Wolverhampton black cab fares set to increase for first time in years
Black cab drivers in Wolverhampton will be given permission to increase fares for the first time in years, with new tariffs coming into effect from April 1.
At a meeting of the council’s regulatory committee on January 19, members approved a consultation over increases to the maximum chargeable Hackney Carriage fares within the city.
In a report to the committee, licensing manager Greg Bickerdike said: “The maximum fares charged by Hackney Carriage services can be set by the local authority in which they are licensed to trade. However, the authority has no legal power to control private hire vehicle fares.
“A consultation ran from January 27 to February 9 and three objections were made. The first objection argued that the proposed fares are too expensive for customers and will reduce trade.
“It should be noted that Birmingham’s fares have not been increased since 2012 and it is not considered a sufficient increase for drivers, given the inflationary pressures felt since Wolverhampton’s last fare increase. As such, this objection is recommended to be rejected.
“The proposed increase was not requested by the council, but was presented by representatives of the Hackney Carriage trade at the trade group.
“Another objection proposed an alternative fee structure, which is more expensive for customers and redefines the night rate as from 6pm. It also proposed doubling Tariff 1 over the Christmas period, which the trade group rejected,” the report added.
“The third objection suggested an alternative fee structure which is cheaper for customers but provides no recognition for Saturday working.”
The proposed fares are the maximum that can be charged to customers by drivers in the city. They are free to quote a reduced rate at the beginning of the journey, as well as – or instead of – discounting the final fare upon arrival. However, a driver may not request more than is shown on the meter.
“Given that there have only been three objections to the proposals and the trade group have given their approval to the proposed fares, it is recommended that no changes be made to these proposals,” said Mr Bickerdike.
However, in a letter to the council, one unnamed driver said: “I have been in this trade for over 20 years and have seen the great challenges it has faced – especially since private hire companies facilitated the use of online app-based bookings, including the likes of Uber affecting the market.
“Customers don’t take as many Hackney cabs as they used to, due to the ease of access and cheap bookings available from app-based booking.
“Our business does not have any competitive advantage to private hire trade and in fact, our only advantage to is that we have the railway station rank and Market Street rank for people to catch a cab.
“Futhermore, footfall has severely reduced and with everyone having access to mobiles, people can have a private hire taxi to hand whenever they need it.
“The only additional advantage we have is that we endeavour to pick up customers on time in the majority of cases compared to private hire taxis. Yet, this is not a really a major selling point,” he added.
“I believe these prices are not competitive for the market. They will price us out against private hire taxis and will just upset more customers who will turn towards private hire taxis.
“This will have a substantial negative affect on our trade and will force lots of drivers to leave, as it won’t be sustainable for them to operate their vehicles.”
The committee is recommended to approve the fares increase at its next meeting on March 16.
The proposed new Hackney Carriage fares are:
Tariff 1
Monday to Friday (6am-10pm): First 1/4 mile – £3.30. Additional miles: £2.00 (in 10p increments).
Tariff 2
Monday to Thursday (10pm-6am following day); Saturday/Sunday (6am- 10pm); Bank Holidays (6am-10pm): First 1/4 mile – £3.50. Additional miles: £2.20 (in 10p increments).
Tariff 3
Friday to Sunday (10pm-6am following day); Night before a Bank Holiday (10pm-6am following day); Bank Holidays (10pm-6am following day); December 24 to December 27 (6am-6am); December 31 to January 2 (6pm-6am): First 1/4 mile – £3.50. Additional miles: £2.60 (in 10p increments).
Other charges
Waiting time (every 30 seconds): 10p; Soiling charge: up to £50.
The Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA) estimates the industry is now 160,000 drivers short of the previous 300,000-strong workforce – suggesting more than half of private hire drivers have not returned to the trade since the pandemic.
