Taxi Fare Increase - Freedom of information requests
Title or Description
Taxi Fare Increase
FOI Number
2024121
Date Received
23/01/2024
Type of Request
FOI
Request or Question
Can I have the taxi fare price that covers Galashiels from 2014 and each increase thereafter to date. I’d also like any emails and decisions regarding the last fair review along with dates it was reviewed, length of time between reviews and what the current status of review it is at now. Also in the same time frame (since 2014) how many times have the taxi badges and taxi operators plates been increased, including dates.
Response
Under normal circumstances, taxi fare reviews are required to be undertaken every 18 months. Scottish Borders Council undertook a review of taxi fares in August 2019 where a 3.7% increase to taxi fares was proposed and applied from September 2019. A further review was due in March 2021 however this was paused due to ongoing operational pressures on the council associated with the response to the Covid – 19 pandemic.
The review was undertaken in March 2022 which indicated that a 4.6% increase should be applied to fares. Taxi operators and members of the public were invited to consult on the increase between the 25th of April and the 15th May.
A paper was then taken to Council in November 2022 proposing an increase of 4.6% which was approved. However, the proposed increase was appealed by some taxi operators to the Traffic Commissioner. As a result, the proposed increase was suspended pending to outcome of the appeal. During the Traffic Commissioner’s consideration of the appeals, it was established that the proposed new fare scales had not been published in a newspaper prior to being approved as required by statute. As a result the Traffic Commissioner remitted the case back to the council on the 11th May 2023 asking for the process to be undertaken again.
The council is currently in the latter stages of the review process and will be writing to operators to update them on the current position and inviting taxi operators and members of the public to consult on taxi fares in Early March 2024. We hope to conclude the review as soon as possible.
In relation to annual fee for taxi/private hire drivers’ licence and vehicle licence, these have been increased every April annually since 2014
Please find attached correspondence as requested. There has been some redaction applied to this information as it is personal data and therefore exempt from release under S38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
