Fare increase?

Can anybody confirm a meeting about a fare increase this coming week?

I am sorry I've not been able to post on here regularly and Admin has been back home for the weekend too so forum seems to have gone slow. A friend did mention sometghing about a meeting about fares on Wednesday but no details though. I was given the impression that they are looking for a high percentage of drivers to show they want an increase for it to be considered or something on those lines. I will post back when I learn more but in the meantime if anyone has a more ACCURATE information then please feel free to share it with the rest of us.

I belive that the next POLICY meeting is 10th June and this may be when the Fares are looked at.? i keep checking the council website as the reports should be listed prior to the meeting.

As a brother mention to me that meeting about fare increase is going to take place tomarrow wednes day 6:00 pm at PMC but this not official because I did not manage to speake to Hafiz STTA web site may help you.

Thank you Waheed brother, Yes I can confirm a meeting to discuss the proposals for a fare increase to be held at the PMC on Wednesday evening at 6.30pm. This is of course the meet to iron out our differences before a formal proposal can be put to the City Council probably on the 10th June as mentioned by vulcan. I feel as many as possible should attend and make their views known. So, 6.30pm at the PMC on Wednesday!!

The meeting went ahead as planned and the required result was acheived, namely a proposal for a fare increase.

An informal discussion as to the requirement for an increase with good input from the drivers attending.


Three proposed fare increase structures were voted upon and the one adopted was to ask for an increase of 20p/mile to cover the extra burden of recent weeks' fuel price increase. This will be discussed with the council next week, so at least now the STTA has a mandate to carry forward the drivers agreed proposal. Good work!

Just to note that we haven't had any negative comment about STTA from the regular crew, on this topic......................so far

tony wrote:Just to note that we haven't had any negative comment about STTA from the regular crew, on this topic......................so far

I should be careful there's still time yet
The meeting to discuss the fares at the licensing board stage iss tomorrow morning ie. Tuesday the 10th June morning, so we should know by the afternoon. Monitoring the public reaction however, has been mixed with many understanding the need for an increase and others reckon the cabbies should absorb the extra costs as the fares are high enough.

Is it true 50p on every journey????

Thank you vulcan for posting that. The licensing board has met and STTA representations were made and a decission arrived at. Every journey will be charged 50pence extra to the meter fare via an authorisation notice issued by the City Council. This will of course only be implemented pending advertising in the local press and giving chance to any reasonable objections etc. It looks likely to be early to mid July before the extra fare comes in.
So in conclusion, a 50p extra and no change to the meter required as you will be issued with a notice to display authorising the extra charge, which will lead to some fun and games IMO.
the twenty pence extra was an asking position decided by the drivers and never a proposal by the council so no surprise then if they had different ideas.

We're increasing rates on Mercury on the 16th June by 30p/trip. So cabbies are still getting more but is that going to stop them complaining? Nope!!.

If it's not on the meter it's going to lead to lot of trouble, and at this time of year theres more trouble anyway. It's going to be a tough summer gents!!

Yes you are right Tony it is not easy to ask passangers for an extra 50 pence in these days If it is in meter then it is different but.............?

If the fare goes on the meter, does anybody know how much the agents will charge for doing this. And how many agents are out there, why cant the Council do it at the testing centre?

The last increase I believe one agent was charging £10 and another £15, and looking at the strong reaction from people on the rank it would be better to have it on the meter. There are I believe four agents in Sheffield with two specialising for the one meter type, the Sygnus.

I support that view 100% that many would rather pay a tenner for the meter adjustment than ask for the 50p extra and I can see why many would find it demeaning to do so. The fare is this but kindly put another fifty pence in the begging bowl doesn't seem right to many, but the powers that be know best.
Another point that someone asked was that there hasn't been any change to the byelaws and that deems total fare to be displayed on the clock face, so isn't this issuing of notice against that rule? I don't know the answer to that one maybe if anyone else knows?

Bye-law 13 states this

FARES AND CHARGES FOR HACKNEY CARRIAGES

13. The proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage shall be entitled to take for the hire of the carriage the rate or fare prescribed by the Council from time to time the rate or fare being calculated by distance unless the hirer expresses at the commencement of the hiring his desire to engage by time.

