A fairer deal from taxis and cabs?

Tuesday 29 September 2015

It’ll be easier to get a taxi or cab and fares will be more transparent under reforms being pushed through by 2019.

TTS have announced plans to end the difference between rank taxis and bookable cabs over the next few years, and could go further by allowing more drivers to work and resetting maximum prices.

By the start of 2018 all taxis and cabs will have to be wheelchair accessible with a simpler fare system taking electronic payment, and all of them will have to share clearly identifiable branding.

Transport Minister Eddie Noel announced the changes yesterday, saying that he wanted a better customer service and a more straightforward system – and saying that improving on the 10% of taxi cabs that are currently wheelchair accessible was a key goal.

At the moment, taxis operate from public ranks, and cab firms work from a phone or app dispatch system. But that difference is going to be broken down by the start of 2019, along with regular medical and customer service checks for drivers.

The changes fall some way short of what competition regulators CICRA have been pushing for, which was full deregulation in the market.

Deputy Noel said that the new system would allow them to set maximum fees for both taxis and cabs, and that they would work to bring in the new fare structure over the next year.

He said: “We benchmarked taxi rank fares with others throughout the UK and they are not dissimilar, given the cost of living and differences in fuel duty.

“The rank tariffs that we have are not excessive, but overall there’s a perception that to take a taxi or cab is not as cheap as the public would want it to be.

“We are trying to improve the quality of the service and make sure that it is sustainable.”