THE AMOUNT by which taxi fares in Rhondda Cynon Taf could increase has been announced.
Under proposals that the council put out to consultation one tariff (known as tariff one) for a two-mile hackney carriage journey would be £6 which represents a 3.33% increase. However this remains below the UK national average of £7.18.
Tariff one applies between 7am and 7pm and for one passenger and the current fee for this tariff per two miles is £5.80 which is one of the lowest of all Welsh authorities and well below the UK national average of £7.18.
The officer report said that the taxi trade does not tend to receive salary increases but rely on the income received from custom.
The cost of parts has increased, the costs of labour has increased, and so the report said that an increase in the tariff is their means of increasing their income per mile.
As of January 2024 the Welsh national average for tariff one based on two miles is £6.42 and the increase would still place RCT borough in the bottom third.
These fares would only apply to hackney carriages and not private hire vehicles.
The report said the tariffs in RCT were renewed in 2022 for the first time in 10 years. This was due to the cost of living, fuel prices, maintenance of vehicles, and the unprecedented pandemic which has caused loss of earnings for drivers.
Since the previous tariff increase in 2022 several other Welsh councils have increased their tariffs based on similar reasoning.
The report said that the RCT tariff remains one of the lowest fares in Wales and that the increase is minimal but brings the tariffs more aligned with other authorities.
It said that is proposed that consideration is given to the requested increase in tariffs to enable the taxi trade to be viable in their business, which in turn provides a service to the community.
It also said that the licensing authority proposes that a review of taxi meter tariffs within the borough is done every three years subject to circumstances that may require consideration of an earlier review.
For five miles at tariff one the cost would increase from £11.20 to £12 and for 10 miles it would go up from £20.20 to £22.
Tariff two applies for up to four passengers between 7pm and 7am as well as on Sundays and bank holidays and from noon until 6pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
For this the two-mile charge would go up from £6.50 to £7, the five-mile charge from £12.50 to £14.50, and the 10-mile charge from £22.50 to £27.
For tariff three which applies for five to eight passengers between 7am and 7pm the two-mile charge would increase from £7 to £7.20, the five-mile from £13 to £13.80, and the 10-mile from £23.10 to £24.80.
Tariff four applies for between five and eight passengers between 7pm and 7am as well as on Sundays and bank holidays and from noon until 6pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
This would see an increase for two miles from £7.80 to £8.80, for five miles from £15 to £19, and for 10 miles from £27 to £36.
Tariff five would be double the rate of tariff one and tariff six would be double the rate of tariff three for Christmas and New Year.
The charge for fouling of the vehicle would remain at £55 and the waiting time charge would remain at £15.
Tariffs two and four would remain from noon on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve until 6pm on the day.
The Christmas Day and New Year’s Day double tariff one and three would remain from 6pm on Christmas Eve to midnight on Christmas Day and from 6pm on New Year’s Eve to midnight on New Year’s Day.
