Taxi Driver Online

Proposed fare increases necessary due to cost of living and Uber, taxi drivers claim


Borough taxis would be most expensive in county if approved


Cabbies in a Leicestershire borough say a potential fare rise, which could make them the most expensive in the county, is vital to offset the cost-of-living crisis and Uber’s increased presence. The Hinckley Area Taxi Association has asked Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council to consider new tariffs, with the public now set to give their opinion following an initial approval by the council’s executive committee.

In a document presented to the committee last week, taxi drivers said they are requesting the increase due to higher costs for fuel, car maintenance, new vehicles and insurance premiums, as well as competition from Uber. The borough’s taxi rate was last increased in 2022.

The association has put forward two proposals for the increase, which would see the fare for a two-mile journey rise from the current £6.40 to either £7.40 or £7.90. This would take the borough’s taxis from among the cheapest in the country, at 267 out of 337 authorities, to being the most expensive in the county, and in the top 100 highest fares in the UK.

But the chair of the association says the increase is necessary to attract younger people into the profession, adding most Leicestershire councils have not reviewed their fares since 2022, and will likely be moving to raise their own tariffs very soon. Speaking to LeicestershireLive about the potential fare increase, Tina Duane added: “We try to keep fares as low as we can but when we’re not making any profits and we’re trying to run offices, we’re in a position where we have to make that decision.

“The metre price is only a guideline. With regular customers, for example elderly and disabled customers who we see on a weekly or daily basis, they usually don’t have to pay the full metre price. Day-to-day customers are the bread and butter, but we do try and cater for everybody really.”
In a letter to the council, she cited the cost-of-living crisis impacting essential running costs, such as cab upkeep, fuel, insurance, taxi office costs and more, saying prices had “gone through the roof”. The letter said the association wants to attract younger people into the workforce and that getting “revenue flowing into the industry” was necessary to ensure this happens.

In the letter, Ms Duane also blamed the presence of Uber in the local area, saying: “Recently, Uber has flooded our town showing a strong presence in our area. They are supposed to operate on a private hire basis via the Uber app. Often this has not been the case and, quite regularly, they have been witnessed picking up passengers off the street without prior booking.”

A spokesperson for Uber strenuously denied their drivers are picking people up from the street without a booking, saying: “Uber operates according to the high standards set across the industry and abides by the same regulations as all other private hire operators.

“Private hire drivers licensed in England and Wales can legally pick up and drop off passengers anywhere as long as the trip is pre-booked and the driver holds a private hire driver’s licence issued by a local council. Uber also leads the industry in providing every driver a pension, holiday pay and sickness protection.”

The spokesperson also said they had no reports of drivers picking up passengers from the street, and that it was not something the company would "condone or benefit from". They added that it was “totally against the community guidelines which drivers have to accept”, and that all Uber rides must be booked through the app.

The proposed fare increases will now be advertised to the public, with any objections being considered by the council before a final decision is made.

source: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/proposed-fare-increases-necessary-due-9565359

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

they didn't just deny is, they strenuously denied it, so that nice

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

I think the claims of becoming the most expensive in the UK might be a tad exagerated as traditionally cabbies from London and Luton are the moist expensive

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

in total fairness, its an extremely good advertorial for Uber

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

I think you did the same as me edders, I read it as the most expensive in the COUNTRY instead of COUNTY first time as well

How would Uber know if cars on their app pick up illegally, or not as the case may be?

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IDFIMH

Sussex, also wondering how the HC trade know that Uber are picking up off the street without a booking

Yes, the relevant passage in the article is a tad nuanced, and doesn't lend itself to skim reading.

And, I mean, when I first read Edders' contribution I was sure he said 'moist expensive', but when I reread it it said, er, 'moist expensive'

Not that it's a good idea to habitually point out minor spelling errors but I'm sure there's something Freudian going on there

But, I mean, when an article in the supposedly professional press misspells the word 'meter' as 'metre' twice, then us amateurs can be forgiven the odd clanger

Quite simple really. it happens all the time. You only have to open the uber passenger app and put a journey in and you will get a map showing where all the available cars are. You can then follow one and see where it goes. if it is still on the screen it does not have a booking so if it stops and someone gets in and the car is still on the screen there was no UBER booking.
Apart from that some of the drivers are so brazen they even tell other drivers that they do it all the time and passengers in your car also tell you.

I cringed when I saw that in the article.

Thanks for the info on the Uber app, Grandad. Kind of thing I'd be semi-obsessed with looking at if we had Uber here, but luckily we don't (I don't doubt there a lot of illegitimate hires going on, but on the other hand I'd guess some runs claimed as illegitimate by some are in fact legal hires.)

Although if Uber do ever start up in Dundee (no sign of launch yet, so I suppose it's a bit like Uber navigating the 'convoluted' rules like in Aberdeen - and by 'convoluted' I suspect they mean not being able to draft in a fleet of drivers badged in the likes of Wolverhampton or Sefton - the rules are no more convoluted than in Glasgow and Edinburgh, where they've been operating for years, although maybe quality barriers are a bit lower there than in Aberdeen and Dundee), no doubt there will be a bit more Ubering in St Andrews, so that might be a good time to register the app )

And inbetween obsessing about spelling mistakes etc, I'd forgotten there was actually trade stuff in the article as well and meant to post this 24 hours ago when I was last able to connect to the site

So, aye, they're losing work to Uber, so obviously putting fares up is a great idea to stop losing work to Uber

And, while I'm sure it's just me as usual, not a good idea to ask for a fare rise on the basis that you'd actually be discounting a lot of the runs, both before and after the rise

There is the thing Stuart, we don't have UBER here either. They are licensed elsewhere but come here because their areas are saturated.