Item 9 - Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Taxi Fare Review
West Dunbartonshire Council · 19 February 2025
Back to Licensing Committee — 19 February 2025 and its agenda
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer – Regulatory & Regeneration Licensing Committee – 19 February 2025 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:- (a) that the proposed changes to the current level of fares and charges applicable to the Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Taxi Licensing Zone, submitted by the trade association for the Dumbarton & Vale of Leven area, be considered as follows:- Alter the time period when Tariffs will apply as follows:- Tariff One and Tariff Four to change 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 to change 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 to change from the existing starting point of 6.00pm on 24th December and 31st December to 7.00am. Tariff Three and Tariff Six to change from the existing ending point of 6.00am on 27th December and 3rd January to 7.00am. Increase the flagfall as follows:- Tariff One to increase from £3.50 to £4.00 Tariff Two to increase from £4.10 to £5.20 Tariff Three to increase from £5.50 to £7.00 Tariff Four to increase from £4.50 to £5.00 Tariff Five to increase from £5.10 to £7.00 Tariff Six to increase from £7.00 to £10.00 Item 9
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A £25.00 charge shall be payable 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 increasing 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 will decrease from £36.00 per hour to £24.00 per hour (b) that officers arrange for the advertisement of the fares and charges agreed by the Committee and review any representations received; and 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 22 November 2023 and these are detailed at Appendix 1. 3.3 On 16 November 2024 a submission was received from representatives of the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Taxi Trade, proposing amendments to the existing fare chart. 4. Main Issues 4.1 Having contacted the trade representatives to request the submission of a proposal for consideration by the Committee, they canvassed the taxi trade by putting forward the increases detailed as Taxi Trade Option 1. Having received feedback from the proposal, the trade representatives submitted Trade Option 2 as their preferred changes to the existing fare chart. 4.2 Licensing can advise that, having referred to the RAC website, which provides an average cost of fuel on a monthly basis for the UK, it shows that in November 2024 the average cost of unleaded fuel was 135.72p per litre and 140.85p per litre for diesel. At the time when the last fare chart became effective in November 2023, the average cost of fuel in the UK was 152.08p for unleaded petrol and 159.16p for diesel. This represents a decrease of 10.8% for unleaded fuel and 11.5% for diesel based on the difference in price when comparing the figures between November 2023 and November 2024.
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4.3 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 charge on the flagfall for each tariff rise by 50p and a rise of 20p on the running mile on Tariff 1, 2 and 3, a rise of 10p on Tariff 4, a rise of 30p on Tariff 5 and a rise of 50p on Tariff 6. Waiting time also increased from £24.00 per hour to £36.00 per hour. 4.4 The trade representatives have been invited to attend the Committee in order that they can speak to their submission and answer any questions Members may have. 4.5 Referring to 2.1 (c) of this report, should no representations be received in relation to the 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 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. It should be noted that while the Licensing Committee is considering a modification to this process, this fare review was commenced prior to the consideration of this matter and therefore, will continue under the current arrangements. 9.2 The submission received on 16 December 2024 from representatives of the Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Taxi Trade included feedback from a number of Operators and Drivers on the original proposal to the trade. The proposal
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contained within this report has taken this feedback into consideration and this is included at Appendix 4. The first proposal and feedback from the taxi trade are included at Appendices 2 and 3. Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration Date 31 January 2025 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. Trade Proposal 1. 3. Feedback from Trade Proposal 1. 4. Trade Proposal 2. 5. Current Fare Chart for Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Licensing Zone. Background Papers 1. Letter to taxi trade representative dates 4 February 2025.