Agenda item

Report by Licensing Service Lead.  (Attached).

The Chairman welcomed Mr Lethbridge (Licensed Taxi Driver) to the Committee.

 

The Members agreed to allow Mr Lethbridge addressed the Committee.

 

The Committee considered a report by the Licensing Service Lead (circulated previously) regarding the North Devon Council Hackney Carriage Tariff.

 

The Licensing Service Lead advised that the report sought to review North Devon Council’s Authorised Maximum Fares for licensed Hackney Carriages.

 

He explained that a request, which included a petition was received on 23^rd October 2018 for a review of the hackney carriage tariff from a member

the hackney carriage trade subsequent to the last review. A

summary of the points outlined in the request were as follows:

 

a) The request to increase maximum allowed fare to £3 lift off and £3 for

    the running mile on basic was because costs had caught up with the drivers

    who were full time, obviously part timers who only come out at prime times   

    were difficult to speak to.

 

b) The last two rises were on the lift off only and nothing on the running

     mile where the bulk of expenses were felt, result was those drivers

     working the town centre average journey being three quarters of a

     mile which works out taking an average of 30mpg 20 trips per gallon

     which makes a rise of £2 per gallon.

 

c) Where as those looking after tourists travelling to various holiday

    resorts, which were roughly 30 miles per round trip only get 10p per

    gallon.

 

d) The last rise was a reduction in distance of one quarter of a mile

    which was a rise of 62p per trip, town drivers get £12.40 per gallon.

 

e) Again those drivers working with tourists get 62p per gallon, which

    obviously did not cover one fuel rise per litre let alone all the rises

    since 1999, plus large jump in cost of tyres (a set about £450 from

    £100) insurance had also increased dramatically, and a service for a

    vehicle was between £300 and £400, at the last rise on running mile fuel

    was under 90p and was now average £1.30 per litre.

 

f) There was also a large amount of hackney vehicles working for private hire

   companies and using the ranks as walk on offices.

 

He added that the price of unleaded 95 octane fuel, which was taken from the south west average AA figures had increased by 14.6 pence per litre and the price of diesel had increased by 24.1 pence per litre in the period from April 2016, when the tariff was last approved, to December 2018.

 

He explained that figures published in the January 2019 edition of the Private hire and Taxi magazine indicated that North Devon was the third highest ranked fare at £6.55 for a two mile journey in Devon. Torridge was ranked the highest in Devon at number forty eight with £6.62 and Mid Devon ranked the lowest at number two hundred and fourteen with £5.70. The current two mile journey was twenty nine pence higher than the Devon average.

 

He outlined the Hackney Carriage Fares for other Local Authorities, which were detailed in appendix D. If the proposed request for a £3.00 “lift off” and £3.00 running mile was approved it would result in the following significant increases for those persons who used and relied on hackney carriages:

 

·         The ‘lift off’ fare would increase by 20p from £2.80 to £3.00.

·         The running mile would increase by 50p from £2.50 to £3.00.

·         The first mile fare would increase by forty five pence from £4.05 to £4.50.

·         A two mile fare would increase by 95p from £6.55 to £7.50 resulting in North Devon being £1.24 more expensive than the Devon average and moving up to ranking number six in the Private Hire and Taxi magazine published fares.

·         A five mile journey would increase by £2.45 from £14.05 to £16.50

·         A ten mile journey would increase by £4.95 from £26.55 to £31.50.

·         A thirty mile journey would increase by £14.95 from £76.55 to £91.50.

 

He explained that a written representation opposing the request to increase the hackney carriage tariff had been submitted by a North Devon licensed hackney carriage driver. A summary of the representation was as follows:

 

·         A large number of North Devon Council licensed hackney carriage drivers did not want a fare increase.

·          The proposal had been initiated by the hackney carriage drivers who operated mainly out of the train station.

·         Those licensed drivers who operated from the train station could usually achieve full meter rate, whilst on the public ranks there was a culture of bartering resulting in the vast majority of fares not achieving full meter rate.

·         North Devon was a low income area.

·         Fuel price increases had not been that noticeable.

·         An increase in the tariff at the present time would not be appropriate.

·         It was becoming increasingly difficult to make a reasonable living, the negative publicity caused by an increase would do more harm to the trade.

 

He added that fuel prices and the costs of other goods and services had increased, however the proposed increase if approved would further elevate North Devon’s tariff to the sixth highest in England and become considerably more expensive than the Devon average and our near neighbours. It was recommended that no inflationary changes be made to the tariff at this point in time. Furthermore a representation from a licensed hackney carriage driver highlighted the negative effects of an elevated tariff.

 

The Committee discussed the request for the increase to the tariff and the complexities surrounding the operation of the rank within Barnstaple Town centre.

 

RECOMMENDED:

 

(a)    that the Executive make no change to the Council’s Hackney 

  Carriage Fare Tariff at the current time;

 

(b)    that paragraph 4.4.1 of the Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private

  Hire Licensing Policy be amended to read:

 

              ‘Hackney carriage tariffs will be reviewed taking into account the cost  

             of fuel and other expenses. Any requests for review of tariffs will be

             referred to a meeting of the Licensing Committee. The Committee will  

             meet on an annual basis to review the hackney carriage tariff with the

             provision for an additional review within the 12 month period as

             required to be agreed in consultation between the Chairman and the

             Licensing Service Lead’.

 

RESOLVED, the Committee considered the representation received in respect of the Council’s hackney carriage tariff.