences would plummet in value to meet them.

Thus presumably this is driven primarily by PH rather than taxi interests?

No, they wouldn't know how to spell 'rationale' let alone have one.

They simply want to increase the age limits of hackneys, and haven't thought things through.

Now my concern isn't that it will cost the hackney trade money, if they are mug enough to not see the f***ing obvious then so be it, it's that the PH operator's follow the hackney tariff, and that has an effect on people who have got a clue what they are on about.

_________________
IDFIMH

Ah, I see. I missed your point about the link between the the age rule convergence and that that would undermine the rationale for two tiers.

But I've given up trying to rationalise how the vast majority of people in the trade think anyway.

When I first read that I thought you meant the union was encouraging the LC to merge the tiers, hence the only rationale I could think of was having one big cosy cartel, but I see what you mean now.

I shall sleep well tonight then.

_________________
IDFIMH