Passengers Hit By 6.5% Taxi Fare Rise
22nd September 2008
Thousands of Glasgow passengers have been hit by a massive taxi fare hike as new charges come into force.
The new pricing structure for hackney cabs sees fares rise by 6.5%.
The standard cost on a taxi meter will now be £2 for a distance of 850 yards rather than the previous 906 yards. The fare will then increase at a faster rate, with passengers having to pay an extra 20p for every 249 yards.
Passengers would have noticed the increase from last week as the first drivers had their meters adjusted to the new charges.
Licensing bosses agreed to the increase in the summer but council chiefs removed the charge for large luggage over 56lbs and decided not to increase the extras added on to a fare.
The 6.5% rise has prompted fury among some drivers as it is near half what they wanted.
A 44-year-old Partick driver, who asked not to be named, said: "To say we're hacked-off is an understatement. The price of diesel is crippling us and that's before we start looking at maintenance, cleaning and repair bills.
"We had hoped for more because of the hike in fuel. There's not a lot we can do, we'll just need to work longer hours to make ends meet."
Glasgow Taxis owns around 970 hackney cabs and last month estimated the average taxi fuel bill had increased by £160 a month.
Bosses also said they were being driven out of business by high diesel prices and called for a far greater rise of 12%.
Hugh McAdams, treasurer of Glasgow Taxis, today confirmed the rise, which will be gradually introduced as meters are adjusted.
He said: "The yardage has been adjusted from 906 yards to 850 yards to reflect the 6.5% rise.
"The increase will not even compensate drivers for the horrendous and extraordinary fuel rise of about £6 a day. It doesn't even meet their increased fuel costs, never mind anything else."
A council spokesman said: "The Licensing and Regulatory Committee initially considered a request for an increase to the taxi tariff in July and, following the advertisement of proposals, a decision was taken to approve a new rate in August."
Source; Evening Times
Brummie Cabbie writes; Some of the comments about this news item on the above Internet link are quite strong. I wonder how many of those who have made comments would do our job in the middle of the night.
Login
Register
FAQ
