OBJECTION 1
Having now considered the proposed changes and consulted a number of other Taxi Drivers, we feel we must object to the new rates. We look forward to being invited to a meeting with the Committee, to discuss alternative measures as outlined in your earlier email, and hope this can be at your earliest convenience. How many of us would the Committee find acceptable to attend the meeting.?
OBJECTION 2
The only objection I have to the option chosen for the fare increase is:
In order to charge full fare on meter, drivers will now have to carry 1p's, 2p's and 5p's in addition to regular coinage. This is impractical and will simply lead to driver operators to round down to nearest 10p and subsequently, over a period of time, reduce potential takings.
Solution: Keep the standing charge and subsequent increments at round figures based on a yardage reduction formula. E.g Tarff 1
Currently:
800 yds is £2.80
+170 yds is £3.00
+170 yds is £3.20
Total 1220 yds is £3.20
Option:
Reduce yardage by 12.1%
773.52 yds at £3.00
+149.43 yds at £3.20
+149.43 yds at £3.40
+149.43 yds at £3.60
Total 1221.81 yds is £3.60
Difference between the 2 prices is 12.5%
Difference between the 2 distances is 0.15%
Hope this may be considered as an alternative practical solution.
OBJECTION 3
We how have 8 seater we pay more in fuel and are insurance costs a lot more than the six seater so when I spoke to the guy who have bigger cabs they all said it would be better. + the 12% increased out to 10% not 12%. We as taxis companies would like are increase to be the same as Torbay how as had a 20% increase..
OBJECTION 4
Thank you for all the additional time and effort you are having to put in to review our taxi license fares. I do take in to consideration the difficulties that covid has placed on yourself and your team. I’m grateful for any increase. Whilst I appreciate all the time put in to come up with a swift resolution, I feel some extra time to mediate and consult could have come up with a simpler solution for everyone including our customers.
Firstly, I’m disappointed Councillor Rowe released to the BBC what the increase was going to be before we were informed. Now I feel we have no recourse.
My greatest concern is simplicity of understanding for our customers, especially the elderly and vulnerable. Using percentages as an increase forces us into using pennies on the charges.
Looking at the proposed chart for charges, would it not have been much simpler to bring tariff 1 down to £3.10 & take tariff 2 up to £4.50? Then letting the meter continue to run at increments of 20/30p over the journey? Talking to meter companies I don’t think we can implement pennies..
Equally, I fully accept that a 20% increase is too big at once, but maybe a negotiated time period could have been opened? As an example, a 2 year phased implementation could have been discussed. (Even with the knowledge that each meter adjustment would cost us £35).
Finally, I’d like to point out a couple of things that may of not been floored before. The uniqueness of the South Hams for the Taxi industry and why this makes fuel prices more detrimental to profitability here. We are all aware of our status as an area of outstanding natural beauty. We are incredibly rural with rural infrastructure, particularly public transport. The limited amount of this indicates that it simply isn’t viable to run it.
The
distances we travel on our smaller roads, gives us much poorer fuel
economy. The biggest implication for fuel is, for one way on these
journeys we are empty. It is incredibly rare to get a fare both
ways on a trip across the South Hams and we are seldom flagged
down.
All these issues make it a much tighter margin for running costs in the South hams for taxis.
It was mentioned that taxis in the South Hams should be electric. I have done a feasibility test on this. Economically, it’s a long way off. Commercially, the initial cost of purchase is 3 times greater, and they have limited range. Most of us would do more than one charge’s range in a shift (decreased massively by our type of roads). There is a lack of charging points, and there is the time whilst charging. Long haul such as Heathrow would be impossible without 2 stops of an hour each.
Finally, the life of the batteries. In my estimation, they would need replacing in 3 years of Taxi use.
A few guys are using hybrid and this does look like it’s more feasible for lighter work.
Lastly, I understand your use of the CPI to gauge inflation but I’d like to point out that both Councillor Rowe and your email refers to the last review being in 2016. Yet the increase is being reviewed from 2018. Inflation in 2017 was 2.7.
In reality, our profitability has been eroded in far greater terms than estimated.
I fear as we are unable to even implement a rise in line with historic inflation, the near future will tell us whether taxis will be viable in the South Hams.
OBJECTION 5
Thank you for looking at the increase for Taxi Meter‘s but I just like to bring one thing to your attention, and that is the Taxi Meter extra button goes up by 10p not pennies, so would like to ask you just to look at that again because if it does Penneys
1, no one carries a lot of change around with them and I don’t think members of the public would like it to be the odd pence
2, if we had a lot of extras like £2 we have to sit for a long time adding 1p on the extra button and it just takes too long and too much hassle.
I hope this makes sense and thanks again for looking at the increase it will be a great help but I just think a couple of tweaks is needed.
OBJECTION 6
But I still believe we should be on par with Torbay. We breathe the same air drive the same roads.
OBJECTION 7
Many thanks, sorry I'm not really that impressed with whats being proposed as fuel has all ready hit £1.80 a litre in parts of the the southams also torbay and teignbridge councils have all ready implemented a far bigger increase. We also need to leave the odd numbers ie coppers out of the equation, round up in tens world be far easier.
OBJECTION 8
Thank you for your email regarding the tariff change. I 98% support the proposed option . My only gripe is going back to small change whereas up until now we have worked to the nearest 10p, although this might be offset by the high volume of card payments I take.
OBJECTION 9
just wondering why the tarifs are messing around with odd pence, why were they not rounded up or down accordingly ,? As now we have to carry one , two and five pence pieces. The number of customers that will want the exact change is surprising
OBJECTION 10
Thanks for the information. I think it will be useful if you can round the price up or down to a round figure. I have spoken to the meter man and it would be best for him and us..
OBJECTION 11
I would like to point out that having odd 4p and 8p will make life difficult with all the lose change we would have to carry. Can you round up or down the tariffs and change the yards to match .
IE tariff 1 £3.10 & 870 yards tariff 2 £4.50 same yards and similar with following yards and waiting times. This would make life a lot easer
OBJECTION 12
Thanks for this, only one query really why is tariff 3 less than tariff 2 (not that it involves me as I only have a six passenger taxi) and are there any changes to the extras regarding passengers carried in excess of one or luggage carried outside the passenger compartment and any increase regarding accidental spillage inside or on the bodywork of the vehicle currently £100 ?
OBJECTION 13
My only question is on the standing charges should be rounded up otherwise we will need to be carrying more change ie 1p 2p and 5p coins therefore would this not be better
T1 £3.14 to £3.20
T2 £4.48 to £4.50
T3 £4.15 to £4.20
Also just realised T3 between 11pm and 7am for a 7-8 seater vehicle is cheaper than T2 ?