TAXI fares in Evesham could be on the rise following calls from the town’s drivers for help to support their increased costs.
The potential changes, which would see an increase of 20p per journey, have been submitted by Evesham Taxi Owners Association and will be debated at Wychavon District Council’s licensing committee on
Wednesday (January 28).
Current charges for the first 1,240 metres of a journey, or four minutes eight seconds, are £3.40.
Under the proposals, the price would remain but only for the first 1,000 metres.
The tariff for between midnight and 7am, Sunday’s, between 6am and midnight on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and official bank holidays will cost £4.50 for the first 1,000 metres while hiring any time on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day will be £6 for the same distance.
For each subsequent 200 metres or 40 seconds prices will remain at 20p, 30p or 40p depending on the tariff.
Should plans be accepted, all taxi drivers and firms in Evesham will have to implicate them and Keith Holloway, chairman of the Evesham Taxi Owners Association, told The Observer the move was much-needed.
“There is a lot of reasons for the changes,” he said. “Everything is going up in price. I know fuel is on the way down but everything else is going up.
“It is better to do this increase gradually and raising the fees over a longer period of time rather than us doing it all as one big lump.
“Some people are for it, some people are against it. It is one of those when I don’t know what it going to happen next Wednesday, I wouldn’t like to say.”
Any changes would be put in place from March, but Anthony Rock, owner of local firm Emerald Taxi’s said the proposed was not worth it.
“It is a lot of change for not enough really,” he said. “I don’t think it necessarily warrants a change.
“I just don’t think 20 pence here and 30 pence there is going to make that much of a difference for us to keep up with the rising costs.
“It is okay if we are doing 100 flag drops, but if we do just three we will get 60p.
“Me on a personal basis, I would like to see an increase each year in line with inflation because if you have a regular increase the same as inflation everyone will know it will go and and we will all know where we
are.”
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