"I'm not out to rob people" - cabbies divided over new tariffs for Cambridgeshire area

Tom Burnett
·4-min read
Many cabbies are concerned by the proposals
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)


Taxi drivers in a Cambridgeshire area are divided over plans to increase tariffs - with some worried it will kill the Hackney Carriage trade in the area. Fenland District Council has proposed changing its table of fares for the first time since 2022.

Under the proposals, Tariff One, which currently runs between 7am and 11pm from Monday to Saturday would be reduced to between 7am and 8pm, with the more expensive Tariff Two in place between 8pm and 7am and on Sundays.

At present people whose journeys are under one mile or one mile and 1,609 metres (the best part of a mile) on Tariff 1) pay a fare of £4.00 - with an extra 20p for every 1/11th of a mile - a total of £2.20 a mile. Under the new proposals, they would pay £4.20 for journeys of under a mile and 33p for each 10th of a mile after that (£3.30 a mile).

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Tariff 2 currently stands at £6.00 for journeys of under a mile or between a mile and the next 1,609 metres (about a mile). They also pay 30p for 'each subsequent '146.2m (1/11mile) or part thereof' (£3.30 a mile). Under the proposed new tariffs, they would pay £6.20. And 44p for a 10th of every extra mile (£4.40 per mile).

In a consultation in October, 44 cabbies said they opposed the proposed changes, with 17 saying they supported it. A further response was described as 'unclear'.

One driver wrote: "When my taxi licence runs out in December I am not going to renew it as the work around Wisbech is not there any more, was having to work up to 15hours to make it pay and now the rates are to be going up again it only going to get worse as people not going to be able to afford a cab anymore a four mile trip for an OAP to go shopping is going to cost them £14+. I think it is crazy I'm not out to rob people."

Another driver wrote: "I do not think the price increases are viable. Putting the prices up to the proposed rates would kill the trade. Business is hard enough without losing the regular customers we already have. I am not adverse to a slight increase as people paying by card cost the drivers money with card machine charges but to increase by the amount proposed would simply force drivers out of the trade because we would have no work.

"It certainly would not encourage new drivers and the public already complain about the lack of taxis. The problem isn't the fares it is that people looking into getting into the trade cannot afford it and the amount of hoops they have to jump though are unrealistic to the job."

Another said: "You already know if you change the mileage rate by such a huge amount it will kill the Hackney carriage trade when we are already struggling due to the private hires perhaps if you made private hires operate from installed meters and are on the same footing and tariff as Hackney carriages then their wouldn’t be such an issue with these proposed changes.

"Despite you [Fenland District Council] saying it’s the maximum a Hackney cab can charge most of us rely on our meter to charge the customers correctly all this will make us struggle even more perhaps if you clamped down on the amount of private hires that aren’t licensed in Fenland from operating in this area working for certain companies with their app system that might be a good place to start before bringing in any changes."

Responses in support of the changes tended to be shorter, with many just stating that they agreed with the increases. One wrote: "If the council can implement it to relieve stress from the drivers I support this proposal."

Another added: "I do think that this would've been a good opportunity to add a fair 6/8seater tariff, as that does need to be looked at."

Fenland District Council has a total of 133 licensed vehicles according to a council report. These include 76 Hackney Carriages and 57 Private Hire vehicles.

The report to the council's cabinet states: "The current review was instigated following a request with support by others from the taxi trade for an increase to the Table of Fares.".

It added: "To be clear the Taxi trade can charge less than this amount if they would like to do so as the proposed charges are discretionary.

"The table of fares applies only to Hackney Carriage vehicles. Private Hire Operators can agree their hiring charges in advance with their customers at the time of booking the journey.

"It is at the discretion of the Council as the Licensing Authority to set a Table of Fares for licensed Hackney Carriages operating within the district if it chooses to do so."

Fenland District Council will discuss the proposals at its cabinet on Friday, November 15.

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