Proposed taxi fare increases in Taunton and Minehead

Somerset West and Taunton Council's executive meeting on Wednesday (January 19) is being recommended to push through the new rates.

The rise, which would come into effect from February 6, has been requested by cab firms who have not been allowed to up charges for over a decade.

One company's formal request to adopt a new table of fares before Christmas was delayed following a number of objections from members of the public.

But taxi owners point to higher costs incurred since the last increase caused by inflation; a VAT hike from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent in 2011; lack of drivers entering the trade; a 50 per cent increase in the minimum wage; and 'dead' mileage in our sparsely populated rural areas.

Currently taxi fares in Taunton Deane are ranked 151st out of 364 in a UK table of hackney carriage fares, while West Somerset is 237th.

If approved, the new rates would be the highest in Somerset on a par with Bath and North East Somerset and see both districts jump to around 20th in the league table.

Max Bishop, a director at Taunton Taxi Services, said: "Just on those factors alone, you can see why there is need for an increase from 11 years ago - not to mention the increase on taxi insurance, which currently stands at around £1,300 a vehicle per year for fleets, public liability insurance, taxi vehicle licensing, medical checks, DBS checks, tyes, accountants, officve wages, internet, phone lines, dispatch systems - the list goes on."

He added that there is a "huge shortage" of drivers and the increase will "hopefully entice drivers to come back and also bring in new drivers to better serve our community".

Jared Colclough, of Grab-A-Cab, said the last increase in the Taunton area was in November 2010 and the latest rise equates to a 1.1 per cent increase.

Most of the objections concern the percentage increase in West Somerset fares would be higher than in Taunton Deane. One opponent claimed fares in Taunton are "already punitively high".

Here are some examples of journeys to help demonstrate the difference between existing fares and the proposed fares.

• 2 mile journey on a Monday afternoon: This would come to £7.20. That is £1 more than it would cost currently in Taunton Deane and £1.40 more than in West Somerset.
• 2 mile journey in the early hours of Sunday morning: This would come to £10.80. That is £1.50 more than it would cost currently in Taunton Deane and £2.10 more than in West Somerset.
• 2 mile journey on a Bank Holiday: This would come to £14.40. That is £1 more than it would cost currently in Taunton Deane and £2.80 more than in West Somerset.
• 5 mile journey on a Monday afternoon: This would come to £14.60. That is £1.80 more than it would cost currently in Taunton Deane and £3 more than in West Somerset.
• 5 mile journey in the early hours of Sunday morning: This would come to £21.90. That is £2.70 more than it would cost currently in Taunton Deane and £4.50 more than in West Somerset.
• 5 mile journey on a Bank Holiday: This would come to £29.20. That is £3.60 more than it would cost currently in Taunton Deane and £6 more than in West Somerset.