Crawley cabbies get a fare rise – without proving it is neededTAXI fares will increase after the council approved a request by drivers, despite them presenting very little evidence that it was warranted.
The borough council's licensing committee rubber-stamped the rise on Monday after a debate between members over whether it was justified.
Members of the Crawley Hackney Carriage Association asked for the increase following a ballot of members.
Private hire vehicles will not be affected by the rise because they set their own rates.
It is only those taxis which are licensed by the council and operate out of taxi ranks that are affected.
The starting tariff will rise by 20p to £3.80, and the midnight to 6am tariff by 30p to £4.80.
Some members felt the lack of any evidence that drivers' cost of living had increased meant the committee could not make an informed decision.
But the rise was approved, with a condition that next year drivers would have to present a more reasoned case.
Southgate councillor Liam Marshall-Ascough voted against the rise as he was not comfortable making a decision based on what was presented.
He said: "The drivers said that fuel prices had increased and that insurance had gone up but they presented no evidence to support that.
"They just said 'we want to raise fares' and that is what the decision was made on."
He also singled out Labour leader Peter Lamb, a fellow committee member, for criticism.
He said: "Peter Lamb voted in favour of the fare increase but not so long ago he was arguing against a rise in rail fares.
"If you are going to oppose something, don't be all flippy floppy and, like Nick Clegg, change your mind two months later."
Councillor Lamb said his opposition to a rail fare increase was based on the fact commuters had no other options when travelling a long distance.
He said: "People who use taxis have the option to use a private hire cab or get a bus. I did some research into petrol prices and insurance costs before the meeting so I could make an informed decision.
"And we have put a resolution in place that says drivers have to present evidence next time. The reason we didn't want to delay the decision is that you can only have one increase per year and we didn't want to miss the boat."
Nine councillors voted for the rise and four against.
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