Taxi Driver Online

Barrow cabbie groups at odds over fare hikes





TAXI fares in Barrow could jump by more than 21 per cent under proposed price hikes to be discussed tomorrow.


Barrow Borough Council’s licensing committee will consider two submissions from local cabbies when it meets tomorrow at the town hall.

Tariffs for the town’s Hackney service, set by the council, have been frozen since April 2008, prompting a majority of drivers to declare a rise is long overdue.

Furness Hackney Trade – which has 94 members – has submitted a proposal to the council which would see prices raised by between 14.6 per cent 21.4 per cent.

If the submission is accepted, a one-mile trip during the day would increase from £2.80 to £3.40, while the same journey between midnight and 7am would rise from £4.20 to £5.10.

“Everybody knows – even the customers – that fuel costs have gone up and insurance costs have gone up,” said group spokesman Bob Mullen.

“(The price rise) is only to keep pace with inflation – and it’s actually behind it. The people in the street who we pick up all realise things have to move.”

However, a second submission, backed by a petition from a group of 60 taxi drivers, proposes increasing the present tariffs from between 7.1 per cent and 9.8 per cent.

Under this pricing structure, a daytime mile-long journey from a rank would cost £3 and the same trip after midnight would cost £4.50.

Barrow cabbie Robert Laurie, who was a driving force behind the petition, said his group’s idea would be more palatable to people already struggling with the cost of living.

He said the key difference between the two proposals was that his group’s was calculated from a starting point of a full mile, whereas the Furness Hackney Trade’s plan would begin at half a mile.

“I think the other submission is far too much and it's actually misleading to the public because it's a low start, very high finish system,” he said.

"People will be getting in and thinking ‘Great, it's only £2.40’, but in reality the price on the mile is £3.40. What we're wanting is a very minimal rise in the price of a taxi because we understand the current economic climate is tough.”

But Mr Mullen said the half-mile system was fairer as many customers did not want to travel a full mile.

“Why should people have to pay for a full mile when they don’t want to travel a full mile?” he said. “If you just want to go from pub to pub – like quite a lot of evening revellers do – would you want to be paying £4.50 every time you do it?”


http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow-ca ... Path=news/

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

Including taxi drivers ! The reason people are struggling is because all businessess have increased their costs, why should cabbies be any different and lose out to subsidise peoples journeys ? How many other businesses would survive if they increased their prices by less than their costs have gone up?

The above is correct why should we subsidise people's taxis?

Barrow cabbies’ request to hike fares gets town hall nod





TAXI fares are set to rise by between 14 and 21 per cent after councillors agreed to the first price hike in more than four years.

Barrow Borough Council’s licensing committee backed a submission from industry group Furness Hackney Trade calling for the increases.

The decision means a one-mile journey during the day could increase from £2.80 to £3.40 and from £4.20 to £5.10 between midnight and 7am. A four-mile trip in the daytime could rise from £8.20 to £9.40 and from £12.30 to £14.10 at night.

The group’s spokesman Bob Mullen said he was pleased the town’s cabbies could soon be able to charge tariffs that came closer to rewarding their hard work.

“We didn’t want to jump fares by this much and it’s only because it’s been left for so long,” he said.

“We’re happy with the outcome and especially happy we’re going to have an annual review instead of waiting for four years for the next review, which is unfair on the public.”

The proposal must go out for public consultation, details of which are yet to be released, and if no objections are lodged the new prices will be enacted. If objections are received, a vote will have to be taken by the full council.

However, the recommendation appears set to divide the community, despite cabbies arguing it will still be cheaper to catch a taxi than take a bus on some journeys.

Leanne Longmire wrote on the Evening Mail’s Facebook page: “Taxi drivers aren’t the only people who haven’t had a pay rise and we all have to deal with the rising cost of living.”

But Neil Darby was on the drivers’ side, posting: “With the rise in petrol prices in the same period, who can blame them for wanting to raise their prices? They probably have to stay afloat.”

Linda Laing was also in favour of the increases, saying: “Taxi drivers have a lot to pay out before they earn a living. I wouldn’t begrudge them an increase because gone are the days of taxi drivers raking it in. They’re just trying to make a living.”

Committee chairman, Councillor Tony Callister said: “(Taxi fares) in Barrow as a district are (still) significantly lower than any other boroughs in the country and certainly lower than South Lakeland District Council.”

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow-ca ... Path=news/

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

The decision means a one-mile journey during the day could increase from £2.80 to £3.40 and from £4.20 to £5.10 between midnight and 7am.

A bit excessive that, you can go 6 miles for that here
What they should do as most runs will be around a mile is set the first mile rate to what they propose, then have a set mile price there after say 1.50 or part thereof

What, so that at the start of every mile it clicks over by £1.50?

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

No the part thereof would be, break the next miles down to 10 15P clicks or 15P every 176 yards

And then offer a discount at the end of the journey.

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Grandad,