Follow PHTM
Posted on the 25th February 2025 in PHTM News
SUNDERLAND TAXI FARES SET TO RISE AS DRIVERS LAY OUT REASONS WHY
Proposals to increase some hackney carriage fares and charges on Wearside have taken a step closer to becoming a reality, following a decision by city councillors.
At a Licensing and Regulatory Committee at City Hall on 17 February, Sunderland City Council agreed to launch a formal notice period for revised taxi fares and charges.
A council report states that a new request from the Sunderland Hackney Carriage Operators’ Association (SHCOA) asked to increase the ‘flag fall’ across the city’s three main tariffs.
A request was also made to increase extra charges for luggage (excluding wheelchair and pushchairs which are free) from 20p to 40p per article of luggage, as well as increasing charges for dogs or other animals from 20p to 40p per animal (with the exception of accompanied assistance dogs).
The request included a 20p increase in the extra charge for “each adult in excess of two in number” and for the “summoning of a vehicle where the hirer has been informed of the charge”.
The waiting time “for each period of 60 seconds” was also proposed to rise by 10p, from 30p to 40p.
Council documents also confirm no variations were being sought for the ‘fouling of vehicle’ charge, which will stay at its current maximum charge of £70.
Trevor Hines, of the Sunderland Hackney Carriage Operators’ Association, set out the “necessary and justified”reasons behind the proposed increases via a letter published on the city council’s website: the rising costs of “repairs, parts, labour, energy and taxi insurance premiums” and the “almost prohibitive cost of a replacement wheelchair accessible vehicle”.
Councillors were told that the fare increases sought were less than last year and only applied to the “flag fall” and that in effect, each fare would be “20p more” under the proposals.
Mr Hines said the proposals had followed consultation with the taxi trade and vehicle owners / operators across Sunderland and Washington, and that the Washington trade were “very much in favour of applying for an increase”.
However, he added that some independents in Sunderland were a “little bit wary about it because they were worried about the threats from the likes of Uber”.
Mr Hines continued: “All in all, we consider, rightly or wrongly, that this application is reasonable as it is 2.5 per cent maximum and inflation actually is predicted to go up to 2.8 per cent very soon, so costs will increase and will still be increasing.”
The Committee agreed to approve the advertisement of the revised taxi fares. If no objections are made the variations could come into operation as early as April 1, 2025.
Read another story
- HINCKLEY TAXI DRIVER ASSAULTED - POLICE RELEASE CCTV IMAGE
Leicestershire Police is appealing for information after a taxi driver was assaulted and his vehicle damaged in Hinckley town centre on the evening of 18 January.
- ELECTRIC TAXI GRANT EXTENDED AS UK BOOSTS EV FUNDING
The UK government has pledged an additional £120 million to bolster the electric vehicle (EV) sector, with a focus on commercial and accessible transport.
- LPHCA, NPHTA AND EAZITAX ENGAGE WITH HMRC AND DFT ON DIGITAL PLATFORM REPORTING RULES
The meeting was organised by LPHCA as the second major collaborative project in recent weeks with the NPHTA alongside Eazitax, whom we both had worked closely with on other HMRC issues.
- SHEFFIELD MAN FINED OVER £3,800 FOR TRYING TO PASS OFF CAR AS TAXI IN BARNSLEY
Mohammed Sajjad Khan, was caught on Pell Street in Barnsley in on March 10, 2024, trying to ply his Skoda Octavia as a hackney carriage.
- SOFT MERGING - THE ROUTE TO SMALL FIRMS' SURVIVAL
Sevens Callback Cars Wirral reflects on a Year with the Elite Family.
- DRUNK THUG WHO TERRORISED CABBIE IN DEAD-END ROBBERY IN LIVERPOOL JAILED FOR 56 MONTHS
Vincent O'Connor, just one month after being released from prison for a similar offence, choked and robbed Kenneth Green, stealing his day's earnings.
- PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER TO PAY £1,600 FOR ILLEGAL PLYING FOR HIRE AT READING FESTIVAL
Hammad Ashraf Khan Manj, from Slough, offered a ride to Slough train station from near the festival site on Tessa Road.
- GMB SHOWS COMMITMENT TO DRIVERS AT LAUNCH OF ROCHDALE BANGLEDESHI PH AND TAXI ASSOCIATION
The Rochdale event brought together PH and taxi drivers, MPs, Rochdale BC leadership, Trade Union reps, GM Police and community leaders to push for better conditions in the sector.
- BLACKBURN TAXI OR PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLE LICENCES TO BE SUSPENDED FOR FAILED MOTS
This new rule means drivers will be prohibited from operating until the vehicle is repaired and retested.
- ABERDEEN TAXI TEST BRIBERY SCANDAL FUELS LICENSING DEBATE
Kashif Iftikhar, after failing the 80-question Street Knowledge Test a staggering twelve times, offered invigilators between £700 and £800 to pass, according to reports.
- MANCHESTER AIRPORT'S BARRIER-FREE PARKING SYSTEM SPARKS CONTROVERSY
Instead of stopping at barriers, drivers will be logged by ANPR and will have until midnight the following day to pay online or by phone.
- NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME BC ORDERED TO PAY COSTS TO TAXI COMPANY OWNER FOR 'IMPROPER' PROSECUTION
The defendant was the co-owner of Lucky Seven Taxis, operating in the Midlands, which had applied for new operating licences after the death of a co-owner in late 2021.
- WHEELCHAIR TAXI SHORTAGE LEAVES USERS ISOLATED IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Some disabled people are being forced to choose between staying home, risking being stranded, or relying on the police for transport.
- GREATER MANCHESTER ORDERED TO REPAY £22.5 MILLION FUNDING ORIGINALLY FOR CLEAN TAXI FUND
Greater Manchester will now focus on spending £51 million on cleaner buses, £5 million on traffic management, and £8 million for taxi fleet upgrades.
- CARDIFF COUNCIL GRANTS HELP TAXI DRIVERS TO CUT EMISSIONS
A Cardiff Council scheme which has provided more than £200,000 of grants to enable the city's taxi drivers to upgrade to more fuel efficient or fully electric vehicles.
- BURNLEY PRIVATE HIRE FIRM FIRES DRIVER AFTER ASSISTANCE DOG REFUSAL
A Burnley private hire company, Apollo Taxis, has terminated its relationship with a driver after he refused to transport a disabled passenger and her assistance dog.
- FIFE TAXI DRIVERS ACCUSED OF ILLEGALLY OPERATING IN DUNDEE, SPARKING COUNCIL PROBE
A video showing a Fife-licensed taxi driver being confronted in Dundee has ignited a probe into allegations of illegal operation by Fife taxis across city lines.
- TAXI DRIVER LICENCE RESTORED AFTER INAPPROPRIATE BANTER BUT NO EVIDENCE OF GROOMING
The driver was accused of inappropriate conversations of a sexual nature with a vulnerable young adult, including suggesting a holiday together in Benidorm and making comments about her nightwear.
- PETERBOROUGH TAXI DRIVERS FEAR FOR FUTURE OVER ISSUES WITH UBER DRIVERS AT RAILWAY STATION
Mahmood Khan, a taxi driver for over 40 years, and fellow cabbie Jake Carter allege that some Uber drivers are flouting regulations by waiting at the station without pre-booked fares, effectively poaching passengers.
- RYANAIR CEO, MICHAEL OLEARY'S, ONE TAXI LOOPHOLE FOR BUS LANE ACCESS
In 2004, O'Leary registered his personal Mercedes-Benz S-Class as a taxi under the name "O'Leary Cabs," a move that granted him a legal loophole to drive in Dublin's bus lanes.
