A three-mile daytime Chester taxi would go from £9.60 to £10.40 under plans councillors weigh on 10 November. It would be the first rise since November 2022.
Hackney taxi fares in Chester could rise for the first time in four years. Taxi drivers have asked for the minimum daytime fare to go from £3.50 to £3.90.
The council’s Licensing Committee will consider the request on Tuesday 10 November. It affects hackney carriages in the Chester zone only. The Ellesmere Port and Neston zone and the Vale Royal zone are unaffected.
Two things would change. The fare at the start of a journey would rise, and the meter would tick up over shorter distances, adding about 5% to the distance charge.
What a trip would cost
The council’s own table gives these maximum fares, rounded up to the next 20p as the meter works.
| Journey | Daytime now | Daytime proposed | Night and Sunday now | Night and Sunday proposed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum fare | £3.50 | £3.90 | £3.90 | £4.50 |
| 1 mile | £5.40 | £6.00 | £6.20 | £6.80 |
| 2 miles | £7.60 | £8.20 | £8.40 | £9.40 |
| 3 miles | £9.60 | £10.40 | £10.80 | £11.80 |
| 5 miles | £13.80 | £14.80 | £15.60 | £16.80 |
| 10 miles | £24.40 | £25.80 | £27.60 | £29.40 |
The daytime rate runs from 6am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday. The higher rate covers 10pm to 6am, and any time on a Sunday or bank holiday. Short trips rise most in percentage terms: about 9% for a mile in the daytime, and about 12% at night.
Waiting time stays at £16.80 an hour. The other extras stay the same too: 20p per article of luggage, £3 for more than four passengers and the £50 fouling charge.
The Christmas and New Year rates are set as a percentage on top of the daytime rate, so they would rise with it.
Why drivers say they need it
The request came from the chairman of the association representing Chester’s hackney drivers. The application says all sixty drivers who worked the city’s ranks during a month-long survey in April were in favour.
It says fuel has gone from £1.40 a litre in January to £2.04 now, which it puts at 8p a mile more. It also points to general inflation and to council tax. These are the association’s figures, not the council’s.
The council emailed all Chester hackney owners in June. Two replied, and both backed the rise. The report does not record any survey of passengers.
How Chester compares
On a three-mile trip, the increase would put Chester above every neighbour in the council’s table except Crewe and Nantwich. Those figures are before the meter’s rounding. Some of the other fare tables date from 2012 or 2022, as the council’s table notes, so this is an approximate comparison.
What happens next
The route to a new fare has several steps:
- 10 November, 10.30am: the Licensing Committee approves or rejects the request
- If approved: it goes to the Cabinet Member, Cllr Stuart Bingham, who can authorise publication
- At least 14 days: the proposed fares are published in a local newspaper and at council offices, and anyone can object
- Any objections: the council must consider them before going ahead
- Up to 28 days: officers recommend giving owners this long to recalibrate meters and display the new table
Even with no objections, the notice alone adds at least 14 days after the Cabinet Member’s decision.
What it means for you
These are maximum fares for hackney taxis, the ones that use ranks. Private hire cars are not part of this request. A hackney driver can charge less, and can agree a lower price before you set off. Card payments are accepted with no minimum and no extra fee under the current table.
The report says the impact will be greatest on disabled people and others with mobility problems, who may rely on taxis most.
To have your say, watch for the public notice if the committee approves the request. The report says the committee would authorise the manner in which objections can be made, so the notice should set that out.
Have your say