Agenda item

To consider the head of legal and democratic (interim) report. 

To report on the results of a recent consultation in order that the Cabinet can set maximum fares for journeys carried out by South Oxfordshire licensed hackney carriages within the South Oxfordshire district.

Recommendations:

a)       To consider the results of the consultation at Appendix D

b)       To adopt the proposed maximum hackney carriage fares at Appendix G with effect from 20 April 2024

c)       Subject to (b) above, agree that the tariff is reviewed annually using the Guildford model

Cabinet received the Hackney Carriage Fares report from the head of legal and democratic which outlined the results of the consultation and proposed Cabinet adopted the new proposed fares and agree that the tariff be reviewed annual using the Guildford model.

The licensing team leader and the legal, licensing and community Safety manager drew Cabinets attention to that information included in appendix C to the report on how the proposed tariff had been calculated as well as on the details around their consultation on the proposal. 

In response to a question about if the fare allowed for taxi companies to pay their staff minimum wage, the legal, licensing and community Safety manager confirmed that the fare model proposed was a nationally used model and accounted for a range of factors specific to the cost of living in the district, provide by the Office of National Statistics, including average annual salary.

The leader clarified a point about the regularity of the tariff review, highlighting that the council had not set a tariff prior to 2022 and that the recommendation was for it to be reviewed annually. 

The leader of the council, Councillor David Rouane, introduced the report and highlighted that the hackney carriage tariff was first set by the council in October 2022 and was a maximum charge that could be applied to all journeys within the district. He also outlined the Guildford method of tariff calculation and informed Cabinet about the details of the consultation. In addition to meeting the legal requirements, the consultation involved an online survey, hard copies, emails to all hackney carriage drivers, notification in the trade newsletter, and on local press, media, and the council’s website as well as in person visits to the taxi rank and a drop-in session. He noted that a number of respondents had disagreed with the tariff as they considered it too high.

The leader indicated that the results of the consultation were considered, and some amendments to the new tariff were made as a result. However, he believed that the proposal was a good balance between the interests of the public and those of the taxi drivers.

Members discussed the proposal outlined in the report and agreed with the adoption of the Guildford method of calculating tariffs as it was a widely used, robust method of calculating fares. However, it was raised that the next review should examine the impact of the increased fares in order for them to better understand its consequences. In addition, they agreed that the consultation was conducted appropriately and appreciated that officers had visited the taxi ranks in person.

Overall, the Cabinet thanked the public speakers for their input but believed that the proposed tariff was a reasonable compromise between the interests of the public and the taxi drivers. For this reason, they agreed to approve the new tariff and for it to be reviewed annually.

RESOLVED: to

(a)       note the results of the consultation on hackney carriage fares, as set out at Appendix D to the head of legal and democratic’s report to Cabinet on 18 April 2024;

(b)       adopt the proposed maximum hackney carriage fares, as set out at Appendix G to the report, with effect from 20 April 2024; and

(c)        agree that the tariff is reviewed annually using the Guildford model.