Taxi Driver Online

Fair play to the Examiner here, nice wee article, they've taken a few photos, but not much detail, and one of those pieces that you think a chunk has been missed out of, or at least it's been chopped off before it's got to its proper end

And, oddly, the one HCD featured in the photographs isn't one of the two drivers quoted in the piece

But nothing particularly ground breaking for trade anoraks, and the Sheffield fare thing has been done to death in previous threads.


Sheffield taxi drivers struggling to live as it costs £140 to fill their tanks

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/cos ... e-24481695

The drivers spoke about the clean air zone and increase in costs and said a taxi price rise does not help them enough


Muhammad Yousef (Image: Jess Coppins/Examiner Live)

Rising fuel prices and the clean air charge hasn't hit anyone harder than cab drivers. We visited Sheffield to see how black cab drivers are coping with the cost of living, and their thoughts on the new fares.

This comes after the city's new clean air zone was introduced, costing drivers even more money on top of rising fuel prices - causing Sheffield Council to 'raise them for the first time in six years.'

But taxi drivers told YorkshireLive they are still finding it incredibly difficult to afford a living - one told Yorkshire Live, "[the fares] won't make a massive difference but at least it will be something".


Image: Jess Coppins/Examiner Live

So what is the fare increase?

'There will be an increase by 20p for every 195 yards up to 17,600 yards. There will also be 20p added for every 48 seconds the cab driver is kept waiting. Prices will increase on bank holidays and there is a £50 charge for ‘fouling’ a cab.'

Despite this, one cab driver, Aftab Alam said "it still won't make a massive difference" and "it won't be enough as the price of diesel is too high." Another taxi driver said that "It's the green zone, we aren't getting any help" and that he is struggling to live.

The clean air zone charges drivers who enter the city to reduce air pollution.

Would swapping to an electric car help?

"[The council] bring electric cars now but they are so expensive - it's sixty-four thousand pounds" one cab driver explained.

Do you think the fare increase will put people off using taxis?

All the drivers we asked said no - the fare rise will hardly be something the public will notice. Taxi driver, Mussie Weldegergsh told me that filling his tank would cost him £140: "we lose our money" and that "when you compare those [costs] we have to deal with the [tax fares] are nothing," he said.

What does the council say?

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

The council has also agreed to review the fares each year.


Image: Jess Coppins/Examiner Live

There's one shortcoming in the article - although it's largely about the tariff increase, there's nothing concrete in the piece about how much fares eventually went up.

I mean, the above makes it sound like fares have increased by 20p every 195 yards

But that's presumably the running mile increment on the new rates. I mean, the running mile hasn't *increased* by £1.80, surely

Anyway, the first 17,600 yards is obviously 10 miles, and in a city authority like Sheffield there surely can't be many trips over 10 miles that don't cross the border. Thus that raises interesting questions about cross border fare charging and regulation, but probably not worth getting into that.

Not sure that many in the trade, including licensing officials and councillors, realise that there will only be electric WAVs available soon.

The Mercedes is £70,000 plus, the LTI is nearing £70,000, and it's getting harder and harder to source a diesel multi-seater for less than £45,000.

P*****g around with 20p here, 20p there, is not going to finance that level of expenditure.

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IDFIMH

Yes. It's pretty disgusting, really.

The vehicle manufacturers are not to blame. They have to make a profit.

But there is no way the majority of drivers will make any decent profits from a big investment like that.

If that does not change then you will have a situation where there are fewer and fewer multi-seater licensed taxis on the road.

We will see then what the councils will do because there will members of the public moaning about it when it happens.