Taxi Driver Online

Licensing boss defends taxi fee hike



COUNCIL bosses have defended fees charged to taxi drivers in the district after it was revealed they are almost treble that charged by another authority in the county.

An increase of around five per cent to all charges was rubber-stamped by the district council's cabinet this week - taking the fee for renewal of a Hackney Carriage vehicle licence to £377 and to £294 for renewal of a private hire licence.

This stands in stark contrast to the lowest charging authority in the county - Rugby Borough Council which is currently £145.

Stratford Taxi Association secretary, Juana Everett, said there appeared to be no reason for the difference and accused the council of not being able to produce any evidence to justify a further increase.

In her representations to the cabinet on behalf of the association, which represents drivers across the district, she said: "How can the council be a listening council when it ignores factual information the trade is already under severe pressure from the rising cost of vehicle insurance and fuel?

"The trade is already paying, by a significant margin, the highest fees in the whole of the county and yet the council intends that we are to pay even more."

Ms Everett also warned an increase in fares could be a consequence of the fee rises.

But Stratford District Council's licensing manager, Michelle Baird, said the fees were aimed at keeping the service self-sufficient so tax-payers were not footing the bill.

She said: "We want to keep the service cost neutral and I cannot speak on behalf of other authorities but our service is certainly more cost neutral than others.

"I don't think council tax payers would be very pleased if they were having to foot the bill for the licences of taxi drivers and we have to find a way of subsidising the service.

"The rise is under five per cent and that is for a two year period because we didn't put it up last year. That rise is well below inflation."

Ms Baird said despite the fees the service still operated at a loss of around £70,000 last year and she said the paying out of court fees for recent legal challenges to the licensing policy had impacted on the budget.

source: http://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/

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

Ours is £135 for a hackney or a PH.

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Grandad,

wow thats cheap I presume you have to pay seperately for your compliance checks

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Sorry I made a mistake. It is actually £123 for the plates. We do pay seperatly for the vehicle inspection.

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Grandad,

Manchester Hackneys pay average £410 hackney renewal. We have over one thousand cabs, so our Licensing get nearly half a million just of Hackney Renewal. They get much more off private hire as their number are double ours.

I paid £195 at last renewal but ours goes up by at least inflation every year usuallt July/August time so no doubt we will get a letter soon telling us how much they've put it up by

Compliance tests cost £59 each but if you drive to a neighbouring town you can get them for £45

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector