Driving law changes will see taxi fares skyrocket to deal with Low Emission Zone crackdown
Riders are set to be charged an extra 30p per 179 yards
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Britons have been warned to expect huge price hikes for taxi rides in a major city after a local council agreed to raise costs by nearly 10 per cent across the region.
Glasgow City Council announced that under the new charges, there will be a maximum fare of £4.40 for a distance shorter than 889 yards or time not exceeding two minutes and 47 seconds.
Riders will be charged an additional 30p for every 38 seconds taxi drivers are left waiting for pickups and every 179 yards they travel.
An additional charge of £1.50 will be put in place on all hires taking place after 9pm and before 6am.
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LEZ prevents certain vehicles from entering zones for free
ABERDEEN CITY COUNCILAn extra £2.70 will also be payable on all hires commenced after 9pm on December 24 and 6am on December 27, 2024, as well as between 9pm on December 31 and 6am on January 3, 2025.
The price hikes come after a committee meeting with an external expert in June suggested an increase in costs would help offset the pressure Low Emission Zones are having on taxis.
The report by James Cooper Associates recommended an increase of 9.72 per cent on the current taxi fare scales. The proposed changes are set to come into effect from October 1.
Members of Glasgow Taxis, Unite the Union Cab Section and Glasgow Taxi Owners Federation were consulted on the proposed changes.
Council documents detailed: “Once the taxi fare scales have been fixed by the Committee in terms of section 18 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act.
“Any person who operates a taxi in Glasgow can lodge an appeal with the Traffic Commissioner for the Scottish Traffic Area against the Committee’s decision in connection with this review of the taxi fare scales.
“In the event that an appeal is lodged, the Committee’s decision regarding the new taxi fare scales will be suspended until such time as the appeal is dismissed, determined or abandoned.”
Taxi drivers in Scotland have been calling for higher fares and wages since the rollout of Low Emission Zones across major cities.
LEZ operates across Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee with drivers of non-compliant vehicles harshly fined.
Drivers in Aberdeen were fined over £100,000 in the first 11 days since the scheme was rolled out. The emission scheme launched on June 1, 2024, and already saw more than 2,000 fines issued to motorists who broke the rules.
Under LEZ rules, vehicles must meet certain emission standards to travel through the zone across the region. Failure to comply could result in a £60 fine, which can be reduced by 50 per cent if paid within 14 days.
In Glasgow, in the year the LEZ has been operating, the council has issued 38,294 penalties to drivers of compliant vehicles.
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Taxi drivers and organisations in Glasgow were consulted before the change
PAGB News has contacted Unite the Union for comment.
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