Taxi Driver Online

Taxi operators challenge council’s fare freeze




Scottish Borders Council, which licenses 355 taxis and 90 private hire vehicles across the region, stands accused of reneging on a deal over fares.

Now Scottish Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken will determine if the local authority was right to freeze the flag rate – the amount shown on the meter at the start of the journey – for another year.

An unspecified number of licensed operators in the Borders have lodged an appeal with the commissioner against the decision by SBC’s executive in November to peg the maximum starting fare.

They claim the council should have honoured and applied a formula which was persisted since 2009.

And that, they contend, would have seen the flag rate increase by 7% from December 1, allowing it to rise 15p to £2.30 for a standard car and by 25p to £3.50 for larger vehicles.

Miss Aitken has called a public hearing to resolve the dispute. It will be held next Friday, February 13, in the former Burgh Chambers in Galashiels at 10.45am.

In November, SBC’s executive voted for the freeze after hearing that when the 7% increase was touted at a series of four consultation events – in Galashiels, Peebles, Hawick and Duns – only nine operators turned up.

That apparent indifference was cited by council leader David Parker at the November meeting when he successfully moved that the flag rate should remain unchanged from December 1.

The esoteric formula, which has delivered annual fare increases – both in flag and mileage rates - since it was introduced, has a weighting of 45% for vehicle-related costs, such as fuel prices, insurance, charged and the purchase and maintenance of vehicles, and 55% to reflect local wage levels.

“The council will doubtless say the freeze is justified because fuel costs have fallen, but the weighting for fuel in the formula is just 15% and that has remained constant during periods of high fuel costs,” said a spokesman for the operators.

“We have no doubt that councillors acted improperly when they decided without consultation not to apply the agreed formula and we are confident the Traffic Commissioner will concur.”

An SBC spokesperson told us: “The council will defend the decision taken on November 11 by its executive committee not to increase taxi fares.”

http://www.berwickshirenews.co.uk/news/ ... -1-3678797

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

Judgement on taxi fare freeze delayed


A hearing into Scottish Borders Council’s decision to freeze taxi fares across the region has been adjourned.

After taking evidence for two hours in Galashiels on Friday, Richard McFarlane, depute traffic commissioner for Scotland, decided he required more documented information from both sides in the dispute.

The hearing was called after two operators – Michael Howell from Galashiels and David Cox of Innerleithen – lodged a formal appeal against the fare freeze.

They objected to a decision made by SBC’s executive last November to peg the flag rate – the amount shown on the meter at the start of each journey – at a maximum off-peak level of £2.15 for cars and £3.25 for larger vehicles.

On Friday, the council, which licences 355 taxis, defended the way it had conducted its review of fares, which included four consultation meetings with the trade. Messrs Howell and Cox claimed the local authority had failed to honour and apply an agreed fare-setting formula that not only took account of the flag rate, but also of mileage and waiting times. They contended that only a small potential increase in the flag rate had been put out to consultation.

After the hearing was adjourned, a spokesperson for the traffic commissioner told The Southern: “The commissioner has asked both parties [operators and council] to provide further written evidence. When this has been considered, the commissioner will either make a decision based on this evidence or reconvene the hearing.”

Meanwhile, the council agreed last week to increase the price of a three-year taxi operator’s licence from £573 to £588, and to raise the annual fee for a taxi driver’s licence from £82 to £84 from April 1.

http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/ne ... -1-3694531

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

These twats don't have to drive a Taxi for a living, they just sit in their nice offices dragging their inflated wages each week.

Commissioner backs 4% rise in taxi fares


SCOTLAND’s Traffic Commissioner has overruled the decision of Scottish Borders Council to freeze taxi fares.

As a result maximum charges which operators may charge their customers across the region will rise at midnight on Thursday, April 9.

After presiding over a hearing in Galashiels last month, deputy traffic commissioner Richard McFarlane has ordered that the normal hours flag rate for a standard four-passenger taxi – the amount shown on the meter at the start of each journey – should go up 10p to £2.25, while the rate for larger vehicles of up to eight passengers should rise by 15p to £3.40.

In addition, Mr McFarlane has sanctioned a reduction in the distance which taxis may travel – fron 97.5 metres to 93.6 metres – before the 10p mileage rate (15p for a larger vehicle) clicks in.

This equates to an increase for every mile travelled from £1.65p to £1.72p.

Taken together, this represents a 4% increase in both the flag and distance rates.

The new fare scale system will also reflect the current 25% extra which operators can charge for working unsocial hours (10pm till 6am) and for the festive season.

The maximum fares will apply to all 355 taxis licensed by the council and a limited number of private hire vehicles fitted with meters.

“I believe that an increase in the fare scales is both justified and appropriate,” concluded Mr McFarlane in his written judgement.

The decision, which offers the council no right of appeal, was welcomed this week by David Cox, a former councillor who runs a taxi business in Peebles and whose objection to the fare freeze, agreed by the council’s executive after a 10-3 vote last November, led to the hearing.

“This is great news for the operators who provide a vital transport service in this region and who could not understand why councillors chose not to apply an established and agreed formula for annual fare increases.

“The taxi business is the only one in which operators have their income set by councils and this is the third time in recent years that the Traffic Commissioner has upheld an appeal by operators.”

source: http://www.bordertelegraph.com/news/bor ... axi-fares/

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

that traffic commissioner system seems like something we should have in the rest of the UK

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

Skippy will be able to offer an even bigger discount now.

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Grandad,

I bet the Council are not so slow in awarding themselves an increase in wages and expenses..Hypocrites.

You should already have it, Traffic Commisioners are part of Gov UK.

They don't have anything to do with the taxi trade down here.

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Grandad,

They just think up a figure and add £1000 to it.

It's the CGSA that gives them the right to intervene

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