Breckland Taxi Fares Set To Rise
26th August 2008
Taxi fares in Breckland could become some of the highest in East Anglia if councillors give the go-ahead to a fare hike.
Next week district councillors will be asked to approve an increase in fares for all hackney carriages operating in Breckland.
The report put before Breckland's general purposes committee states: “The implication of refusing the application would be that the hackney trade would suffer financial hardship due to increased fuel and associated operational costs.”
But should the move be given the go-ahead then those who use taxis will be forced to pay up to an extra 6.67pc.
A table contained in the report, comparing districts around the region, already puts Breckland as one of the most expensive.
Someone using a taxi for a five-mile journey in Breckland will pay £10.20 whereas in King's Lynn and West Norfolk they would only pay around £8.54. The average price in East Anglia is £9.45.
If the proposed fare increases go ahead, then the same five-mile journey using a Breckland licensed hackney carriage, would go up to £10.85.
Taxi drivers asked the council, their licensing authority, for the fares to be increased and for prices to be annually reviewed in October, as the last fare increase was in February 2006.
Following a consultation, 29 out of the 33 owners of taxi companies asked, were in favour of the rise.
Last month Breckland Council added 20p on to the cost of each journey taken, as a temporary measure to reflect the rising cost of fuel, but drivers accused council chiefs of making a “half-hearted effort”.
There is no mention in the report of the recent decrease in the cost of fuel.
The general purposes committee will decide on Wednesday, September 3, whether to approve the increase.
Source; EDP24.co.uk
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