Lancaster taxi fare increase proposed

The proposals would see an extra 20p added to a two mile journey, which currently costs an average of £5.60 in Lancaster.

A report to Lancaster City Council’s Licensing Regulatory Committee proposes increasing the tariff to help ensure that Hackney Carriage proprietors receive a reasonable increase in fare income.

The report states: “The increase reflects necessary and proportionate adjustments, given that there were no increases in fares last year (2018) and the increase in the previous year was marginal, based on the annual RPI.”

The report also states that the proposed 20p increase was supported by representatives of the trade at a recent Taxi Working Group meeting.

Fares for two mile journeys range between £4.40 - £6.40 in Lancashire and Cumbria, with Lancaster already having the seventh highest fare across the two counties.

The national average two mile hackney fare is £5.88.

The increased fare proposal will now go before Lancaster City Council’s full cabinet for approval.

What’s the difference between a hackney carriage and a private hire vehicle?

Hackney carriages are public transport vehicles which are licensed to “ply for hire”, while private hire vehicles cannot ply for hire or stand in a rank.

A hackney carriage must be driven by a driver who holds a hackney carriage driver’s licence obtained from the local authority, and they can be hailed by prospective passengers in the street or park on a rank to await the approach of passengers.