Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers win battle to increase fares

TAXI drivers have finally won their battle to increase charges to help cover the rising costs that came with the council takeover.

Since Vale Royal was encorporated into Cheshire West and Chester Council, in April, 2009, Hackney cab drivers in Winsford and Northwich have fought for the right to put their prices up, claiming that costs have risen under the new council.

Drivers in Chester can charge up to £3.90 for the first mile, so five drivers joined forces and made a formal application to CWAC to increase daytime fares from £2.30 to £3, evening fares from £3.45 to £4, and bring the start time for night rates forward from 11.30pm to 10.30pm.

The licensing committee recommended the move for approval by the council’s executive, which gave it the go-ahead on Friday.

One driver, who did not wish to be named, said the increase was necessary to cover their costs which have risen significantly since the take over of CWAC.

He said: “Since the amalgamation, the trade has been suffering increases in various licence fees — some by over 50 per cent.

“Fuel is a major cost and prices are again rising. And the proposed 10.30pm introduction of tariff two is to compensate for the alteration of the opening hours of bars and clubs, which have changed significantly over the past three years.”

The new fares — which are the first rise since 2008 — will be in place within two months.

Megan Renshaw, 21, of Davenham, previously used taxis to get home from a night out in Northwich but has started using a designated driver to save cash.

She said: “This is just going to encourage more people to share drivers, so they’ll lose business.”

source: http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/

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

Perhaps she'd like to see taxis run as a charity for pi$$ heads

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I wonder how long the designated driver situation will last or before one of them gets done for drink driven

Not sure where the paper got this from but it wasn`t even on the agenda last week.

_________________
http://chestertaxicall.co.uk

Yeah, they spend £70 a night on beer but don't want to spend £5-£7 on a taxi to get home.

Putting fares up in the present economic climate is just plain daft.... We all know (if we are really honest about it) that the trade in general has been stuffed by it's own stupidity, greed, and inability to agree as whole, so it will be a matter of the strongest and fittest will survive...... No two bones about it