Taxi Driver Online

Another survey by 'experts' that looks like complete and utter garbage from the off. For a start, who quotes taxi fares in kms?

So apparently a 4km run in Reading is £18

That's about 2.5 miles. I make that £10.40 on T1, and not much more on T2

Even if it's actually 4 miles rather than kms it's still less than £15.

Given the hoohah about Uber in Reading in particular, I'd guess it's not private hire causing these 'taxi' fares to be distorted so that they're hugely more than the HC tariff.

So what 'taxi' fares this is all about is anyone's guess.


Reading found to be most expensive town in UK for taxi

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news ... n-uk-taxi/

Reading is the most expensive place in the UK for a taxi, according to a new study.

The study, carried out by Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, found the average cost for a 4km journey in Reading is £18.06.

This is the highest average cost in the UK, with the average cost per 1km in the town being £3.39.

This is the highest tariff of all the data analysed.

In comparison, London, despite being the capital of the UK, ranks as the fourth most expensive location.

The average taxi journey in London costs £14.90, which is significantly cheaper than in Reading, Oxford, and Woking.

The average 1km taxi tariff costs £2.60 in London.

Manchester, which is commonly thought to be cheaper than the south, is the ninth most expensive location in the UK for a taxi.

The average taxi journey in Manchester costs £13.10.

The data comes as Google searches for ‘taxis cheap’ have increased by 109 per cent in the past month, showing prices of taxis are a current concern.

The study also found Warrington to be the cheapest location for a taxi in the UK.

The average taxi journey in Warrington costs just £5.72, with the normal 1km taxi tariff costing just £0.93.

The town also has the lowest taxi start price of only £2.

The study also offered advice for those looking to save money on taxi fares, including sharing a taxi with friends or family, walking a section of your journey if safe to do so, and assigning a designated driver.

So the running mile (in kms ) in Warrington is 93p, while in Reading it's £3.39

Aye, right


According to the Warrington fare card, the T1 flagfall is £3.35

https://www.warrington.gov.uk/taxi-fares

Strictly speaking they're probably not talking about what we'd normally call the running mile (or running km), which is what the meter is clocking up after the flagfall distance.

If the comparison is an average per mile or km over the whole trip, that'll include the flagfall price and distance (presumably).

But the comparison above is certainly per km, whether for the whole trip or for how much the meter is clocking up after the flagfall, so the figures are surely nonsense

So strictly speaking I don't think my thread title is absolutely correct as regards what the piece is trying to portray. But the numbers are such obvious garbage I can't be bothered changing it

Articles written by actual bona fide trade members often get things wrong.

Articles written by non-members of the trade seldom, if ever, get it right.

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IDFIMH

Record set on Reading being most expensive for taxis

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news ... ive-taxis/

The record has been set straight on Reading being the 'most expensive place' for taxis in the country.

Research from vehicle leasing company Nationwide Vehicle Contracts claimed that Reading is the most expensive place to get a taxi in the UK, being more expensive than Oxford, Portsmouth and London.

They stated that an average journey costs £18.06 in a Reading cab, which are officially called hackney carriages.

Cab taxis can be booked on the spot.

But the figures in Reading have been found to be lower than those claimed.

The figures published by Nationwide Vehicle Contracts were calculated using Numbeo, the world's largest cost of living database and a crowdsourced global resource for quality of life data.

However, the fare is actually lower according to Reading Borough Council's table of fares for hackney carriages.

The amount for cab rides varies according to tariffs: one, which applies from 6am to 10pm each day, two, which applies from 10pm to 6am overnight, three and four which are the day and night tariffs for Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year's and any other public holiday.

Tariff one has a 'flag drop' starting fee of £3.60, which covers the first 278 yards (256.94 meters) or two minutes and 24 seconds of the journey.

After that, a 20p charge comes into effect for every 123 yards travelled.

The Nationwide Vehicle Contracts claim is that an average journey of 2.6 miles (four km) would cost £18.06 based on a starting charge of £4.50 with £3.39 charged per kilometre.

However, the council's licensing department calculated that such a journey would instead cost approximately £10.50-£11, or even lower at £9.90 if there is no waiting time.

That is approximately £7 cheaper than the average journey cost calculated by Numbeo.

The journey would be more expensive if undertaken overnight between 10pm to 6am, as the flag drop begins at £4.60 for the first 281 yards (282.55 meters) or two minutes and 22 seconds of the journey.

The fares for cabs were last increased following a decision by the council's licensing applications committee in September 2023.

The rise made no change to 'the flag drop', instead adjusting the 20p charge so it comes into effect every 123 yards, rather than the 133 yards travelled previously.

Numbeo's website states: "The prices provided are based on data submitted by Numbeo users and may include both official rates and informal rates negotiated with drivers.

"This section is useful for travellers and locals who want to budget for transportation expenses, compare fares between cities, and avoid overpaying for taxi rides."

The yards travelled fare increases to 30p for tariffs three and four.

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IDFIMH

That caught my eye immediately, and I thought they were doubling down, and claiming Reading had set the record for the highest fares


In other words, drawn out of a hat, essentially


You mean create a kick off when they get into a Warrington HC and the meter isn't starting at £2, or when they do a run in Warrington and it's not less than a third of the price of a Reading cab.

Or passengers avoid Reading cars because they're almost twice overstating the official maximum tariff

Anyway, some sort of vindication for a change

And while the figures here are in the right ball park - and no real point in further nitpicking - I don't think these figures are right.

For a start 4km is less than 2.5 miles, and not the 2.6 miles stated above.

And I calculated the fare for 2.5 miles to be £10.40 on T1, so how the council could get it below a tenner isn't clear.

I got £9.00 for the two mile run, which is the same as the PHTM tables, which are usually pretty accurate.

So how could an additional half mile or so only clock 90p, according to the council?

Reading is 18 in the PHTM tables - £9.00 for the two miles:

https://www.phtm.co.uk/newspaper/taxi-f ... gue-tables

it's laughable how the mathematically challenged are allowed to publish un fact checked material. In the scientific world articles have to be peer reviewed.

maybe it's time for all internet published articles to carry a "health warning" that the article hasn't been checked before publishing

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