Swindon residents could be facing a hike in taxi fares from October after councillors gave the green light to a £1 increase in the standard fare minimum charge.
The increase will see the minimum fare for the first quarter mile rise by £1 from £4.50 to £5.50 on the standard day rate.
The minimum fair on the right rate will increase by 60p from £5,90 to £6.50 and the minimum fare for the nights of Christmas and New Year will go up from £6.50 to £7.50.
The per-minute rate for all three rates will stay the same.
The borough council’s head of regulatory services Kate Bishop told members of the committee that a journey of two miles at the day rate would increase in cost from £7.70 to £8.70, which would be more expensive than the same journey in Oxford, West Berkshire or Cheltenham, but less than one in the Vale of White Horse, Reading or London.
The decision comes after a request from the hackney carriage trade to help taxi drivers cope with rising fuel costs.
Before the increase comes into effect, it must be approved by the council’s cabinet following a public consultation.
Councillors also voted to relax a policy requiring all taxis to be wheelchair accessible by 2034.
The policy adopted said that drivers with saloon cars could keep them for 10 years from April 2024 – the council’s policy is that all taxis should not be older than 10 years – at which point they would have to get a wheelchair accessible vehicle
The possibility of a legal challenge has seen that clause removed. In its place is a clause which means those who already have a licensed saloon car can keep it until it is 10 years old, and if they buy a new saloon within that time, it can also be operated until it is 10 year's old.
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