Taxi fares in Stroud could become most expensive in Gloucestershire

The Stroud Taxi Association, which represents the area’s many companies, has requested a rise in taxi charges from Stroud District Council (SDC).

They want to increase fares on the meter by around 10 per cent – the biggest rise in the district in many years.

If the changes went ahead, it would make the taxis in Stroud the most expensive in Gloucestershire by a long way.

At the moment the fares are slightly higher than the county’s average.

The proposal was requested by a group of 32 cabbies who are mainly drivers that use Stroud taxi ranks and would be the first rise in the district in half a decade.

SDC has set up a special team to investigate the request and will present their recommendation in December.

Les Day, deputy chairman of the association, said: “The last pay increase we got was five years ago back in 2011, so it’s well overdue.

“It works out as a two per cent increase a year. But seeing as after this we probably wouldn’t get another rise for another five years it would be one per cent a year.

“I don’t think that’s too much to ask for really, especially when the council is licensing more and more taxis in the district.

“There are 139 cars now in Stroud it’s just way too many. This surplus means that there are some days where we’ll all sit around all morning and only take about £12 from four jobs.

“That is having a big effect on business and a big effect on our drivers. I take 50 per cent of what I did 15 years ago.

“The council need to stop treating us like second class citizens and numpties just because we’re taxi drivers and give us the rise we deserve.”

Driver Clive Tomkins of the Cashes Green Taxi Service supports the rise.

“There will be mornings when we do just a few jobs and struggle to make over £20 if the journeys are short,” he said. “Sometimes it’s just not viable business.

“Sometimes I’ll do a five minute job from Stroud to Nailsworth and then have to sit around for hours. It’s something that every cabbie in Stroud will understand.

“We need to increase the fares on such quick journeys to make it worthwhile for us.

“It’s been years since we saw any kind of increase, while other areas in Gloucestershire have seen slight increases in the last year or two.

“The council don’t ever review fares themselves so it’s up to us to ask them.”

However, not all drivers agree that the large increases are a good idea.

Grzegorz Pecherek said while fares for starting rates should be raised, making Stroud the most expensive in the district could have damaging effects.

“Of course we’d all like to start taking more money – but it’s not quite that simple. I don’t think these proposals are the best idea,” he said.

“I agree that the starting rate for the first should be increased a little to compensate for longer waits and shorter journeys. I’d like to see that rise to £5.

“But hiking the fares so dramatically by 10 per cent across the board is not the right way to go.

“It could lead to undercutting from other areas. For example people in Chalford might start using companies from the Cotswolds if they provide a much cheaper rate.

“This is the same for people in Hardwicke who could start ringing taxis from Gloucester. This could start causing some real problems for companies who operate in these parts of the districts.

“We haven’t seen a rise for five years, so I can see why people are demanding one. But these proposals need to be altered to be realistic.”

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On weekdays before 6pm and Saturdays before 1pm the proposals would see starting rate rise from £2.50 to £2.80.

The first full mile would be increased 50p from £4.20 up to £4.70. Every extra mile after that would cost £2.20 rather than £2.

If the changes went ahead, passengers in Stroud would pay £6.90 for the first two miles – up from £6.20.

At peak times – weekdays from 6-12pm, Saturdays from 1-12pm and Sunday 7am-12pm – the fare for the first mile would jump up from £5.05 to £5.80.

Every additional mile would then cost £2.85 rather than £2.35. The starting rate during these hours would also rise from £3 to £3.25.

During these hours passengers would pay £8.65 for the first two miles instead of £7.40 – a jump of 17 per cent.

Then during the graveyard shift hours – midnight till 7am all week – the first mile would increase 30p from £6.40 to £6.70. This fare would also apply to Bank Holidays, Christmas and New Year.

The proposals would also see prices for waiting taxis increase. Charges to include pram or pushchairs would increase 5p and the cost to bring a bike in the cab would increase from £1.20 to £1.25.

As an example – on Saturday night after 7pm the charge for a two mile taxi journey in Gloucester is £5.78 and in Cheltenham it stands a little higher at £6.20.

If the taxi association have their way, the same journey in Stroud would cost £8.65.

This would be £2.50 more expensive than the average cost of Gloucestershire’s taxis for that time and day.

Stroud Taxi Association have put forward two slightly different proposals for how the changes would affect fares. Both would see significant increases.

The proposed increases would apply to all 139 licensed taxi drivers operating in the district. This applies to taxis at ranks, taxis that get flagged down and cabs booked through telephone bookings.

The final decision rests with the counicl.

Here is a breakdown of the proposed changes. The increases are highlighted in yellow.