Hackney carriage fares are set to increase in Oldham at the request of drivers, who say they need prices to rise to support the trade.
Fares in the borough have remained ‘static’ since 2012, despite the trade having seen an increase in costs related to licensing, maintaining and running a taxi, a report to cabinet states.
The trade has requested that the council review the fares they are allowed to charge in order to ‘mitigate those costs’.
Taxi drivers had been able to charge a minimum journey cost of £1.60, with 20p for each 45 seconds waiting and 15p for every further 123 yards travelled until midnight, when fares would rise.
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The proposed fares increase would see the minimum rise by 10p to £1.70, with the minimum distance reduced. The number of yards travelled after that for the meter to tick over would also be reduced to 117 yards, which would now cost 20p.
And prices would further increase between midnight and 6am, with the meter going up by 20p every 97 yards.
It means that a daytime two mile journey in the borough which would have cost around £5.40 would now be charged at around £7.
The amount that a driver would be able to charge if a passenger ‘soils the vehicle’ would also increase from a maximum of £25 to £35.
Council leader Amanda Chadderton said: “Hackney carriage fares have remained at the current level since they were last reviewed ten years ago and this is despite increased costs for the drivers, for the trade during the last decade which includes licensing and fuel costs, maintaining and running a taxi.
“In setting the fares we have a responsibility to balance the increase against the needs of the travelling public.
“Trade representatives have shown their support for the relatively modest fare increase.”
Following cabinet approval of the report, Coun Chadderton said a public consultation into the rises will now take place.
“I think we recognise again, taxi drivers were significantly affected during the pandemic but given there hasn’t been a proper review for a decade it was time to do it,” she added.
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