The Committee received a report on whether to recommend and approve an increase in hackney carriage fares. The following documents were appended to the report:

·       Appendix I - Current fare chart 1

·       Appendix II(a) - RTA - Option 1 Fare Increase June 23

·       Appendix II(b) - RTA - Option 2 Fare Increase June 23

·       Appendix III(a) - Mr Ali Fare Increase June 2023- Option 1

·       Appendix III(b) - Mr Ali Fare Increase June 2023 - Option 2

·       Appendix III(c) - RE-WORKED VERSION BY MR FENNESSEY

·       Appendix IV(a) - RTA FARE INCREASE - OPTION 1

·       Appendix IV(b) - RTA FARE INCREASE - OPTION 2

·       Appendix IV(c) - Mr ALI FARE INCREASE - OPTION 1

·       Appendix IV(d) - Mr ALI FARE INCREASE - OPTION 2

·       Appendix IV(e) - RE-WORKED VERSION BY MR FENNESSEY

The report explained that, from time to time, the hackney carriage trade requested that the Council increase the amount they could charge their customers for transportation to their desired destinations. The last increase had been approved by the Licensing Applications Committee at the meeting held on 4 October 2022 (Minute 7 refers) at which the Committee had approved an increase of £1 on the flag drop for both the day and night-time tariffs from £2.60 to £3.60 and £3.60 to £4.60 respectively. The current table of fares was attached to the report at Appendix I.

The report explained that on 4 June 2023 the Chair of the Reading Taxi Association (RTA) had written to the Licensing section requesting that a report be put before the Committee to consider a fare rise and had supplied two options for the Committee to consider. The two options were attached to the report at Appendix II(a) and Appendix II(b). On 23 June 2023 hackney carriage drivers who were not affiliated with the RTA had also requested a fare increase and had supplied the Licensing section with two further options for consideration by the Committee. The further two options were attached to the report at Appendix III(a) and Appendix III(b). Each of the four options put forward sought to increase fares by means of decreasing the yardage after the initial flag drop had been applied for either all or for some of the tariffs. Three of the four proposals also sought to increase the Additional Passengers surcharge from 20p to 40p per each additional person up to a maximum of £2.

To assist the Committee, and to enable the comparison of the four proposals against the existing fares, a reworked version of the current table of fares had been provided by Mr CJ and JT Fennessey who had also authored each of the four proposals. The reworked version of the current table of fares had been attached to the report at Appendix III(c).

Tables showing the cost of fares over certain set distances for each of the four options and for the current fare rate had been attached to the report at Appendices IV(a) to IV(e). The report also included a table setting out petrol and diesel costs since October 2022 and provided a link to the National Hackney Fare Table that had been published in the June 2023 edition of Private Hire Taxi Monthly.

Mr Amir Riaz, Vice-Chair of the RTA, was present at the meeting, addressed the Sub Committee on the RTA’s proposals and responded to questions.  Mr Imran Ali was also present at the meeting, addressed the Sub Committee on his proposals and responded to questions.

Resolved –

(1)      That, in accordance with Section 65 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, and having taken into account the representations of the Reading Taxi Association (RTA) and the Hackney Carriage Drivers not affiliated to the RTA, a new taxi fares scheme, as set out in Appendix II(a), with the inclusion of an extra proposal to increase the Additional Passengers surcharge from 20p to 40p per each additional person up to a maximum of £2, be approved for consultation via an advert in a local paper and on the Council’s website.

(2)      That the Assistant Director for Planning, Transport & Public Protection Services be authorised to implement the new taxi fares scheme, unless there were objections to the scheme received during the consultation period, in which case a further report would be submitted to the Committee for consideration.