Renfrewshire councillors have agreed that metered taxi tariffs should be frozen for the next 18 months. A meeting of Renfrewshire Council’s Regulatory Functions Board unanimously agreed the decision in the hope that it will encourage the use of taxis and give a boost to local businesses. That said, drivers will be glad to hear that the price structure won’t be entirely unchanged as some increases have been proposed elsewhere. These include:
- Increasing the late-night surcharge from £1 to £2
- Changing the current 34p waiting time fee to a 60p charge for every two minutes
- Raising the additional Glasgow Airport drop-off charges from £1 to £1.50
Airport Levy
The board acknowledged that local drivers are being affected by charges that are outside of the council’s control, such as those being levied by Glasgow Airport and therefore felt that it was only fair that drivers should be able to recover these added costs from their passengers. This means a proposed new £2 charge for picking up or dropping off passengers at the airport and a £1.50 airport departure charge could be agreed.
Late Night Surcharges
The proposed doubling of late night surcharges was specifically designed to try to encourage drivers to work between midnight and 5am on Friday and Saturday nights. These are times when a lack of provision has been identified and it is hoped that by increasing the automatic surcharge more drivers will choose to operate during these times.
A Fair System for Passengers and Drivers
“We believe that our recommendations are fair to both the travelling public and the taxi trade.”
Following the meeting, Councillor John Hood, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Regulatory Functions Board, commented: “We believe that our recommendations are fair to both the travelling public and the taxi trade. By recommending that the standard taxi fares are not increased, we want to encourage people to use taxis. That will support local businesses and boost the night-time economy.”
What Next?
The proposed taxi fare price structure will be advertised for public comment before a final decision is reached and put in place. The deadline set for making changes 31 July 2017.