Committee reaches decision on taxi charges
“TIME-AND-A-HALF” hackney taxi rides in South Lakeland will continue to apply from midnight until 7am.
Members on South Lakeland District Council’s licensing committee yesterday voted to reverse their original decision, made in January, to apply the premium 50 per cent charge from 11pm until 6am.
The committee did, however, stand by its decision to increase fares for journeys up to one mile from £2.70 to £3. Each subsequent mile will continue to cost £2.
Those are the maximum rates – firms may charge less if they wish – and apply to each of the district’s 186 hackney carriage firms.
The decision to keep charging time-and-a-half from midnight pleased Paul Davey, owner of Ulverston-based A2B Taxis, who claimed bringing the charge forward by an hour would affect custom and encourage more people to use the cheaper Barrow hackney taxis.
He told the Evening Mail: “The councillors seem to have gone halfway to meet both parties and that seems the sensible thing to have done.”
However, Sarah Ibbetson, director of Windermere Taxis, said the decision to freeze the “running mile” at a maximum of £2 – which it has been since 2004, despite fuel price increases – will “crucify” taxi drivers in the central Lakes area.
She told the meeting in Kendal: “We really need an increase in the running mile to bring us near to something that’s a living wage. Some drivers in Windermere this winter have been working 90 to 100 hours a week just to earn a living.”
Councillor James Airey, who represents Low Furness on SLDC, urged members to vote for the premium fare tariff to apply from midnight.
He told the meeting: “We need to consider not only the effect charging more from 11pm would have on taxi businesses, but on the general public who are facing increased taxation across the board.
“The nightlife in Ulverston is also extremely important and (by charging double from 11pm) you’re encouraging people to come home early.”
Councillor Clare Feeney-Johnson, who represents Kendal Nether on SLDC, told the meeting the norm across England is for increased fares to apply from 10pm.
She said: “That is widely acceptable across the vast majority of the country.”
Councillor Norman Bishop-Rowe, who represents Ulverston Central on SLDC, urged members to stick with the increase to £3 for the first mile because of rises in fuel prices.
He told the meeting: “As we sit here, the chancellor is going through his budget and pundits have indicated they expect fuel prices to reach £1.40 per litre by the summer.”
Councillors voted five to one in favour of charging double fares from midnight and charging a maximum of £3 for the first mile.
source:
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/
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