Provided always that where a hackney carriage shall be hired by distance the proprietor or driver thereof shall not be entitled to take for the hire of the carriage a fare greater than that recorded on the face of the taximeter except where

(a) Specifically authorised to do so by the Council and

(b) Where the extra fare is notified to passengers by a notice supplied by the Council and affixed to the inside of the vehicle so as to be clearly visible to all passengers.

So if the Council provide a notice you can charge more than metered fare. Which then gives the driver the Authorisation to do so.

Having recieved a newsletter from STTA, and it seems that some understanding of the drivers' concerns has been reached, and the 50p will be as an extra displayed on the meter face. Although it is legal to display a notice and collect the surcharge, most drivers were critical of the idea and concerned that it would lead to more problems. Common sense approach seems to have been adopted thankfully. Get ready for another meter calibration.

A little reminder to you that if this increase goes ahead then next review and possible recalibration due in about five months. Looks like the meter men have been persuading a lot of simple folk to complain good and loud.

Fare increase has gone ahead and majority of meters should by now have been recalibrated, so now please keep us updated with any complaints about the increase.

Can anybody explain why the Council dont re-calibrate your meters, I know they would charge but I am sure they would only charge what we are getting charged now, why should we pay meter agents, how do you get to be a meter agent anyway. Nice job if you can get it bit of ectra money once per year, 850 meters £10 per meter, sweet, for how longs work.

There is a whole industry out there depending on this market. The council would in every case try and monopolise the market and fleece the taxi drivers. Competition in any market is healthy and we have seen meters recalibrated for a fiver and some at various other prices, so do you think council could do that. No! They would charge you a wacking £30 or something silly like that and blame a recomended price on somebody else like they do with MOTs. I can get MOT done for £35 at an independent testing station, and bet that would never happen in a council testing station in a zillion years.
Rant over.

First casualty of the forwarned trouble over the new surcharge. Argument over the fifty pence extra lead to a group of youths attacking the driver and breaking his jaw. It could have been handled so much better than this fiasco of having to press a separate extra, I mean it's not as though that money will be put in a sepparate tin is it? Every weekend there will be problems simply because that is when demand is highest but we have almost half of the passengers refusing to pay the extra because it comes as a surprise to them when suddenly the extras are added to make the total fare, and seems irrelevent that the extra 50p was displayed infront of them all the journey through. There seems to be an attitude from above here that they don't have to charge it if they don't want to, but why not? And what on earth was the legal imperative for not adding it to the normal starting fare instead of as an extra, wouldn't that still have been a 50 pence increase or was it too simple to grasp? The guy with the broken jaw may have a different oppinion to that of the committee methinks.

I believe the resolultion brought by the trade to the table was that they did not want the fare to be added to the start up fee, and asked for 20p per mile, the Board considered this and decided that the only way to put the increase on if to aviod the start up fee as requested was as an extra at the end. PS hope the driver assaulted gets better quickly and the thugs get donefor it. Must be some assault to get through the partician and break his jaw though???

Although it seems like closing the stable door after the proverbial horse has bolted but does no one at the board realise that the drivers request to put the increase on mileage was to avoid arguments over the increase? The drivers had discussed this point and it was suggested that a sudden increase would invite complaints and if it's with the mileage then it might make life easier. Maybe our betters didn't have this foresight. Instead the council in it's wisdom gave them the second worst possible option of the extras on the meter, when the worst would have been to ask for extras pointing to the notice.

Driver attack
The argument was in the city centre and the passengers left the cab after argueing they will not pay the fifty pence extra and as they left one of them kicked the taxi. The lad injured is said to have come out of his vehicle to inspect any damage to his cab and whilst he was looking at the cab, a second youth punched him on the side of his face braking his jaw. The culprits then ran away only to flag another cab and asked to go to their original destination. The cab driver was made aware of his passengers actions, and as he was passing the police station at West Bar he pulled in, and the passengers jumped out and ran off. They were however apprehended at the tram stop at Shalesmoor by the police. The original taxi driver was in pain but hadn't at that stage realised how serious his injury was. It wasn't till the next morning when he couldn't move his mouth and swelling and pain got worse that he went to Hospital and x-rays showed the extent of damage to his jaw. Hope he makes a full recovery but seems it will be some time yet though. If only the people making decissions about our trade had some experience in working in the trade rather than making political noises for sake of accumulating votes.