The cost of a cab journey in Worthing could rise after taxi drivers asked for fares to be increased.
At the moment, the cost of a daytime ride hailed from the street or a rank for up to four passengers is £3.50 plus 10p per 88 yards or 18 seconds.
Last month, a group of 37 drivers formally requested a new tariff which would put the starting rate up by a pound to £4, with 10p only buying you 70.1 yards or 16 seconds after that.
They also want the night time rate for up to four passengers to increase from £4 then 20p per 120 yards or 30 seconds to £5 then 20p per 97.2 yards or 30 seconds. This would also apply during the day on bank holidays or to taxis carrying five or more passengers.
And the start rate for the two tariffs above that – which apply on bank holiday nights and over Christmas and New Year – would also go up.
Their request is being considered by Worthing Borough Council’s licensing committee next Monday.
A report going before the committee said the last time fares were increased was July 2022.
It said: “A Worthing hackney carriage proprietor has presented a request to the licensing unit for an increase to the current Worthing hackney carriage tariff.
“The proposal includes a new tariff scale and has been signed by 37 members of the hackney carriage trade and they have provided some reasoning behind their request.
“There are currently 53 hackney carriage vehicles licensed by Worthing Borough Council.
“The national league position table shows Worthing is 58 out of 341 authorities and in Sussex three authorities are positioned in the league table above us: Arun is at 32, Brighton and Hove at 22 and Mid Sussex at 15.
It adds: “Members should bear in mind that the vast majority of taxi drivers/proprietors are small sole trader businesses, whose income is indirectly regulated by the council.
“The tariff set is a maximum tariff, and drivers are not obliged to charge the full amount shown on the meter, in every case.”
The report says the committee can either approve the suggested tariff, in which case it would have to be advertised for 14 days to allow for any objections to be made, or reject it.
If approved, the fares would not apply to pre-booked taxis, including those hired via Uber.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated fares would rise by a pound each. This was based on council papers which wrongly stated the existing base rate for lowest tariffs is £3. This was clarified during the meeting on Monday, 10 February.
