Key Points:
- Hackney carriage fares in South Gloucestershire increased by 2.55%.
- No public responses were received during the council’s consultation on the fare changes.
- The new fares took effect on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
- Private hire vehicles, including Uber and Bolt, are not affected by the increase.
- The consultation was advertised in local newspapers, the council website, and messages to taxi drivers.
- The initial cost of hiring a hackney carriage is now £2.40, covering the first 115m (377ft).
- Passengers will pay an additional 20p per 111m (364ft) or 26.7 seconds of waiting.
- A £1.70 surcharge applies between 18:00 and 06:00 on weekdays and over the weekend from Friday evening to Monday morning.
- The number of traditional hackney carriages in South Gloucestershire has dropped from 350 to around 50.
- Council licensing manager Lily Brine said the decline is due to the rise of private hire services like Uber.
Hackney carriage fares in South Gloucestershire have risen by 2.55% after a public consultation failed to receive any responses. The fare changes, approved by South Gloucestershire Council, came into effect on April 1, 2025.
How much do passengers now have to pay?
The new pricing structure for hackney carriages is as follows:
- £2.40 – Base fare covering the first 115m (377ft) of a journey.
- 20p – Additional charge for every 111m (364ft) travelled or 26.7 seconds of waiting.
- £1.70 surcharge – Applied between 18:00 and 06:00 on weekdays and from Friday evening until Monday morning.
These fare changes apply only to hackney carriages, which passengers can hail on the street or at a taxi rank. Private hire vehicles such as Uber and Bolt remain unaffected.
Why was there no public response to the consultation?
Despite efforts to gather public feedback, no responses were received during the consultation process. The council had promoted the consultation in local newspapers, on its website, and through direct messages to taxi drivers.
Lily Brine, Council Licensing Service Manager, said that low participation was expected:
“Honestly, no I wasn’t [surprised]. Based on our previous consultations on fees, charges and tariffs, we don’t usually get a particularly high response.”
Why are traditional taxis declining in South Gloucestershire?
The number of hackney carriages in South Gloucestershire has significantly declined. When Lily Brine joined the licensing department, there were around 350 taxis. Now, there are only about 50.
She attributed the drop to the rise of private hire services like Uber and Bolt, which face fewer regulations and offer greater convenience for pre-booked rides.
“With private hire vehicles, because of the way that society and technology has changed, it’s gone very much towards private hire and those pre-booked journeys rather than hackney carriages picking up at the side of the road.”
The fare increase aims to support the remaining hackney carriage drivers amid rising costs and competition from private hire firms. However, the continued decline in traditional taxi numbers suggests that private hire services may dominate South Gloucestershire’s transport landscape in the coming years.
