Fee rises making it hard to operate, say taxi drivers

Bury's private-hire drivers association urged the council to reconsider the fee rise

Rises in taxi-licensing fees are making it "increasingly hard to operate", taxi drivers in Bury have said.

A new fee schedule due to come into operation in May has been delayed due to opposition from drivers and private-hire operators.

Thousands of Greater Manchester drivers are registered instead in Wolverhampton, where fees are lower.

A Bury Council panel will meet to discuss taxi-licensing fees next week. Bury is in Greater Manchester.

The authority approved increases in fees and charges for 2023-24 in February.

The change would see a yearly licence for a taxi that is more than three years old rise from £294 to £320, while operators with more than three vehicles would see their yearly licence fee rise from £410 to £450.

The borough's private-hire-drivers association said Bury's fees were higher than other licensing authorities, such as Wolverhampton, and urged the council to reconsider.

Latest figures show that of 21,853 private-hire drivers who are licensed with the City of Wolverhampton Council, 4,049, of those were registered at the time of their application as being in Greater Manchester, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The association called for "a fair and reasonable charging structure" in Bury.

£45,000 less

"We understand that the cost of licensing is essential for the provision of regulatory resources and necessary services," the association said in its objection.

"The charges are making it difficult for our members and partners to continue operating.

"[Meanwhile] Wolverhampton licence-holders working in Greater Manchester take full advantage of [Wolverhampton's] low-cost licensing structure."

There are currently 752 private-hire vehicles, 33 hackney-carriage vehicles and 28 private-hire operators licensed in Bury.

A spokesperson for Bury Council said the cost of the taxi-licensing service for the financial year 2022-23 was £372,000 and the income received by the service was £45,000 less.

The authority said it was working to balance the books and because the costs for the service will increase in 2023-24 due to inflation, fees and charges also needed to be increased.

If approved next Thursday the additional income from fees in 2023-24 is estimated at £13,180.

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