Taxi booking charges to rise for the first time in over 10 years (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Taxi fares and booking charges to rise in Bournemouth
12:00pm Thursday 31st January 2013 in News By Arron Hendy
ON THE UP: Taxi fare increase
BOOKING charges and taxi fares will rise in Bournemouth this year.
From April the daytime booking fee – known in the industry as the running fee – will rise by 20p so customers will have 80p on their bill at the start of journeys where taxis have been called out.
And fares for all taxis will go up by 3.2 per cent, meaning that, for example, the price for the average trip, estimated to be 2.5 miles, will go up by 20p to £7.40.
Though fares go up every year this is the first time in more than 10 years that drivers have applied to the council to raise the booking charge.
It last went up in September 2002. Both rises were unanimously approved by the licensing committee.
John Tye, chairman of the Bournemouth Taxi Trade Association, told the committee taxi drivers are spending more on fuel as they are travelling further to pick up customers.
He said: “In the last two or three years the mileage is increasing repeatedly as people are staying with a known provider.
“Where they used to go somewhere and then phone the local taxi they are now phoning their own provider.”
Mr Tye said this often results in drivers travelling the “devil’s triangle”, where they have to travel further to pick someone up and take them to a location where they are unlikely to get another fare from.
This results in extra petrol costs.
Mr Tye said the 3.2 per cent rise was calculated by a nationwide formula.
Councillor Susan Phillips asked if there was any way they could limit the increase by making savings within the industry.
ut Mr Tye said the increase was needed to service and maintain vehicles.
Increase charge
FROM April the 20p booking charge or “running fee” increase will mean that when customers call out a taxi in Bournemouth the bill will have 80p on it at the start of their journey.
This is the price for tariff one, valid between 6.30am and midnight. Outside those times, under tariff two, the fee will be £1.
On top of that fee the metre starting price will remain at £2.80 for tariff 1 and £3.75 for tariff two.
Outside of the booking fee, the 3.2 fare increase will mean a 10 mile fair goes up, for example, from £22.80 to £23.60.
Comments(14)
Hessenford
says...
12:17pm Thu 31 Jan 13
Old Colonial
says...
12:23pm Thu 31 Jan 13
master plan
says...
12:59pm Thu 31 Jan 13
Couchy125
says...
1:06pm Thu 31 Jan 13
master plan wrote:A the taxi metres are set by bournemouth council. If you know how much your fare goes. And it's well over priced. Take the number of the taxi and report it.
Are you for real taxi drivers always seem to charge £2.00 to £3.00 start not the 80p you say it does. Once a week I get a taxi back from southbourne to poole and the cost can go from £22.60 all the way up to £32 I have always got the taxi at the same time and always got them to take my route they all fiddle it!!!!
Linguist
says...
1:08pm Thu 31 Jan 13
master plan wrote:Phone and book through a reputable company and if you feel you are ripped off, taken the wrong way or overcharged, then you can get back to the company and get it sorted.
Are you for real taxi drivers always seem to charge £2.00 to £3.00 start not the 80p you say it does. Once a week I get a taxi back from southbourne to poole and the cost can go from £22.60 all the way up to £32 I have always got the taxi at the same time and always got them to take my route they all fiddle it!!!!
BmthNewshound
says...
2:06pm Thu 31 Jan 13
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Could the Echo find out how fares and additional charges in Bournemouth compare with other towns and cities ?
BournemouthMum
says...
2:45pm Thu 31 Jan 13
master plan wrote:The meters are set to run by mileage AND time, so if you are stuck in traffic this will push the price up, for example if you take a trip during rush hour and that trip takes 45 mins and then take the same trip early in the morning when there's no traffic about and it takes 15 mins it will have a huge effect on price.
Are you for real taxi drivers always seem to charge £2.00 to £3.00 start not the 80p you say it does. Once a week I get a taxi back from southbourne to poole and the cost can go from £22.60 all the way up to £32 I have always got the taxi at the same time and always got them to take my route they all fiddle it!!!!
djkent
says...
3:03pm Thu 31 Jan 13
Couchy125
says...
3:22pm Thu 31 Jan 13
djkent wrote:What a tramp.
get the bus dont give the greedy people more they always have new cars
Redgolfer
says...
4:46pm Thu 31 Jan 13
djkent wrote:Why because the Council in the interest of safety has decreed that any cab plate over a certain age, then the cab must not be over 4 years old hence cabs are normally new or at least not over 4 years old.
get the bus dont give the greedy people more they always have new cars
Journeys pre booked with a company during rate 1 ie 6.30am to 00.00 midnight with no luggage, maximum extras on meter will be £1.20 with 4 people and between 00.00 midnight and 06.30 am maximum extras with 4 people will be £1.50 until April 1st and then will be £1.40 and £1.75, is that not clear anything else contact the company and ask for a receipt from the driver and for information 2 years ago Bournemouth was the 58 most expensive tariff in England.
Jon E
says...
5:23pm Thu 31 Jan 13
BmthNewshound wrote:BmthNewshound wrote:
I've got no problem with fares going up to compensate taxi drivers for the increase in the cost of petrol/diesel but it does appear that the price charged for the same journey varies. Some drivers take the shortest or quickest routes whilst others take you on a sight seeing tour of Bournemouth.
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Could the Echo find out how fares and additional charges in Bournemouth compare with other towns and cities ?
Could the Echo find out how fares and additional charges in Bournemouth compare with other towns and cities ?
Taxi & Private Hire Monthly magazine publish a monthly table of fares by council district.
As of the Jan 2012 issue the rankings were
1. Luton Airport £7.30 for a 2 mile fare
19. Brighton & Hove £6.40
32. Weymouth & Portland £6.40
44. Bournemouth £6.20
55. Poole £6.20
100. Christchurch £5.90
103. Southampton £5.90
right down to
361. Bolsover £2.80
Linguist
says...
3:55am Fri 1 Feb 13
Jon E wrote:Surely if Bournemouth is £6.20, and Poole £6.20. They must be = 44th or = 55th?
BmthNewshound wrote:BmthNewshound wrote:
I've got no problem with fares going up to compensate taxi drivers for the increase in the cost of petrol/diesel but it does appear that the price charged for the same journey varies. Some drivers take the shortest or quickest routes whilst others take you on a sight seeing tour of Bournemouth.
.
Could the Echo find out how fares and additional charges in Bournemouth compare with other towns and cities ?
Could the Echo find out how fares and additional charges in Bournemouth compare with other towns and cities ?
Taxi & Private Hire Monthly magazine publish a monthly table of fares by council district.
As of the Jan 2012 issue the rankings were
1. Luton Airport £7.30 for a 2 mile fare
19. Brighton & Hove £6.40
32. Weymouth & Portland £6.40
44. Bournemouth £6.20
55. Poole £6.20
100. Christchurch £5.90
103. Southampton £5.90
right down to
361. Bolsover £2.80
Jon E
says...
2:01pm Fri 1 Feb 13
Yes that would be true if the 2 mile tariff 1 fare was the only criterion taken into account. But as far as I'm aware they also compare the initial fare (the fare shown immediately the meter is engaged) plus one and two miles at tariff 1 and one and two miles at tariff 2.
speedy231278 says...
12:05pm Thu 31 Jan 13