Agenda item

Report of the Director of Streetscene & Regulatory Services

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways that sought approval of one of the four proposed Hackney Carriage fare increase options, detailed in the report, subject to advertising and objections.  The three-week consultation with the Coventry City Council trade and comments were detailed in appendices to the report.

The report noted that Hackney Carriage fares were regulated by the City Council and the last increase was implemented in September 2014.  Although the City Council had no power to directly regulate private hire fares, it was custom and practice in Coventry for private hire fares to reflect hackney carriage fares.  The justification for local authorities being able to regulate Hackney Carriage fares was that customers hailing taxis from the street or from a rank had little or no bargaining power.

A three-week consultation had been carried out with the entire trade (hackney carriage drivers, private hire drivers, hackney carriage vehicle proprietors, private hire vehicle proprietors and private hire operators).  Four options to increase fares were considered.  There were 405 responses from the trade, these were attached to the report as appendix A, with an overall weighting score.  The trade were also asked for their comments.  There were 100 comments from the trade (these were attached to the report as appendix B).

Option A was to keep fares at the current rate (i.e. September 2014 level) with a start point daytime tariff of £2.80 and an incremental increase per 1/10th of a mile at 25p (placing Coventry hackney carriage fares as the 128th most expensive out of 356 licensing areas per Private Hire Monthly magazine April edition). 34.22% of the trade chose this option as their number one choice.

Option B was the Taxi Trade preferred option with a start point daytime tariff to increase to £3.80 and an incremental increase per 1/10th of a mile increasing to 30p (placing Coventry hackney carriage fares as the 8th most expensive out of 356 licensing areas per Private Hire Monthly magazine April edition). 42.71% of the trade chose this option as their number one choice. 

Option C was a start point daytime tariff to increase to £3.80 with an incremental increase per 1/10th of a mile remaining at 25p (placing Coventry hackney carriage fares as the 20th most expensive out of 356 licensing areas per Private Hire Monthly magazine April edition). 16.45% of the trade chose this option as their number one choice.

Option D was a start point daytime tariff to increase to £3.30 with an incremental increase per 1/10th of a mile remaining at 25p (placing Coventry hackney carriage fares as the 48th most expensive out of 356 licensing areas per Private Hire Monthly magazine April edition). 8.79% of the trade chose this option as their number one choice.

It was proposed that the Cabinet Member choice be advertised and subject to objections.  If there were no objections, then it was intended that the new meter rate would be programmed into computers week commencing 1st August 2022.  If there were objections, then a further Cabinet Member report would be heard on the 3rd August 2022.

The Cabinet Member thanked officers for taking time to consult with the trade for the first time.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services, having considered the four proposals, gave approval to Option B, as detailed in the report, subject to advertising and objections.