East Ayrshire councillors reject proposal to increase taxi fares

Councillors have rejected a proposed increase to taxi fares, choosing instead to maintain the current fare structure following strong public opposition.

Taxi drivers had sought an increase on basic fare up to three-quarters of a mile (up from £4 to £4.50) and the rate for subsequent distances (up from 20p to 25p every 125 yards), citing increased costs.

But concerns about the impact on people who rely on taxis and stating that the increase would make East Ayrshire the fourth highest in Scotland and the 21st highest in the UK helped councillors on the panel decide to reject the increases.

A basic two-mile journey in East Ayrshire currently comes in around £7.60, following a review of fares in 2023, which went into effect in 2024.

South and North Ayrshire Councils have conducted their own reviews recently, with South Ayrshire leapfrogging East Ayrshire on trade journal Private Hire and Taxi Monthly’s regular taxi fare league table. At the 80th highest in the UK, a two-mile journey costs around £8.

At £6.40, North Ayrshire remains significantly lower and is well down the table in 274th place.

Chief governance officer, David Mitchell, told councillors that, according to the industry, East Ayrshire was the 120th highest in the UK using the basic two-mile taxi journey.

That position regularly changes as councils review their rates at different times, as one of the drivers in attendance interjected during the meeting.

That is backed up by the position in June 2024, when it was ranked 93rd highest, falling over the last 12 months as other areas raised their fares.

Mr Mitchell pointed towards the correspondence from the public, the majority of which was unsurprisingly against an increase.

However, he did add that ‘leaving aside the toxicity, the hostility and the usual rhetoric, and even leaving behind that some people do not understand this as the council doesn’t stand to make any money or profit out of the fares’, all of the responses from the public opposed the hike.

Mr Mitchell also pointed out that some responses complained about the increase in public holidays, not accounting for the drivers who would have to work those holidays.

A total of 12 submissions were received during the consultation period, all opposing the proposed changes.

Many of these did appear to believe, incorrectly, that the council operated the taxis and received income from fares.

Respondents raised issues ranging from cost of living pressures and accessibility for hospital and shift workers, to claims that East Ayrshire already has some of the highest taxi fares in the UK.

Concerns were also raised about the transparency of the process, the fairness of the current pricing model for longer journeys, and anecdotal reports of overcharging by drivers.

Councillors acknowledged the issues faced by taxi drivers but said that the impact on passengers and their position as one of the highest in the country was reason enough to keep fares at their current levels.

The rejected proposal would have seen a 1.5-mile journey rise from £6.20 to £7.25, with longer journeys rising proportionally. Some surcharges, including the fee for additional passengers in multi-seater taxis, were also due to increase by up to 50 per cent.

The Licensing Panel had been required by law to review the fares within an 18-month cycle.

With no changes to the fares, the existing tariff will remain in effect beyond July 31, 2025, pending any future review or appeal.