Taxi Fare Scales Review 2019 - 20

Overview

The law states that The Council as licensing authority is required in terms of Section 17 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 to review the scales for fares and other charges in connection with the hire of a taxi at intervals not exceeding 18 months of the last review. 

The tariff is made up of two parts, one part for social hours and the other for unsocial/festive hours (an addition of 25%).  Both tariffs consist of separate charges for initial hire and distance travelled for 1 to 4 passengers and 5 to 8 passengers. 

Why your views matter

In carrying out the review the Council is obliged to consult with persons or organisations appearing to it to be, or to be representative of, the operators of taxis operating within its area and members of the public.

Following that consultation, the Council agreed to review the existing scales and in line with the outcome of its established formula, proposes an increase of 3.7% to the current fares. There is no proposal to change the current charges for waiting times or valet/customer misuse. A link to the Council report outlining the outcome of the consultation can be accessed at the foot of this page.

The general effect of the proposed increase results in the following changes to the initial hire tariffs. Social hours - 1 to 4 passengers from £2.25 to £2.35 and 5 to 8 passengers from £3.40 to £3.50. Unsocial hours (10pm -6am) - 1 to 4 passengers from £2.80 to £2.95 and 5 to 8 passengers from £4.25 to £4.40. Unsocial festive hours - 1 to 4 passengers from £3.35 to £3.45 and 5 to 8 passengers from £4.95 to £5.10.  

The distance travelled costs of 10p and 15p (social hours); 10p and 15p (unsocial hours) and 15p and 25p (unsocial festive hours) remain unchanged. The proposed 3.7% increase will be achieved as result in the distance travelled for those amounts being reduced by approx. 4 yards for all fares.

It is proposed that the new fare scales become effective from September 2019.  Before any changes are made to the existing scales, any person can make representations to the proposals. The Council will then agree if the current scale will be altered or remain unchanged.

The current and proposed fare scales can be viewed here Current and Proposed Taxi Fare Scales

What happens next

The Council will hold a meeting to consider all representations received and  agree to fix its 2019/20 fare scales, whether it decides to alter the current tariff or makes no changes.

A public notice will then be issued setting out and explaining the effect of the agreed scales and notifying the date the 2019/20 fare scales take effect.