Long-serving taxi drivers say low earnings and rising running costs could drive them out of the industry.
From Monday, the maximum fares that taxis in Wiltshire can charge increased, but drivers say with soaring costs including fuel, servicing and taxi insurance, the actual increase amounts to just pennies.
The Swindon Advertiser spoke to long-serving drivers at Chippenham Railway Station who said the real-terms pay rise of 3p is an “insult” and it will drive people out of the trade.
New rates
With effect from Monday, Wiltshire Council raised the maximum fares that hackney carriages licensed with the local authority can charge. For tariff 1, which covers vehicles with up to four seats between 7am and 9.59pm, fares increased from 22p per tenth of a mile to 25p.
The Advertiser reports that there has been a 4p increase per tenth of a mile for tariff 2 fares, which cover vehicles carrying more than four people during these times.
But tariffs 3 to 5, which relate to night journeys, Sundays, or public holidays, did not increase.
Long-serving taxi driver Vivienne Pepler told the Advertiser the council does not appreciate the costs of running a taxi.
She said: “It may look good at 13.6 per cent, but when you look at the numbers, it’s 3p and 4p. There has been hardly any change over the years.
“The council doesn’t understand the cost of keeping a vehicle on the road, the price of parts, MOTs, and services have all gone up.
“It’s horrendous, we pay so much for licensing and they’re doing nothing for us.”
‘Pay cut’
Fellow cabbie Russell Gibbings said the new tariffs will be “a massive pay cut” for taxi drivers in real terms.
“That is the first pay rise we’ve had in years, with the cost of living it’s an embarrassing amount and an insult.
“Wiltshire Council dictates to us how much money we can charge and earn from the taxi rank, but even if my bills double, I can’t charge more.
“It’s a massive insult to the taxis that have served Wiltshire for many years. How can you run a vehicle and a business on a pay rise of a few pennies over six years.”
Taxi fares in the county have remained static for the past three years.
Several drivers also told the Advertiser that they were unaware of the council’s consultation regarding the increase.
Mrs Pepler said: “This has always been an ideal job for me, but I’m getting to the point where I wonder why I bother, and I know my husband feels the same.”
Rising costs
Mr Gibbings added: “The cost of living and running a taxi has risen astronomically… there are drivers leaving because there’s no money in it, and they aren’t attracting any new ones.
“The salary isn’t there, I’ve been working taxis for 20 years and have had a pay rise of £1 in that time.
“I used to have five taxis, I’ve gone down to three, and I’m considering going down to one because of the cost.”
Wiltshire Council said it has received feedback from cabbies in response to the consultation and that it had a duty to balance the price of fares with what the public can afford.
Cllr Martin Smith, cabinet member for highways, told the Advertiser: “We are responsible for setting the maximum fares that can be charged in hackney carriages, and this requires a balance between ensuring there is a viable trade for licence holders while also maintaining affordability for the public.
“After we completed our annual fare review and benchmarking against neighbouring authorities, a fare increase was proposed and amended following driver feedback.
“While individual feedback varied, 81 per cent of respondents supported the proposal.
“It is important to note that response rates are typically low, and we must reflect the views of the majority of nearly 900 licensed drivers.
“Legal notices were published in local newspapers in July, and no objections were received.
“The Licensing Committee also reviewed the proposal, with minimal attendance from drivers.”
Setting taxi fares is a balancing act. The past few years have seen drivers’ costs soar, but if the same rate of increase was passed on to fares, there are fears it would make hiring a taxi unaffordable.
Another factor is that with three years without any increases – and while costs continue to rise – the gap between fares and what taxi drivers need to earn a living gets wider.
