Taxi Driver Online

Daily Post (Liverpool)

October 26, 2006, Thursday

HEADLINE: City taxi fares set to rise by 7%; Increase justified, say cabbies

BYLINE: SAM LISTER Daily Post Staff

TAXI fares in Liverpool are set to go up by up to 7%, putting them well above other major cities including Manchester, Leeds and Bir mingham.

Cab drivers have asked the council to raise the basic rate from pounds 1.80 to pounds 2 with night start rates going up to pounds 2.50.

It means a three-mile daytime trip will now cost pounds 5.80 and pounds 7.25 at night time, a rise of 3.5%.

A one mile journey within the city's boundaries will increase by 7% to pounds 3 in the day and pounds 3.75 at night.

David Millward, editor of Taxi Talk and a Merseyside cab driver, last night defended the move.

He said: "It costs around pounds 1,000 a month to run a taxi". Liverpool specifies the type of cab drivers must have. They cost from pounds 29,995 but can be as much as pounds 35,000.

"Add insurance at pounds 200-pounds 300 a month plus finance payments" and it is an expensive business.

"The tariff increase is index linked and reflects the running costs. It is unfortunate for passengers but it is justified."

A three-mile journey in Leeds costs pounds 5.45, Manchester is 5p more and Birmingham cabbies charge pounds 5. 60.

The city's neighbouring boroughs come in cheaper still with St Helens costing pounds 4.80, Sefton and Wirral both pounds 5.20 and Knowsley pounds 5.40.

The rates of fare for journeys more than four miles from the city's boundary will still be at the driver's discretion although the price must be agreed.

The application was made by Liverpool Taxi Joint Trade Group which insists the increase is necessary to cover inflation costs. It states public hire insurance has risen by 1% over the last 12 months and the cost of replacing key vehicle parts has gone up by 4%.

The proposal will go before the council's licensing committee next week and, if approved, will come into force on November 13. A spokesman for Liverpool City Council said: "No decision has been made, it will be considered by the committee.

"Most cities are in the process of carrying out their annual reviews and it is likely that they will raise their tariffs, which means they will be around the same."

samlister@dailypost.co.uk
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Perhaps someone should remind Mr Millward that it is Liverpool cab drivers or more to the point cab owners who specify the type of Cab they drive. It might be council policy to only license vehicles with the PCO COF but that policy is fully backed by the Liverpool taxi trade.

We haven't forgot the recent stand Liverpool cab drivers took against the E7 being licensed. If Liverpool cab drivers really wanted change, then all they need do is ask. I have not yet seen any evidence of Liverpool taxi associations asking for change, on the other hand we have all seen ample evidence of them wanting "no change".

Perhaps Liverpool cab drivers along with Liverpool council should read the DfT best practice on vehicle choice?

Regards

JD

More work for Delta ..... they are just priceing themselves out of the market

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

I suppose when you have to find £40/50,000 for a plate, then the only way to recoup that money is through the mug punter.

Which is why the likes of Delta can't really lose.

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IDFIMH

I wish it was because of the plate value, unfortunately it's just down to stupidity and greed

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Increase justified, say DELTA too! Why stop at 7%?

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Don't knock it, 'til you try it....

Business must be booming in Liverpool. Here in Edinburgh every time the cab trade gets its way and fares are hiked customers just walk away.

And, private hire, who market themselves better, simply spread the illusion that they're cheaper and more work is lost to hackneys. Hence the reason why PH has expanded more than three fold over the last 3/4 years.

Of course hackney licences have been kept at the same level, because our regulatory body is controlled by a councillor with private hire interests, there is a big PH lobby here and the hackney taxi owners would prefer customer to use PH and keep hackney numbers restricted so that they can maintain their high plate premiums, high rentals and ever increasing tariffs to line their pockets.

Methinks the evidence strongly suggests that our New Labour council must be corrupt.

After existing hackney plate owners, taxi quotas have no better friends than PH operators.

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IDFIMH

There are private hire companies and then there are private hire companies, there is no doubt in my mind that Delta are one of the most professionally run, they deserve to reap the benefits of the effort they have put in to expanding their company. the Liverpool Hackney Trade work as singular unit's no true organisation. the first increase in Liverpool is only 20 p extra for every job, the seven per cent increase as stated is misleading, but even so they are still a great deal dearer than outside private hire companies

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

The only people benefiting from a hackney carriage fare increase in Liverpool are the private hire drivers.

As the fares go up, more and more passengers are giving their business to the PH.

PH firms such as DELTA welcome such increases and continue to go from strength to strength.

I do believe though that many of the Liverpool drivers are against the fare rise as they realise that in the long term they will lose out.

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Visit TAXIPIX at www.taxipix.fotopic.net

Let's face it Fairway , all they have to do to stop it, is to object, but will they??

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

The Edinburgh experience is that any objection will be ignored. The cabal running trade "interests" ensures that the vested interests remain sacrosanct.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Of course, its one thing having a fare increase, quite another putting it on your meter.

CC

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