TAXI FEES HIKE ROW
Operator warns major rise in licence costs could lead to driver shortages
CONCERNS have been raised that plans to increase the cost of taxi licences could lead to a shortage of drivers.
Gwynedd Council will discuss plans to increase the cost for driver and vehicle licences in order to cover their own administration costs.
If the proposals are adopted by the General Licensing Committee, it would mean an average increase of 28% across the board.
As a result, a one-year driver’s licence would increase from £136 to £233, with a new hackney carriage licence being shunted from £204 a year to £232, with a renewal also going up in cost from £169.20 to £197.
Meanwhile, a one-year operator licence is set to increase from £180.80 to £236.
A five-year version will go up from £297.80 to £329, with new private hire licences also being hiked from £240.50 to £269.
According to the report, that will be discussed this week: “The fees have not been changed since the 2015 Deregulation Act introduced the right to apply for taxi driver licences that remain valid for three years, and operator licence that are valid for up to three or five years.
“Most taxi drivers decided to apply for three-year driver licences when it was time for them to renew.
“As we approach the end of the term of the first three-year licences issued since the Deregulation Act came into force, the fees assessment has shown that the cost of the current three-year licence is insufficient to recover the true costs of administrating these licences.
“The Treasurer’s Department has assessed the proposed fees and has concluded that the proposed increase is reasonable to recover the costs incurred when processing an application, in accordance with what is permitted within the Act.
“The percentage increase reflects the average percentage increase across the different licences. Some fees have lesser or greater increase than the average percentage depending on the additional effort involved in processes.”
However, one prominent taxi operator in the county has hit out at the proposed hikes, fearing the impact on the industry.
“It will put a lot of people off becoming drivers,” said Huw Edwards, who runs Tacsi’s Huw (Huw’s Taxis).
“You’re looking at £400 if you throw in a medical and a CRB check, it’s going to have a massive impact on whole industry in Gwynedd.
“It will also eat into our profits as the fares are set by the council, our hands are tied.
“It’s just another squeeze and it will be even harder to find drivers.”
According to the authority, if a decision is made to increase the costs of a licence, a full public consultation will be held before their implementation.