Taxi fares in Wealden could increase for the first time in four years if plans gain the backing of councillors.
On Monday (July 27), Wealden District Council’s General Purposes and Licensing Committee is due to discuss increasing the authority’s maximum Hackney Carriage fares by 10 per cent from September 7.
In a report to the committee, officers say this is considered to be a “reasonable” increase, as it would reflect overall changes to driver costs since the council last raised its maximum fares in October 2022.
Councillors are set to decide whether or not to recommend the increase to the cabinet member responsible for the final decision.
The committee had previously agreed to go out to consultation on the proposed increase in March.
Meeting papers show four objections linked to the consultation — three from individual taxi drivers and one on behalf of the Wealden Drivers Association.
Two argued against the increase. One called on the council to consider introducing other changes instead. These were an additional charge for passengers with dogs and an earlier start to the higher prices charged at night.
Another objection argued the fare increase would take too long to come into effect.
Wealden Drivers Association was supportive of a review and increase in maximum fares, but raised concerns about the specific fare structure.
The council’s plans to increase fares began earlier this year to reflect inflation.
In an initial report written in February, officers noted a general increase in prices of around 14.6 per cent since October 2022.
At the time, average diesel prices had been 141 pence per litre. The report noted how this figure was around 25 per cent less than in October 2022, when the average price at the pump had been 188 pence per litre.
Since then diesel prices have been increasing as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
When the committee last considered the potential increase in March, the RAC Foundation, the same source referenced in the council report, reported an average price for diesel of 155 pence per litre.
At time of publication, the same source reports average diesel prices of around 169.8 pence per litre.
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