An increase in Falkirk taxi fares is to be brought forward as quickly as possible to help drivers cope with the soaring cost of petrol and diesel as the war in Ukraine continues.
Taxi tariffs are set by the council in a legal process that usually takes months of research and consultation.
But spiralling prices at the pumps mean that drivers cannot wait that long to raise their prices and Falkirk Council's executive agreed on Tuesday that a quicker timeline was necessary.
The process will still need to be followed, including consultation, and if there are any issues raised, this will got to the June meeting of Falkirk Council rather than waiting for the next executive.
Councillor Laura Murtagh urged the executive to agree to speed up the process, given the exceptional circumstances.
She said: "Naturally, the situation over the last few weeks and the record-breaking daily increases in fuel costs bring further further cause for concern and waiting for a full tariff review - which can take several months before coming into force - would not be desirable given the gap until a new executive next meets."
The matter was raised as part of a full review of the council's policies that has been undertaken by a cross-party panel, led by Councillor Murtagh.
Its main focus was making sure that Falkirk taxis start moving towards either electric or low emission vehicles - and also to ensure that there are enough wheelchair accessible vehicles to meet demand.
But members also had to take into account the needs of a trade that has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and make sure that any changes would keep taxi firms viable.
Cllr Murtagh noted that it was important to take an "incremental, phased approach" - hence the panel's suggestion that the move to electric vehicles (EVs) happens over the next six years.
Cllr Murtagh said: "The direction of travel is clear and EVs are increasing in range, affordability and availability but with only two EVs in Falkirk, officers are being asked to bring back a report looking at how to incentivise taxi owners to make the switch."
The panel has also suggested that ten per cent of taxis belonging to multi-plate operators must be wheelchair accessible and this will be part of the consultation.
Cllr Murtagh added: "I believe that taken together these measures represent a balanced, fair and ambitiously progressive set of proposals that can be realistically implemented while focusing on the need for a just transition."
Before any consultation begins, council offers have been asked to look at what sort of incentives can be offered to taxi owners to encourage them to make the switch to electric vehicles.
Councillors heard that might include the development of Falkirk Council’s EV charging infrastructure plan to integrate with the needs of the taxi trade in the future.
Councillor Gordon Hughes said that the cross-party panel had been "an excellent model of collaborative leadership" and that every member had been "insightful and diligent" in looking at the issues raised.
