Taxi fares in Stevenage set to rise from April
Rising fuel costs have led drivers to ask for an increase to fares from the local council
Taxi fares in Stevenage are rising as drivers say their business is being impacted by increasing fuel prices and the rising cost of living.
Stevenage Borough Council have agreed the changes which will see fares rising by 9% - or 60p more for customers for every two mile journey.
The rise was first proposed in December 2021, and the new prices will mean Stevenage has the 35th tariff rate in the country out of 365 local authorities.
However, drivers say their prices are still lower than their competitors and the increase keeps Stevenage’s taxi tariffs in line with neighbouring Welwyn and Hatfield.
Cllr Sharon Taylor said that Stevenage Borough Council said the request for an increase to fares came after five years of stable tariffs.
“You’ll be very aware that the cost of petrol, the cost of buying and maintaining vehicles has increased quite significantly since 2017” she says.
“So the drivers felt it was time they had an increase.”
Cllr Taylor also said that the Council considered the difficulty of the cost of living crisis for drivers and customers.
“We have to get that balance right between being fair to these hackney carriage drivers who are mainly small business people or self-employed, and our residents.
“We felt that because of the long length of time since the last increase this was justified.”
Fares on Hackney Carriage taxis will increase from 1st April 2022.