Cost of living: Cardiff taxi drivers call for fares rise

Taxis in Cardiff could cost up to 32% more during the evenings and weekends if the proposals are approved

Taxi drivers want to increase their fares by up to a third to help them cope with cost of living crisis.

Cardiff Council will decide on the Hackney Carriage Alliance proposal at a meeting on Thursday.

Their plans involve setting three different tariffs, with the highest increase of 32% during the evenings and weekends.

Any objections would need to be considered by cabinet before any changes to the tariffs are made.

The Hackney Carriage Alliance wants the starting tariff to increase by £1 from £2.50 to £3.50, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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Proposals also include a waiting time charge increase from 20p for 48 seconds, to 30p for 30 seconds, and an increase in the charge for soiling the vehicle from £50 to £60.

The application by The Hackney Carriage Alliance is above the rate of inflation since the previous increase, but the association argues its operating costs over this period have increased significantly due to the cost of fuel.

If it goes ahead there there would be three different tariffs depending on when the customer wants to travel:

• Tariff one for usual daytime travel during the weekdays

• Tariff two for weekday evenings and weekends during the day

• Tariff three for weekday nights, weekend evenings and bank holidays

Based on the proposal, the cost of an average three-mile journey will increase by 21.8% during the day, 32.1% during the evening and weekends, and 28.4% during the night and bank holidays.

If the cabinet approves the increase, the variation in the tariff will be advertised for 14 days to give the opportunity for people to object.

If no objections are received, it is anticipated the new fares would start on 1 September.

If objections are received, the objections would have to be considered by cabinet before any changes to the tariffs are made.

The council's cabinet will make a decision on the proposals at a meeting on Thursday.