The taxi trade in Torfaen has asked Torfaen Council to review the prices they can charge passengers using meters.

These taxis are known as hackney vehicles and can park at ranks and be hailed down on the street without pre-booking. They are black and have yellow door signs and plates. The last meter price review in Torfaen was in 2018 and before that it was 2008. Drivers can only charge the meter price or less.

Fuel prices in 2018 and 2022

In December 2018, the date of the last meter increase, a litre of petrol was 123.4p and a litre of diesel was 132.73p (source: The RAC Foundation). In July 2022 the Foundation report that a litre of petrol is 189.46p (53.53% increase) and a litre of diesel is 197.52p (48.81% increase).

At the council’s licensing committee this week Cllr Jon Horlor, Trevethin and Penygarn Ward, said he is a regular user of taxis and had seen fare increases in private hire vehicles which he felt were due to the “sheer rise in petrol prices”. He asked if the rise in fuel prices had been reflected in the meters used by hackney taxis.

Claire Howells, team manager for the licensing and trading standards team, said: “In terms of the meter charges, as of a few days ago we have received a request from the trade to review the meter charges. In terms of the meter charging, it’s the trade that have to ask for an increase. We have received that in the last few days so we will be working on that with the trade in the next couple of weeks and we will be coming to committee with a report because we have to go out for consultation and get committee approval. So that will be some work that you will be seeing coming forward in the next month or so.”

 

17 December 2018 – 121.024397

Current prices of Hackney taxis in Torfaen

Tariff 1

• First 1 mile or part thereof – £4
• 10p for each subsequent 120 yards or part thereof

Tariff 2

• Journeys commencing between midnight – 6am – £4.70
• 15p for each subsequent 140 yards or part thereof
• Groups of 5 or more passengers in vehicles licensed for the conveyance of over 4 passengers – TARIFF 2
• Waiting time for each period of 30 seconds or part thereof – 15p

EXTRA CHARGES

• The above fares to be doubled on the following days:- Christmas Eve (6pm – midnight), Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve (6pm
  – midnight), New Years Day, Easter Monday, spring bank holiday, summer bank holiday and other bank holidays declared by Parliament or the Welsh
  Government – TARIFF 2
• Animals carried at the driver’s discretion (except guide, hearing and other assistance dogs which will be carried free charge unless driver is exempted on medical grounds) – £1
• Any soiling of a vehicle may be charged up to a maximum of £150
• Fares for journeys ending outside the area of Torfaen County Borough Council and in respect of which no fare or rate of fare was agreed before the hiring was effected must not exceed the authorised fare scale as shown above.