Hartlepool councillors back appeal by hackney cab drivers for fare increase

Hartlepool Borough Council’s Licensing Committee endorsed a request from hackney carriage cabbies to increase fares for most journeys at a meeting on Friday.

This included increasing the fixed start fee for journeys, or “flag fall”, by 50p, taking it from £2.50 to £3.

The increase would apply to tariffs between 7am and midnight each day and excludes pricing structures covering bank holidays and the festive period.

Proposals also included a 50p increase to the additional charge when drivers carry five or more passengers, which is also currently £2.50.

Increases would only apply to Hartlepool’s yellow hackney cabs that use designated taxi ranks, and not private hire vehicles.

Changes were requested by the hackney carriage trade to “reflect an increase in running costs and to ensure they make a reasonable living”.

All 81 town hackney carriage owners were consulted, with 16 in favour and eight against, and others making no comment.

The proposed tariffs represent “the highest fare that can legally be charged and it is entirely permissible for a hackney carriage driver to charge a lower fare if they wish”, according to local authority chiefs.

A report from council officers said any increase in tariffs needs to balance drivers’ ability to “generate a reasonable income” and “value for money for the travelling public.”

Council licensing officers said Hartlepool’s rates were “really low” compared to other councils nationally, and that the last local increase was in 2022.

Councillor Sue Little questioned whether the rise would be enough to support Hartlepool’s taxi drivers, given large increases in maintenance charges.

Officers noted that the fare increase process was ‘trade-led’ and that there was no maximum limit for fare increase requests.

Cllr Carole Thompson described the proposed increase as “perfectly reasonable”, while councillor Ben Clayton said it was “proportional” and “quite small in the grand scheme of things”.

A public notice of the proposed increase will be issued and if any objections are received within 14 days the matter will be referred back to the Licensing Committee.

Hackney carriage journeys are also subject to costs on top of the initial fixed start fee, which increase based on distance travelled, and these fees would not change as part of the proposals.