Taxi Driver Online

Either I'm irredeemably thick, or...


Perth and Kinross taxi fares look set to increase by 7.5 per cent

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/loca ... k-31489834

Members of the public will have a month to respond before the new scale of fares is implemented

Perth and Kinross councillors have agreed a 7.5 per cent increase to taxi tariffs.

In October, Perth and Kinross Licensing Committee agreed to consult on a proposal for the additional yards across all tariffs to revert to 10p rather than the current 12p as it had proved a "headache" for customers and operators alike.

However - following the consultation - the committee has now agreed to retain the 12p rate proposal.

Perth and Kinross Council's Licensing Committee agreed the proposed changes at a meeting on Monday, November 13 on the recommendation of council officers. The council has a statutory duty to review its scales of fares and taxi-related charges every 18 months.

Following the October 2 meeting of the committee, taxi operators - with meters fitted in their vehicles - were given the option of a six per cent increase, 7.5 per cent increase or no increase at all on their tariffs.

Solicitor Moina McLaren told the committee: "They indicated they would prefer an increase of 7.5 per cent."

As a result of the consultation responses a number of recommendations were made including a U-turn on the additional yardage tariff. In October councillors approved a proposal to consult on the charge for additional yards across all tariffs reverting to 10p rather than 12p. At the October meeting Licensing manager Debra Gilkison confirmed The Taxi Federation Group was willing to revert to the lower 10p tariff to save issues looking for loose change.

She told the committee: "It's the same yardage. They're quite willing to come down. It's just a bit of a headache with giving change to members of the public."

However - following more detailed work - officers at the November 13 meeting instead recommended the committee approve the 12p tariff proposal.

Addressing the committee on November 13, Ms McLaren said: "On reviewing the report and after more detailed work was undertaken, it was discovered that by reducing the yardage by 12p to 10p would effectively wipe out any proposed increase in the overall fares. This point has been discussed with the chair of the trade association and the licensing staff felt this was not what was intended by the trade and would adversely impact the sustainability of the service. So officers are asking this recommendation is removed."

She added: "Once the review goes out to the public and they are advertised, if there are no adverse comments or representations from the public then after the advertising the new scale will be implemented by the head of service without the need for it to come back to committee."

Convener SNP Bailie Mike Williamson moved the recommended changes for approval, seconded by SNP councillor Iain MacPherson. The proposals were unanimously approved.

The new scale of fares will be advertised in the local press and interested parties will have a month to respond.

For a start, that's not the 'yardage'. Second, presumably the aim was to get rid of the 12p increments, and they could easily do that by making them 10p and adjusting the yardage accordingly to both take account of the lower increment and raise the tariff at the same time

And, anyway, if it was up to me there would be no increments less than 20p on any meter

Indeed.

It must be thick as pigs sh** week up there.

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IDFIMH

When I started here in the NE Fife zone, we had pennies on the increments

Then they consolidated the fares across the whole of Fife, and we got 20p increments on T1

But our T2 is 25% on T1, so some of the meters were programmed for 25p increments on T2, while others used 20p on T2 but with the yardage reduced from T1.

So basically the same result, but some meters cranking up 25p on T2, while others cranking up 20p but at a lower yardage. I suppose the 25p method is slightly more consistent with the wording on the tariff card, but from the drivers' point of view 20p increments are a lot better than 25p.

(But which the council ruined anyway a few years later by setting the flagfall at £3.95 , so *every* T2 fare ended up with a 5p at the end if your meter was cranking up at 20p

In which case, 25p increments would be slightly better than 20p. Half the time you would end up without a 5p showing on the meter )

(And, of course, from the passenger perspective the 20p/25p increments thing would depend on the exact length of the trip - in some cases a 20p increment would work out cheaper for them, and vice versa. But it all averages out in the end.)