Cotswold Taxi fares increase approved by Council

Taxi fares in the Cotswolds will be increased for the first time in three years after a proposed fares increase put forward by taxi companies was agreed by Cotswold District Council’s Licensing Committee.

Under the proposals – which will come into force on October 28th – taxi charges from Monday to Sunday / Bank Holidays will be increased by 30p for the first 1540 yards of travel under the first two taxi ‘tariffs’.

Under ‘tariff one’, the current charge of £2.50 for the first 1540 yards will be increased to £2.80, and any further travel beyond this has gone up from 10p per 88 yards to 10p per 80 yards, an increase of ten per cent.

Under ‘tariff two’, the £2.90 cost for the first 1540 yards will be increased to £3.20. Additionally, any further 88 yards under tariff two will increase from 12p to 13p.

Under tariff three, which applies to travelling over the 3-day Christmas holiday and New Year’s Eve / New Year’s Day, the fares from tariff one are doubled, with an increase from £5 to £5.60.  Any additional journey time is also increased, from 20p per 88 yards to 20p per 80 yards.

Across all tariffs, a 25p per minute waiting charge remains the same.

The move was agreed by Cotswold District Council’s Licensing Committee after Council officers consulted and received replies from taxi drivers in April 2008 over their suggestions for an increase.

The Council’s Licensing Committee had put forward a table of proposals for taxi fare increases on July 29th but this was not considered.  The new proposals were agreed after representations from 22 taxi drivers in Cirencester.

Cllr Clive Bennett, Cotswold District Council’s portfolio holder for Safe and Strong Communities, said:
“The Committee agreed to the taxi drivers’ proposals, but I would like to emphasise that the request for a fares increase came from the taxi drivers themselves.
“It should be pointed out that these new proposals are a maximum fare, and taxi companies are at liberty to make changes – depending on their business circumstances – as long as these do not exceed these new fares.”

The increases in taxi fares are the first since October 15th, 2005.

Source: Cotswold District Council