City-wide taxi fares could rise from April

A request has been made to increase taxi fares in Sunderland from April

Taxi fares across Sunderland may rise from April.

Next week, city council officials will discuss increasing the maximum fares that traditional taxis, also known as Hackney carriages, can charge.

Sunderland Hackney Carriage Operators’ Association (SHCOA) has made a formal request to the local authority to raise prices. This follows an increase in 2023.

Trevor Hines, from Station Taxis, said that on average the fare rises sought by the group were about 6.4%.

SHCOA described the reasons for the proposed fare increase in a letter to the council, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

This included “the need to cover our increased operating costs during the present cost-of-living crisis” and meet rising insurance premiums.

For all one-mile journeys, SHCOA is calling for a 20p increase, as well as different rises depending on the time of day journeys take place.

Mr Hines said: "It must be remembered that taxi booking apps like Uber apply 'surge pricing' at peak periods."

SHCOA is also seeking to increase the waiting time rate for vehicles from 20p per minute to 30p.

If councillors approve the rise next week, there will be a notice period to allow for objections to be made.

Assuming any objections are resolved, the fare rises will come info effect on 1 April.