Taxi fares increased for hackney cab passengers

No-one responded to a public consultation on fare rises

Taxi fares in South Gloucestershire have increased by 2.55% after no-one responded to a public consultation on the fees.

The higher fares have been introduced for hackney carriages, which passengers can hail in the street or catch at a rank.

Private hire vehicles, such as those ordered via the Uber and Bolt apps, are not impacted by the fare changes.

The fare increase was approved by South Gloucestershire Council and began on Tuesday.

The council's public consultation was advertised in local newspapers, on its website and in messages to taxi drivers, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council licensing service manager Lily Brine said similar consultations in recent years also prompted few responses.

When asked if she was surprised no-one responded, she said: "Honestly, no I wasn't.

"Based on our previous consultations on fees, charges and tariffs, we don't usually get a particularly high response to the consultations."

New fares

• £2.40 - the initial cost of hiring a hackney carriage. This covers the first 115m (377ft) of a journey

• 20p - the charge for either every additional 111m (364ft) or 26.7 seconds of waiting

• £1.70 - an additional rate added between 18:00 and 06:00 on weekdays and from 18:00 on Fridays until 06:00 on Mondays

The rise in fares comes after the number of traditional taxis in South Gloucestershire fell.

The council said this was partly due to the rise of ride-hailing apps and private hire vehicles, which face less regulation than hackney carriages.

"When I first joined licensing, we had probably had 350 hackneys. It's now down to about 50," Ms Brine added.

"With private hire vehicles, because of the way that society and technology has changed, it's gone very much towards private hire and those pre-booked journeys rather than hackney carriages picking up at the side of the road."