Item 10 - Dumbarton Taxi Fare Review
West Dunbartonshire Council · 3 June 2026
Back to Licensing Committee — 3 June 2026 and its agenda
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer – Regulatory & Regeneration Licensing Committee – 3 June 2026 Subject: Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 Review of Taxi Fares and Charges Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Taxi Licensing Zone 1. Purpose 1.1 To report to the Committee on the review of fares and charges applicable to taxis operating within the Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Taxi Licensing Zone. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that, following a consultation with all taxi operators in the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven zone, the proposals received be considered and the new fare chart proposal agreed. 2.2 Once the proposed fares and charges are agreed:- (a) officers will arrange for the advertisement of the fares and charges agreed by the Committee and review any representations received; and (b) that authority be delegated to the Chief Officer – Regulatory & Regeneration, in consultation with the Chair of the Licensing Committee, to conclude the review without the requirement for the Committee to consider a further report on the matter provided no representations are received in relation to the proposal. 3. Background 3.1 In terms of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act, 1982, Licensing Authorities must fix scales for taxi fares and related charges within 18 months from the date on which the scales came into effect. 3.2 The fares and charges which are applicable to taxis operating within the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Taxi Licensing Zone have been in effect since 14 May 2025 and these are detailed at Appendix 1. 3.3 In the absence of trade representatives within the Dumbarton & Vale of Leven taxi trade, a letter was sent out on 11 March 2026 to all taxi operators asking for their views on the current fares and charges. The letter stated that if anyone wished to make a proposal to alter the existing fare chart then they should do ITEM 10
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so by 26 March 2026. 4. Main Issues 4.1 Three responses were received in total. The first response was received from taxi operator Austin Docherty who proposed that the time on which Tariff 3 becomes applicable on both 24th and 31st December be changed from 7.00am to 7.00pm as he believes this has caused financial hardship for taxi customers, including those who rely on taxis to travel to work on those particular days. Mr Docherty also proposes that both Tariff 1 and Tariff 2 should be applicable throughout the weekend as was the case prior to the previous change to the fare chart in May 2025 as he believes that this has had the effect of lowering taxi usage. A copy of the previous fare chart is included at Appendix 2. 4.2 The second response was received from Wrights Taxi Office who are both a taxi operator and the holder of a Taxi Booking Office Licence. They canvassed 169 taxi drivers, many of whom also hold a taxi operator licence. The figures they submitted in their response showed that, of the 130 responses they received, 89% were in favour of retaining the existing fare chart while 9% preferred changing the hours applicable to either Tariff 2 or Tariff 3. 2% were of the view that a fare increase was appropriate. 4.3 When carrying out a taxi fare review it is taxi operators rather than taxi driver’s that are consulted. The submission from Wrights Taxi office is reflective of the views of a mixture of taxi operators and taxi drivers. 4.4 The third response was received from taxi operator Kevin Harrison who proposed that on 24th December and 31st December, Tariff 1 should be applicable from 7.00am until 12 noon with Tariff 2 running from 12 noon until 5.00pm followed by Tariff 3 until midnight. The exception would be if the 24th and 31st December fell on a weekend when Tariff 2 would be applicable from 7.00am changing to Tariff 3 from 12 noon until midnight. 4.5 Licensing can advise that, having referred to the GOV.UK website which provides an average cost of fuel on a monthly basis for the UK, it shows that in February 2026 the average cost of unleaded fuel was 131.3p per litre and 141.2p per litre for diesel. At the time when the last fare chart became effective in May 2025, the average cost of fuel in the UK was 132.3p for unleaded petrol and 139.1p for diesel. This represents an increase of less than 1% for unleaded fuel and a decrease of just under 1.5% for diesel based on the difference in price when comparing the figures between May 2025 and February 2025. 4.6 The recent conflict in the Middle East has seen a steep increase in both unleaded and diesel fuel with the latest available price in April 2026 being 158.3p for unleaded fuel and 192.4p for diesel. 4.7 The last fare review resulted in the implementation of an updated fare chart for the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven zone the effect of which saw the following:-
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Tariff One and Tariff Four changed from the existing 6.00am until 9.00pm on Monday to Sunday to 7.00am until 7.00pm on Monday to Friday. Tariff Two and Tariff Five changed from the existing 9.00pm until 6.00am on Monday to Sunday to 7.00pm until 7.00am on Monday to Thursday and from 7.00pm until 7.00am on Friday to Monday. Tariff Three and Tariff Six changed from the existing starting point of 6.00pm on 24th December and 31st December to 7.00am. Tariff Three and Tariff Six changed from the existing ending point of 6.00am on 27th December and 3rd January to 7.00am. The flagfalls increased as follows:- Tariff One increased from £3.50 to £4.00 Tariff Two increased from £4.10 to £5.20 Tariff Three increased from £5.50 to £7.00 Tariff Four increased from £4.50 to £5.00 Tariff Five increased from £5.10 to £7.00 Tariff Six increased from £7.00 to £10.00 A £25.00 charge was agreed for a taxi booking made by telephone or via App where the taxi has been booked to uplift passengers from outside the West Dunbartonshire area and the passengers are not at the pick-up point after the pre-arranged time. Running mile increased by 20p on Tariff One, 20p on Tariff Two, £1.80 on Tariff Three, 20p on Tariff Four, 40p on Tariff Five and £1.60 on Tariff Six. Waiting time decreased from £36.00 per hour to £24.00 per hour 4.8 Mr. Docherty, Mr Harrison and a representative from Wrights Taxi Office have been invited to attend the Committee in order that they can speak to their submission and answer any questions Members may have. 4.9 Referring to 2.2 (b) of this report, should no representations be received in relation to the published proposals, in order to expedite matters, it is suggested that authority be delegated to the Chief Officer - Regulatory and Regeneration in consultation with the Chair of the Licensing Committee to conclude the review without the requirement for the Committee to consider a further report. 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no personnel issues for the Council arising from this report. 6. Financial Implications 6.1 There are no financial implications for the Council arising from this report. 7. Risk Analysis
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7.1 There is no increased risk to the Council associated with the contents of this report. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 No impact assessment is required because this report does not involve any change to policies or services or financial decisions. 9. Consultation 9.1 The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 sets out how the licensing authority should engage with the trade and public in relation to the setting of taxi fares. The process carried out by the Licensing Section mirrors the statutory process. Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration Date 13 May 2026 Person to Contact: Robert Mackie, Senior Officer (Licensing Services), Licensing Team, Municipal Buildings, College Street, Dumbarton, G82 1NR. Tel. No. (Direct line) 01389 738742. robert.mackie@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices 1. Current Fare Chart for Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Licensing Zone. 2. Previous Fare Chart for Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Licensing Zone. Background Papers 1. Letters to Mr Docherty, Mr Harrison and Wright Taxis dated 15 May 2026