Hackney Carriage Fare Review 2023 - Public Consultation
Why are we doing this?
Hackney Carriage Fare Review 2023 – Public Consultation
We are proposing a new revised table of fares for Hackney Carriages (taxis) licensed by Denbighshire County Council.
What is a Hackney Carriage?
A Hackney Carriage is also known as a taxi available for public hire.
They can be hailed in the street or at a taxi rank, but can also be pre-booked in advance. Hackney Carriages must display a licence plate on the front and the rear of the vehicle. They must also display an illuminated 'tacsi/taxi' sign on the roof of the vehicle.
Other types of taxi such as Private Hire Vehicles (which can only be pre-booked) are not included in the scope of this consultation which only affects Hackney Carriage (public hire) taxi fares.
Why are we consulting on the fares?
Denbighshire County Council is responsible under The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 for setting the fares for Hackney Carriages licenced in Denbighshire. These fares will be charged by any driver or company which is licensed in Denbighshire, even if the journey starts and ends somewhere else.
For example, if you used a taxi company based in Rhyl to take you from Kinmel Bay (which is in Conwy) to Flint (which is in Flintshire), you would pay the rates set by Denbighshire County Council.
It is important for us to find a balance when setting the fares, between enabling Hackney Carriage drivers or companies to be able to earn an income, and to ensure that people are not being charged more than they can afford (which could eventually lead to loss of income for taxi companies in any case).
How do we decide what we think the rates should be?
Initially, we consult with people representing the Hackney Carriage (public hire taxi) trade. We also consider the 'Retail Prices Indices (RPI) all motoring' and suggestions from the licensed trade. RPIs compare the costs of running things on a month-by-month basis, and is a recognised measure of inflation. Looking at RPIs helps us to understand the likely costs of fuel, vehicle maintenance and other associated costs.
Once this initial consultation is complete, we propose a draft table of fares which we take to the Council's licensing committee. We seek approval from the licensing committee to take these draft fares out to consultation with the wider Hackney Carriage trade, and the general public.
The draft table of fares was approved by the licensing committee on Wednesday 13th September 2023.
What do we want to know?
We would like to know what you think about the proposed Hackney Carriage fares.
What are the proposed fares?
The amended fares comprise, in summary, of an increase of 5% across all tariffs.
The current fares are shown in brackets next to the proposed fares.
Tariff 1: Standard Rate
Applies to hirings between 6.00am and midnight
- Start Fare first mile : £3.67 (currently £3.50)
- Rate for each 1/10th mile thereafter: £0.26 (currently £0.25)
- Waiting time per minute: £0.31 (currently £0.30)
Tariff 2: Night rate
Applies to hirings between midnight and 6.00am
- Start fare – first mile : £5.51 (currently £5.25)
- Rate for each 1/10th mile thereafter: £0.38 (currently £0.37)
- Waiting time per minute: £0.42 (currently £0.40)
Extra charges:
Download these fares in a table
Adjustments for non-whole pence increases:
Where the proposed 5% increase across all tariffs would lead to an increase of an existing charge to a denomination less than £0.01 (one penny), the increase has been rounded down to the nearest whole penny. For example, the waiting time per minute in Tariff 1 is currently £0.30 (thirty pence). A 5% increase on this would be £0.315 (thirty-one and a half pence). This has been rounded down to £0.31 (thirty-one pence), the nearest whole penny.
How can I get involved in the consultation?
The consultation on the proposed amendments runs between 18th September 2023 and 16th October 2023. Should you wish to make observations on or objections to the proposed fares and charges taking effect, you must put your representations in one of the following ways:
If no observations or objections are received: the proposed fares would come into effect on 1st December 2023
If observations or objections are received: the Council must consider these before adopting the proposed table of fares. If this is necessary, the Council will determine a new date for the table of fares (and any amendments or revisions) to come into effect.
Location: Denbighshire County Council
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Start date
18 September 2023
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End date
16 October 2023
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Methods
Feedback Forms
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Supplier
Denbighshire County Council
What we found out
This consultation received 64 responses, which are currently being reviewed and considered.
The Council will be preparing a final report for the Licensing Committee on the 6th December 2023, which will include a summary of the views we received. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to get involved and have their say.
We will update this section again once a final decision has been made. This is likely to be on or around 6th December 2023.
What difference has it made?
Related documents
