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05
May
Council could increase maximum taxi fares after petrol price hike
North Yorkshire Council will consider increasing maximum taxi fares after fuel prices have soared due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The council, which sets the fares for black cabs across the county, today (May 1) said the price of petrol has increased by 17.58% since the current maximum fares were introduced in July 2024.
Diesel prices have hiked by 42.26%.
A report published ahead of a meeting on May 12 recommends the authority's Conservative executive approve the 5% increase in maximum fares, which would apply only to Hackney carriage vehicles that can be hailed on the roadside, at a taxi rank or pre-booked.
If approved, fares would jump from £2.22 to £2.33 per mile between 7am and 10pm, and £20.23 to £21.24 per hour waiting time.
The price of a taxi between 10pm and 7am, including public holidays, would increase from £3.15 to £3.31 per mile, and £28.90 to £30.35 per hour waiting time.
During the Christmas and New Year period, fares would increase from £4.20 to £4.41 per mile, and £38.54 to £40.47 per hour waiting time.
Cllr Richard Foster, the executive member for licensing, said the authority carries out “regular reviews of taxi fares to incentivise those working in the trade”.
He adds:
The sector provides a vital boost to the economy, and is key for protecting our communities, whether it be taking children to school or transporting residents or visitors to their destination at night safely.
As a licensing authority, we set maximum fares to provide certainty, consistency and protection from unfair or unreasonable charges.
We appreciate that people may face a higher cost of taking a taxi, but we need to factor in the increase in the price of fuel since the charges were last changed two years ago.
Private-hire vehicles would not be affected by the move. Companies like Uber operate only through pre-booking and set their own fares.
Executive councillors will consider the plans on Tuesday, May 12.
The news comes after the council last month approved a new policy which means all hackney carriage vehicle licence applications need to be for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs), zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).
The move proved less than popular with local cabbies, as you can read here, but disability campaigners felt the policy didn’t go far enough to increase the number of WAV taxis.
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