Taxi Driver Online

Sheffield's taxi fares could go by £5 a trip to cover congestion charge for cabbies

Taxi drivers have requested a £5 per journey increase in black cab fares ahead of Sheffield Council introducing a daily charge to drive in the city centre.

Drivers have written to the council asking for various increases in the prices of Hackney carriage journeys, saying they were being left behind as other drivers surge prices when demand rises and they were concerned about the impact of the Clean Air Zone on business.

One of the cab drivers, Ray Chappell, asked the council for a £5 per journey increase in fares and said: “I wish to propose a fare increase. We have not had one for many years and certainly not a significant one.

“Licensing authorities throughout the country are pressing us to go electric but with the fares as they are there is little incentive.

“You are aware that Uber surge their prices when it gets busy and even City cars recently raised their prices (half again) during Tramlines.

“In Sheffield Hackney carriages are left behind with very old fares despite increases in expenses.”

He said the “elephant in the room” was that the cost of upgrading to electric taxis to be compliant with the Clean Air Zone is between £48,000 and £60,000 – equivalent to around £900 per month over five years – and that many cabbies were already handing back their licences because it will not be viable.

Ibrar Hussain, taxi driver and former councillor, also requested an increase in fares including adding 20p on every station pick-up job and the Taxi Trade Association asked for a 4.8 percent increase across fares.

Sheffield Council ’s licensing committee is set to discuss and make a decision on the proposals in meeting on December 20.

What is Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone?

The Clean Air Zone will be implemented next year and it will mean that drivers of taxis, lorries, buses, coaches and vans will have to pay a daily charge to drive in the city centre if their vehicle does not meet at least the Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol emissions standard.

Taxis and vans that do not meet the emission standards will be charged £10 a day and coaches, buses and lorries will be charged £50 a day.

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IDFIMH

Well there's a 'significant' fare increase, and there's £5 on the flag.

Chances of that happening = approximately NIL

I wonder what the outcome was I suspect a much lower proposed rate than requested

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

You will find out tomorrow.

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IDFIMH

Well this is a useful article. Fares are going up, but even the council don't even seem to know by how much

But I'd bet everything I have that fares haven't been 'hiked' £5 a run

And another article published at the same time, presumably about Uber surge-pricing.


Black cab fares in Sheffield to increase for first time in six years

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics ... rs-3550818

Sheffield Council has agreed to increase black cab fares to help drivers cope with competition and increased costs ahead of daily charges to drive in the city centre.

Four different representatives from the taxi trade asked the council for various increases in the price of journeys following a steep decline in drivers.

Following a two hour discussion, the authority’s licensing committee agreed hikes across journeys and to review the fares every year around January. It is the first time the fares have increased since 2016.

Councillor Karen McGowan, chair of the licensing committee, said: “You do offer value for money and thank you for that. I hope members of the public appreciate the service you offer.

"My experience is you do offer value for money and the service you provide for wheelchair access is very much appreciated. I hope this fare increase helps you to continue the good work you’re all doing.”

The fares will increase from March 1 but council officers said they need to check everything before sharing the exact increases and it would need to go back to review if there were objections.

Why are taxi fares increasing?

Black cab drivers asked for the increase to help them cope with increasing costs and competition.

Ibrar Hussain, who has been a cab driver for 34 years and is a former councillor, said the last time fares were increased was August 2016.

He said costs such as fuel and road tax had shot up and with the cost of upgrading vehicles to be compliant with the Sheffield Clean Air Zone, which is due to be implemented this year, drivers were leaving.

Mr Hussain said: “The costs are so high for me to stay in a Hackney carriage and provide a quality of service.

“We have gone from 857 cabs down to now 600 and the trend is downhill and that will continue with the [Clean Air Zone] coming in as well. I think we could end up with only 200 cabs.”

Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone is due to be implemented later this year.

For taxi drivers, it means they would have to pay £10 a day to drive in the city centre if their vehicle does not meet the emissions standard.


Sheffield councillor thanks black cab who saved her when 'stranded in snow' facing £30 fare for short journey

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics ... ey-3550834

A councillor thanked the black cab trade for saving her when she was stranded for two hours in the snow facing £30 charges from private companies for a short taxi ride.

Councillor Karen McGowan, chair of the licensing committee, said the trade helped her on two recent occasions when private hire cars – who are part of companies like Uber and City Taxis – skyrocketed their prices.

She gave her thanks at the end of a meeting in which the committee agreed to increase fares for black cabs, also known as Hackney carriages.

Coun McGowan said: “I want to express my thanks to the Hackney carriage trade. I personally have had two experiences recently and they have provided a really good and fair service.

“One was in November when we had the snow and the bus strikes and I came back on the train from York. The trams had stopped, the buses were on strike and I stood in the taxi rank at the train station for more than two hours.

“We had private hire companies charging £30 just to get to Lower Manor and when I finally got (a black cab) taxi I got charged the normal rate and I was just so grateful that he got me through the snow and got me home.

“The second was on New Year’s eve, I booked a private hire taxi from the south east of the city to the Sheffield Wednesday ground, it was 7 o’clock at night when I booked it and automatically got charged £25 to book it.

"It took that then I got charged £23 when I got there but when we came out at half past one in the morning which I class as unsociable hours… I didn’t go straight home, dropped someone off at Shirecliffe, and I got charged less than £20.

“It was cheaper to go home at half past one in the morning and not directly in a Hackney than it was in a private hire car direct from my house to the same venue.

“So I just wanted to say, you do offer value for money and thank you for that. I hope the members of the public appreciate the service you offer.”

Maybe fares have been increased by £5 a job, but no one actually knows

So I wonder what the councillors were blathering on about for two hours?

Oh, wait, it was private hire fares:


So I wonder if City Taxis 'skyrocketed' their fares to the same degree as Uber?

To be fair, it's not clear whether the licensing chair actually named names, and maybe the press just used Uber and City Taxis as examples of private hire providers.

And maybe it's just me, but the licensing chair's comments seem to be laying it on with a trowel a bit, for someone in that position at least.

That word 'hike' appears in an article again.

If they are doing it to p*** me off, they are succeeding.

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IDFIMH

Well the Star has published an article with the tariffs which are now out for consultation, but no comparisons or sample fares etc, and can't be bothered crunching the numbers to see how much they've actually gone up.

But the T1 flag is still just £3.10, so we can say with certainty that fares haven't gone up £5 a trip, surprise, surprise



Full article here, but not much to see except perhaps the following passage below:

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics ... ld-3572641

Which, as everyone versed in imperial measures will know, is 10 miles

But I wonder how that on the tariff card ties in with the law on out-of-area fares?

That extra 20p is going to have them flocking out to work nights.

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IDFIMH