Maximum taxi fares increased by 4.75%
TAXI drivers have been awarded a 4.75% increase to maximum fares but the Environment & Infrastructure Committee has rejected three proposals for changes to tariff structures put forward by the Guernsey Taxi Drivers Association.
The changes were published for consultation last month. The tariff increase comes into effect from today.
Deputy Adrian Gabriel, vice-president of Environment & Infrastructure, said that the consultation had been really helpful in highlighting what could have been some unintended negative consequences of the proposed changes to the tariff structure.
‘We’ve quickly taken this feedback on board and have taken steps to continue to support the industry,’ he said.
‘It’s certainly worth emphasising that these are the absolute maximum fares that can be charged for a taxi journey.
‘Taxi firms are under no obligation to apply the charge stated on the meter and could decide that they want to offer fares which are lower than the maximum, to put themselves on a more competitive footing.’
The annual increase was calculated using a formula which takes into account taxi operating costs and Guernsey’s median earnings.
E&I approved proposals from the GTDA including starting the evening/public holidays tariff an hour earlier at 6pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and amending tariff seating capacity categories.
However, having listened to feedback, the committee rejected a proposal to start the evening and public holidays tariff (tariffs 2, 4 and 6) at 7pm on a Friday, instead of 10pm to mirror Saturdays and Sundays, and not to apply the evening and public holidays tariff to all day on Saturday and Sunday, and remove the 60p surcharge currently in place for Sundays.
E&I said feedback had suggested that higher tariffs earlier on Fridays and also all day on Saturdays and Sundays may have led a reduction in the number of taxi drivers operating late at night, because they may have felt they had earned enough over the weekends and early evenings.
