A review of hackney taxi fares is underway by Allerdale Borough Council with the view to increase the minimum fare to be in line with neighbouring boroughs.
However, not all Allerdale cabbies are in support of the increase. Roy Cottier, has spoken out ahead of the council meeting claiming that the move “would be a disaster”.
He said: “I’ve been asking around town – some are for it but the majority are against.
“The recession has hit hard in Workington and the taxi trade is suffering as a result. A lot of would be taxi customers are now getting buses or walking.
“I’m losing custom all the time. Last Friday morning between 10am and 11.30am I had one customer and that’s really bad. Each day I’m getting less and less.”
The council chose to freeze hackney fares for three years with the last increase being 30p for the first mile per journey, agreed back in June 2010. This brought the minimum fare up to £2.90.
Consultation Response
A consultation was recently released to hackney taxi drivers in the borough. Despite Mr Cottiers view that the majority of drivers wish to freeze the fares for another year, four drivers did speak out in support of the council’s proposition.
One cabbie said the increase was overdue in light of rising costs within the taxi trade including fuel, license fees and vehicle maintenance.
Despite this, Mr Cottier sticks by his argument saying that he fears customers will boycott taxis if the council agrees to a fare increase.
Allerdale Borough Council will meet in a few weeks to discuss the proposed changes and if no objections are made, the changes will commence on the 1st April.