Taxi fares in Stirling may increase if recommendations made in a tariff review are approved.
A new report advises bumping up existing prices by around 3%, rounded to the nearest 10 pence.
The rise would result in customers paying approximately £23.60 for a journey of 10 miles, compared to the current fare of £22.90.
A 20-mile trip would add up to £44.70, compared to £43.40.
What are the proposed price increases?
There are three tariffs for Stirling taxis, depending on the specifics of the journey.
- Tariff 1 currently has a base rate of £3.40 for half a mile or less, then 10p per each subsequent 86 yards.
- Tariff 2‘s base rate is £4, then drivers calculate the Tariff 1 fare and increase it by 25% for each subsequent 86 yards.
- Tariff 3 has a £5.40 base rate, then a Tariff 1 fare increased by 60% for each subsequent 86 yards.
The review, carried out Licensed Vehicle Surveys and Assessment (LSVA), recommends increasing the base rates of both Tariff 1 and 2 by 10p, to £3.50 and £4.10 respectively, and increasing Tariff 3 to £5.60.
On top of that, distance increments for all three fares would change as follows:
- Tariff 1 – 10p for every subsequent 83.5 yards
- Tariff 2 – 10p for every subsequent 66.8 yards
- Tariff 3 – 10p for every subsequent 52.2 yards
If the suggested increases are improved, there would be no change to the existing waiting-time charge, and extra charges would also remain the same.
The review and its recommendations will now be shared with the taxi trade and members of the public to seek their views on it.
Those findings will then be reported back to Stirling Council.
It is hoped the matter will be brought back to the council in February 2025, but it is currently unclear when the new taxi charges might be brought in.
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How are Stirling’s taxi tariffs decided?
In Stirling, Tariff 1 is the standard charge for all taxi journeys.
Tariff 2 applies to hires between the hours of 11pm and 7am, as well as on bank holidays.
Tariff 3 applies to trips carrying five or more passengers.
After the first three minutes, 30p is charged for each additional minute of waiting time, for all journeys.
Extra charges include 20p for each person in excess of one, 50p for booking in advance, and £50 for soiling the taxi.
What information informed the fare review?
In total, it is thought that the cost to operate a taxi in Stirling came to £76,467.07 in 2024, compared to £74,220.28 in 2023. This is an increase of £2,246.79, or around 3%.
When compiling its fare review, LSVA took into account vehicle cost, servicing, fuel, insurance, vehicle excise duty, licensing cost, average national earnings, and annual mileage.
The average annual mileage for a local taxi driver was calculated at 39,982 miles.
In its report, LSVA wrote: “It is noted that this increase is lower than the CPIH inflation measure over the same period and is less than the average increase in taxi fares over the same period.”
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