The State of the Industry
10- mile journeys set to rise on average by £4.20 amid cost-of-living crisis
Some UK councils are warning that taxi fares could rise by up to 20% to allow drivers to cope with the increase in running costs.
West Oxfordshire District Council along with political party councillors, will make the decision on Wednesday 21 September when they meet.
A report, lead by the council said, “The process of setting a fare increase is complex and a balance needs to be struck between the legitimate aims of the taxi trade to maintain profitability in the face of increasing costs.” [Oxford Mail]
A two-mile journey would see an increase of around 16% and a 10-mile journey a whopping 20%.
Galaxy Travel Taxis remain committed to customers and no price increases will be implemented.
Two years wait to process taxi driver applications on Merseyside.
A Merseyside taxi company has said its drivers are applying for licences in Wolverhampton, 90-miles away due to long delays in processing application locally.
A screenshot of an email was shared on the social media account of Sefton-based taxi company, Delta Taxis which said “Urgent. Application 9 weeks no reply.” The email went on to read: “We currently have a two-year waiting list for new application, Regards, taxi licensing officer.” [Liverpool Echo]
A Sefton Council member stated that there “is not a two year wait on applications”. They did move on to say that due to high demand, they are still processing some application from 2020, blaming lack of resources during the pandemic.
Derby taxi drivers helps stop customer being a victim of fraud.
Nayyer Bhatti, 52, from Derbyshire picked up an 80-year-old passenger who asked him to take her to a bank which is 24 km away.
After further conversation, Mr Bhatti found out that she was advised to do so after a telephone conversation with a man who claimed to be a fraud investigation officer.
The bank was alerted by Mr Bhatti and Barclays subsequently confirmed this was indeed fraud.
“I didn’t want to alarm the lady. What I did [when we arrived] was run straight into the bank”, said Mr. Bhatti [BBC News]
Local Chesterfield and Derbyshire Update
With the Bank Holiday on the 19th of September in mind, Derbyshire and Chesterfield Councils have informed the public of the following changes to normal services:
- Most GP Services will be closed on Monday in Derbyshire
- Some community pharmacies will remain open
- Chesterfield Council confirms only essential services will remain open, such as homelessness prevention, emergency repairs and carline.
- All bin collections will be moved back one day for week commencing the 19th
- Both Queen’s Park Sports Centre and The Healthy Living Centre in Staveley will be closed on the day of the funeral
- The Visitor Information Centre in Chesterfield town centre will be closed on Monday, September 19
Galaxy Travel Taxis will remain open and in service as normal. Please call us ahead on 01246 272727 as we are anticipating a busy weekend.
