Shropshire taxi drivers request permission to raise fares to cope with cost of living

Shropshire Council's licensing committee approved a formal consultation on a rise in the maximum fares which drivers of black cabs in the authority's area are allowed to charge, known as the rate card.

The consultation is set to get underway on July 1.

The proposal would see incremental rate increases for most journeys, with the maximum rate drivers could charge during normal daytime hours (between 7am and 11pm) rising from £1.80 per mile to £2.

Nighttime rates would rise similarly, from the current rate of £2.80 to £3 per mile. Holiday rates, which apply over Christmas, New Year and Easter Sunday, would rise from £3.30 to £3.50 per mile.

The current rates for “flag down” and first mile, the standard base charge for customers when hailing a black cab, would remain the same.

The rate card charges last increased in the county in October 2022.

“The proposed Hackney Carriage Table of Fares… is considered fair and reasonable when balanced with the rise in fuel prices and the cost of living,” council licensing manager Mandy Beever told the authority’s licensing committee.

“Consideration has been made for the impact any increase in hackney carriage fares may have on the travelling public for the same reasons it has on the hackney carriage proprietors themselves.

“To offset changes in the marketplace and for hackney carriage proprietors to retain their existing customer base they have the ability to charge up to the maximum amount on the hackney carriage fare card. This allows them to negotiate a reasonable price with their regular customers and retain their custom, whilst still enabling them to gain a margin of profit.

“The council set the tariff card and it’s the maximum fee that can be charged. Any negotiations can be had with members of the public with the drivers, as long as they don’t go over the fees on the tariff card,” she added.

The move follows a period of informal discussions with black cab operators in the area, the council says. Subject to the consultation, the new fees will come into force on September 4.

If objections are received during the consultation period, the move will be delayed until the committee have considered the objections at their October meeting.