Saw an article about the fare rises in Hartlepool the other day, but it didn't look particularly interesting, so just ignored it. A slightly different angle here, but in truth it's still not particularly interesting in that soiling charges have been discussed to death on here. Current charge of £35 certainly cheap though
Taxi drivers call for help in struggle to pay kebab, urine and vomit clean-up costshttps://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/tees ... e-26428016Cabbies say the costs of valeting their vehicles have soared during the cost of living crisis
Image: UGC/Teesside LiveTaxi drivers are calling for help to foot the bill of cleaning their cabs as the cost of living crisis continues.
Hackney carriage drivers in Hartlepool are asking for the soiling charge limit to be raised from £35 to £100 to help keep their vehicles stain-free, with substances ranging from kebabs to vomit and urine. The move is being proposed by the Taxi Owners Working Group, a small group of hackney carriage drivers elected by the trade, and will be discussed by the town's licensing committee.
Neil Handisides, one of the working group members, said the increase is needed because the economic crisis has seen the costs of having vehicles properly valeted has rocketed. He said: "If someone vomits all over the car you have to get it properly cleaned to try to get rid of the smell. Sometimes people will wee on the seats."
Neil, who has The Big Yellow Taxi facebook page, said he can remember an incident of someone throwing kebab all around his mini-bus, but luckily the police were passing and told the customer to cough up for the cleaning.
He said: "At the moment the maximum soiling charge is £35, I think it's one of the lowest anywhere. But, it could cost me £150 to have a full valet on my minibus and for cars you are looking at between £50 and £100. I would say that this time last year it would have been between £30 and £50.
"It's not that we would always charge £100. It is just that would be the maximum." Neil, who has been a taxi driver in Hartlepool for 23 years, said: "It can be a tough job, but I absolutely love it."
Councillors will also consider a request from hackney carriage drivers to increase taxi fares on Sundays and at certain times during the festive period at a meeting of Hartlepool Council's licensing committee on Friday, March 10. It suggests increasing the cost of a two mile journey between 7am and midnight on Sundays by £1.40.
The proposals also include pricing alterations which would mean the cost for a two mile trip between 7am and 6pm during the period between December 24 to 31 would increase by £3.20. A £1.40 rise would also be seen for the same length of journey during those hours from December 18 to 23.
A report from Sylvia Pinkney, council assistant director for regulatory services, recommends approval of the changes. It said: "Any increase in tariffs must reflect a balance between allowing licensed drivers to generate a reasonable income whilst representing value for money for the travelling public.
"An increase in the soiling charge to a maximum of £100 will provide greater compensation for the driver where there is a significant loss of work due to the fault of a passenger." It added drivers can ask for less and "should charge less" than £100 for the soiling charge "where the cleaning required is less serious".
Should the changes be approved, a public notice will be issued to inform Hartlepool residents, and if any objections are received within 14 days, it will be referred back to the licensing committee before implementation.
According to the taxi trade magazine, Private Hire Monthly, Hartlepool's hackney carriage tariffs remain "some of the lowest in the country". The changes would only be for Hartlepool's yellow hackney cabs that use designated taxi ranks, and would not apply to private hire vehicles.
Login
Register
FAQ
