Taxi fare increase approved for Aberdeenshire

Taxi fares across Aberdeenshire are to rise by 10 per cent despite calls they should be increased further to help drivers facing increasing costs.

Members of the council’s licensing sub-committee met recently to discuss the proposed changes.

Now the first 880 yards of a standard journey will start at £3, up from the current £2.70.

While late night trips between 10pm and 6am will jump from £3.70 to £4.30.

Festive fares will also leap from £4 to £4.60 and will be in force throughout all weekends in December.

However Stewart Wight, chairman of the Aberdeenshire Taxi and Private Hire Association (ATAPHA) and Safedrive Taxis Ltd, suggested the proposed increase wasn’t enough.

He told committee members that a 20 per cent rise would be acceptable due to “huge increases in fuel, insurance, cost of vehicles, operating vehicles and wages”.

“Everything is going up by a far greater percentage than the percentage on the fares themselves,” he added.

Mr Wight also said low fare charges were responsible for the drop in taxis currently on the road across Aberdeenshire.

He said cab numbers were down by 30 per cent in some parts because “people weren’t making a living out of it – even now they are still struggling”.

“I wouldn’t for the life of me want to work as a driver because they’re having to knock their pans out just to make a decent living,” he expressed.

“The minimum wage goes up in April, there will be a lot of people working off ranks in Aberdeenshire who aren’t even making that.”

But he noted that one taxi operator expressed concern about the proposed increase in festive rates.

The worried firm was concerned that older members of the public taking a taxi to go shopping at the weekends would be hit by the festive fare hike.

However ATAPHA members backed the 10 per cent rise, despite saying it was a “small increase” compared to the costs associated with Taxi and private hire operation.

Mid-Formartine councillor Jenny Nicol supported the fare increase, saying it was “much needed” for the trade and would help to relieve pressure on drivers.

While Inverurie and District councillor Marion Ewenson described the 10 per cent rise as “reasonable”.

She added: “I appreciate Mr Wight said 20 per cent but we still want people to be able to afford to actually use taxis.

“They could price themselves out of the market and I think the higher the price goes, the more openings there are for unlicensed, informal arrangements being made.”

The new fares will come into force on April 1.

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