Source: News&Star
City councillors have backed proposals to raise taxi fares in Carlisle.
The minimum fare or ‘flagfall’ is set to rise by 20p from £2.30 to £2.50 in October.
A typical two-mile journey, which now costs £4.90, will rise by 4.1 per cent to £5.10, making Carlisle fares the highest in Cumbria.
An equivalent two-mile taxi ride costs £5 in South Lakeland, £4.94 in Eden, £4.85 in Allerdale, £4.60 in Barrow and £4.30 in Copeland.
Licensing officer Barry Sharrock told the council’s regulatory panel: “Carlisle’s fares are the highest in the county but you would expect that because we have imposed higher standards.
“Half our taxis are wheelchair compatible, for example, and drivers here have to cope with more congestion.
“It’s not unreasonable for Carlisle’s fares to be higher than Barrow or Copeland.”
Taxi fares in Carlisle last went up in 2008.
Councillors decided against any increase last year because the retail price index for transport had fallen by 1.17 per cent over the previous 12 months.
Since then, Mr Sharrock said, transport costs have risen by 4.64 per cent.
He added: “The taxi association have canvassed their members and they are reasonably happy with the proposed increase.
“It helps with shorter journeys but doesn’t hammer long-distance fares to Longtown or Brampton.”
Councillor David Morton, who chairs the panel, said: “A 20p increase after two years is perfectly reasonable, given the economic situation.”
The new fares will apply from October 6 unless someone registers an objection.
If there are objections, the panel will consider them on October 13 before implementing any fare increase on October 18.
The panel has also dropped a requirement that all taxis must have an engine size of at least 1,600cc.
In future, there will be no minimum as long as the engine produces at least 90 brake horse power (bhp).
Mr Sharrock said: “The 1,600cc minimum was introduced in 1994 when a typical 1,600cc engine produced in the region of 90bhp.
“Some 16 years later this can be achieved by most 1,500cc diesel engines and some 1,400cc petrol engines.
“A smaller engine produces fewer pollutants and uses less fuel. There are environmental benefits.”
First published at 11:28, Thursday, 26 August 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
@Darren: You talk like it’s the choice of the Hack to charge ‘more’ when actually it’s the choice of the man the that charges you rent to have ‘you’ charge less.
You’re the one getting ripped off. Running a Taxi has never been more expensive,fuel,road tax,insurance & the most expensive MOT in the country. Yet you will happily weigh over your 100 quid and run around on less than bus fares. The Local Authority sets a rate that enables you to make a living and maintain your vehicle to a safe standard yet someone else decides for you that you will charge less. You can’t handle the fact that you are getting ‘mugged’ every monday morning and so take it out on the Hacks,who are just charging what the LA tels them to charge. I know many Private Hire drivers who have the Hack rates on their meters, are you one of them? I know of a few who work at the DFDS who openly brag about the Tariff 2 rate that they charge from the boat. I would bet a weeks takings that office staff get more complaints about ‘overcharging’ in a week than the Local Authority gets in a year,you just don’t hear about it because the drivers involved get a quiet warning or sent packing. Get a life and stop whingeing about Hacks,people have a choice they all know that they will pay more more in a Hack and you obviously do so just pick up the phone and get the cheaper option,instead of getting a Hack and then moaning about it. People go to the CIU or wetherspoons then move onto the clubs …different prices, it’s the way of the world. I know for a fact that people have asked for the rates for Taxis & Private Hire to be made the same so that the customer can decide on service but the Private Hire industry will never allow it. Because if we were all the same price less people would ring you. So you should be thankfull that 800 Hacks in the town are more expensive or you my friend would take a drop in pay.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
mr smith ! the council set a maximum rate, no one says you MUST charge it ! if for this £100 a week muging as you put it you made far more money that you do as a hackney and in less time ? is that still a bad deal ? you maybe should take your blinkers off and relize there is a life behond hackneys, because if they all think and believe like you (which they dont) you would be a dying race.
good luck, !
