The Highland Licensing Committee is recommending one change to existing taxi fares following an annual review. The proposed change, which would take effect from Monday 21 January next year, is to permit Tariff 2 to be charged from 9.00pm until 7.00am instead of from 10.00pm to 7.00am as at present.
Tariff 2 currently applies on Good Friday, Easter Monday and May Day and between 10pm and 7 am on any day, all day on Saturday and Sunday and when 5 or more passengers are being carried at any time of day or night, except where Tariff 3 applies.
The proposal is part of the review of the scale of maximum taxi fares in the Highlands. The public have until Friday 2 November to respond. Responses will be reported back to the Council's Highland Licensing Committee on Tuesday 6 November with a proposed implementation date of midnight on Monday 21st January 2013.
In reviewing the fares, the Council has taken into account increases in the costs of operating taxis, such as rising diesel, petrol and overall vehicle running costs.
Councillor Maxine Smith, Chair of the Highland Licensing Committee, said the Council exercised a balancing function in setting taxi fares between the expectations of taxi operators to earn a living against the public expectation to be able to hire a taxi of reasonable quality at a reasonable price.
Operators, she said, were entitled to charge any fare, provided it did not exceed the maximum provided for in the tariff.