Taxi fares are going up for the second time this year in Brighton and Hove because of “soaring inflation”.
A 5 per cent rise in fares was agreed by Brighton and Hove City Council’s Licensing Committee in a meeting at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Thursday 13 October).
It follows a 5 per cent rise in March for hackney carriage drivers – who, unlike private hire drivers, can ply for trade at taxi ranks and can be hailed on the road.
Since the increase in March, the war in Ukraine has pushed up the price of fuel, councillors were told.
And, the meeting heard, app-based private hire companies, such as Uber, were “surge pricing by incredible amounts” when fewer Brighton and Hove registered taxis were around.
When the Licensing Committee agreed to the previous increase in March, trade representative Andrew Peters said that it did not cover the inflation. And since then, costs have risen further.
Drivers’ representatives dismissed a proposal to put up the “night time” charge from 9pm to 6am and sought a midnight to 6am “late night” charge.
In a letter to the committee, they said:
“The trade unanimously agreed not to support the suggested time period … as we considered that this would mostly affect people coming home from work on the trains as well as possibly affecting those who were starting an early evening shift such as nurses and others.”
Conservative councillor Dee Simson backed the rise and spoke about the influx of drivers registered with other councils taking trade from drivers licensed in Brighton and Hove.
She said:
“I want to see our drivers survive. I want to see them getting a proper income. The late-night element is good. We need more taxis out there at night.
“The more taxis we’ve got registered to Brighton and Hove, then hopefully, the fewer out-of-towners we’ll have. They’re picking up that late-night trade.”
Labour councillor Jackie O’Quinn said that she was giving more in tips because she knew that drivers were struggling to cover their costs at the current rates.
She said:
“These are difficult times. I’d rather have our taxi drivers here than end up having to take an Uber that’s surge charging because there is a shortage of other drivers.”
A standard fare starts at £3, with an extra 30p for every 197 yards travelled or 54 seconds. The late-night tariff starts at £5, also going up 30p for the same time and distance.
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