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks: Why don’t you get some of the attributes of a successful taxi operator…you know, something that would suit a man of your stature. For instance a couple of spider’s webs tattooed on your elbows and maybe an eye tattooed on the back of your neck?
You could even go the whole hog and do some night classes to learn joined up writing.
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@ian shanks: Drop a Hook in the water and a big fat carp will take the bait. You seem to construe that I refer to you in my defence of more slating of the Hackney carriage trade on this site. Your ego is nearly as big as your firm. Anyway I will give an answer to your uninvited blurb on the subject of ‘rates & fares charged’…… Can you imagine what your company would be like if all the drivers decided to charge different rates? rates are set to provide uniformity of cost to the consumer. If all Hackney carriages were to start charging different rates or discounting we would definately have complaints. My Local Authority insists I have only the rates for my operating area, the meter must be in operation during each and every hiring and fare tables with the current rates must be displayed within the cab. There’s nothing to stop me starting the meter and then discounting the fare at the end of the journey but in order for that to work every Hack or a good majority would have to do the same otherwise you would get customers picking the discounters out of the line. Not workable! but I think you you already knew that. I apologise if the word ‘mugging’ offended you but it was the only word I could find that described adequately what office owners do. Yes! I know you provide a service to your drivers,finding them work,advertising,growing the company etc. etc. and I know all the rhetoric about ‘put the hours in,work the right places and you will make money’ I’ve no doubt your drivers make money you have a busy firm. But you see! some of those drivers constantly harp on about ‘rippoff hacks’ it’s nonsensical! we are all interdependent (big word for you I know..sorry) that means we depend on each other whether you like it or not because there is no such thing as a ‘cheap taxi’ unless there is an ‘expensive taxi’ to compare it against. By the way Taxis are mechanical, motorized objects they or their drivers are not a race and cannot die. They will not die out however because the interdependency thing comes into play again. There are a lot of Hacks out there and they are getting by because people still use them…yes! believe it or not people actually do use real Taxis.Some of the reasons that they do are: They actually like having the convenience of being able to hail a cab or take one from a rank, they like that they are clean, they like that the driver knows where they are going, they like a driver who knows when to speak and when not to, they like drivers who don’t use expletives (another long word, really sorry) they like drivers who don’t smoke in their cars,(I have seen your drivers smoking at the wheel) we are not dying, we get a bit bored sitting around but at the moment a lot of the PH I talk to are doing some sitting around of their own, Real Taxis have been around for a few hundred years and ….hang on I lost my thread. Top and Bottom! Office owners charge upto date Rent yet don’t allow their drivers to charge upto date rates. I don’t really care that you do that. Point being if a PH has the time and the inclination to come here and spout about rippoff hacks…there’s something wrong with his thinking because the hacks don’t actually do anything to him,they don’t cause him to lose money, they don’t even drag him into a hack and make him pay. Somewhere in his head he has a grievance, about money, but he can’t quite pin it down so ‘Blame it on the Hacks’ It’s easy Darren your paying a lot of rent an your not making much mate’ well get used to it cos theirs a lot of competition coming. Listen to the radio,hear the ads. dean taxis,noda taxis,budget taxis, Budget Taxis they’re aiming for the student market, you’ll have to go and work for them to keep busy but the rate will be lower and that’s how it will go on firms get bigger each scrabbling for the same piece of pie and the rates just get cheaper and cheaper until we have four or five millionaire taxi operators and thousands of tired,pauper drivers. When that happens I’ll just sell my hack to a PH who thinks the grass is greener and move to Gran Canaria. Good Luck!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@Mr.Smith:
’round of applause’
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
Joined up writing? Never!
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
iam writing to inform you that new hackneycarriage licensing policyby northumberland county council was agreed by full council on 1 sept 2010 to come into effect on 1 october 2010
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade
@x northtyne side driver:..And????
The views expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the views of TooManyTaxis or the general U.K. Hackney Carriage Trade