Reading taxi fare increase coming after one objection

Reviews of fares for Hackney Carriages, more commonly referred to as black cabs, take place periodically to take into account inflation, fuel prices and other pressures.

In the summer, taxi drivers and councillors agreed that there should be an eight per cent increase for day fares and 10 per cent increase of night fares.

After journeys begin, a 20p charge would come into effect every 123 yards, rather than the 133 yards at the moment.

But before the increases could be implemented, Reading Borough Council had to hold a statutory consultation.

Now the price rise has been approved after just one regular taxi user objected.

Justifying their opposition, the objector said: “I don't think black cab drivers need a pay rise as they have already had one and most employees only have one once a year.

"You don't want to put people off getting a black cab especially as money is very tight at the moment for a lot of people and the cost of living is going up all the time.

"I'm a regular user of black cabs and I will have to seek other options to get home."

Black cab drivers queuing at a taxi rank in Garrard Street, Reading town centre. Credit: James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporting Service

However, the objector's arguments were rebuffed at a council licensing applications committee meeting where the fare increases were agreed.

Taxi driver Imran Ali said: "The email from the objector is subjective, based on personal feeling and opinion.

"The fare increase we had was for the cost of fuel."

The last price rise was implemented in October 2022, where the starting charge, called the ‘flag drop’ was increased by £1.

READ MORE: Reading taxi 'flag drops' increased as alternative proposal is shot down

Mr Ali argued that the increase 'wasn't enough to cover the shortfall'.

The objector stated that employees of companies only have pay raises once a year.

To that argument, Mr Ali pointed out that taxi drivers are not employees, but 'self-employed sole traders'.

Mr Ali also noted that the objector did not attend the meeting to express their feelings in person.

Ultimately, councillors sided with the taxi drivers' proposals for the price rise.

Councillor Tony Page (Labour, Abbey) commented that it was "quintessentially British" that one objection necessitated a discussion to make the price rise official.

However, cllr Page accepted that allowing objections is part of the 'democratic process', commenting that the taxi drivers had made their case for the fare increase well.

The fare increases will come into force on Tuesday, October 3.

Councillors unanimously voted for the price increases at the meeting on Thursday, September 28.