SOME taxi prices in Wirral could soon rise by a QUARTER after the council announced a review of its fare structure.

Councillors will next week consider a proposal from the Unite Hackney Carriage trade representatives to increase tariffs as soon as October.

Members of the licensing health and safety and general purposes committee will consider on July 18 whether to raise all fare tariffs at a special meeting.

It’s hoped the move to increase night fees in particular will encourage more drivers to work and so attract more customers and businesses to use the service.

That means some of the evening fares in particular could rise by almost 25%.

It’s the most significant change in recent times, with the proposed fares set to rise in nine separate ways across four tariffs – with some of the changes being the first in almost nine years.

Here’s what it will mean:

  • Retain the initial hiring distance (the distance travelled before the price begins to rise) at 300 yds and increase the initial hiring distance charge from £2.80 to £3.20 on tariff one – the standard day rate
  • Reduce the initial hiring distance from 900 to 300 yds on the standard night rate and public and bank holiday day rate (tariff two), and increase the initial hiring charge from £3.30 to £3.60
  • Reduce the initial hiring distance from 966 to 300 yds on the public and bank holiday night rate (tariff three), and reduce the initial hiring distance charge from £3.90 to £3.80
  • Reduce the initial hiring distance on Christmas and New Year day and night rate (tariff four) from 966 yards to 300 yds, and increase the initial hiring charge from £5.20 to £6.00
  • Increase the “running mile” charge by reducing the yardage charged at 20p from 245 yds to 230 yds on tariff one
  • Increase the “running mile” charge by reducing the yardage charged at 20p from 205 yards to 175 yds on tariff two
  • Increase the “running mile” charge by reducing the yardage charged at 20p from 182 yards to 165 yds on tariff three
  • Increase the “running mile” charge on tariff four by increasing the yardage from 137 yards to 230 yds and increasing the charge from 20p to 40p
  • Increase the charge for waiting time from 20p to 30p per minute

What will that mean for journey prices?

It means a two-mile journey currently costing an estimated £5.40 on the standard day rate could soon cost more like £6 – a 60p increase.

A similar distance journey on the evening tariff currently costing around £5.90 could end up costing £7.30 – an increase of 23.73% – almost a quarter.

A two-mile journey on the public and bank holiday night rate currently costing around £6.70 will cost around £7.70.

Finally, a two-mile journey over Christmas and New Year currently costs around £8.90, but under the proposed changes that price would rise to £11.60 – a rise of over 23%.

When were the fares last changed?

The report also said while the tariff one hiring distance was last changed in February last year, those for tariffs three and four were last altered in December 2009.

The “running mile” charge on all four tariffs was last changed in December 2012, as was the initial hiring distance for tariff two.

According to the report, the changes come in response to a survey of supply and demand for hackney carriage vehicles carried out last year.

According to the report, there were “frustrated” potential customers and businesses who needed the service to get home and “raise their confidence to increase their willingness to come out at night more”.

It added that in terms of supply, there “does not appear be enough sufficiently

rewarding work available either for these pockets of demand to be met by

either hackney carriage or even private hire means”.

It said this suggests there “could be scope” for increasing night fares for services which might encourage drivers to work late.

It added: “This is particularly true if overall demand levels are lower than would make such operation economic.”

Once councillors have agreed the move, it will go to a 14-day public consultation period, and if no objections are received, the tariff will become effective from October.

If objections are received, they will be reported back to the committee for consideration.