New fares proposed for Great Yarmouth taxis

Fares for hackney carriages - taxis that do not have to be booked in advance - are regulated by local authorities and Great Yarmouth Borough Council last updated the borough's tariff in 2013.

Although prices were reviewed in 2018 and 2021 feedback from drivers and taxi firms then was that fares should remain unchanged.

Now the industry has asked for the tariff to be updated to take into account rising costs like fuel and wages.

The council's licensing committee looked at several proposals from local operators and comments from drivers, and agreed a new set of charges at their meeting on July 13.

In line with the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, these now need to go out to public consultation before they can be brought into effect.

Under the changes, an example six-mile daytime journey might cost £17.50 rather than the current £14.20, with an evening trip rising from £18.80 to £22.10. Higher costs would apply over the Christmas and New Year period.

Licensing committee chairman Graham Carpenter said: "The taxi tariff has not been increased for nine years, during which time costs have increased substantially. No one wants to see prices go up, but we believe these proposals represent a fair deal for both customers and drivers."

The consultation will run until Monday, 8 August. Full details can be found by visiting amendments to hackney carriage fares consultation page on the council's website.

Rates for pre-booked taxis are set by individual taxi firms and are not regulated by the council, or affected by the proposed changes.