Taxi fares could go up by 8% in order to help drivers combat a rise in fuel prices and the cost of living.
The North Tyneside Hackney Carriage Association (NTHCA) has urged North Tyneside Council to approve an increase in fares, resulting in an average cost per mile of £5.52 for a three-mile journey.
The proposed rises apply to hackney carriages, which can be hailed on the street or at a taxi rank and not vehicles that can be pre-booked.
However Labour councillor John O’Shea said he wanted to look at a more “balanced arrangement, not the 8% that has been suggested” as residents in North Tyneside were “suffering as well with the cost of living”.
The NTHCA’s main reason for the request, alongside the cost of living, was due to high fuel prices and vehicle parts soaring in costs.
Extra charges, including fines for car theft, have been proposed to rise from £125 to £130, and charges for dogs and other animals, except service dogs, to rise from £3 to £4, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Councillors have voiced concerns about the proposed hike, particularly regarding North Tyneside’s elderly residents.
O’Shea said: “I just don’t think we have got the right balance.
“I notice that the taxi trade has had significant uplifts in fuel and insurance and things like that, so they’ve been suffering for a little while.”
He added there were “residents in North Tyneside who have been suffering as well with the cost of living”.
“My suggestion to the director of public health is to look at a balanced arrangement, not the 8% that has been suggested.”
The taxi fare proposals, pending approval from the director of public health, would be made public for at least 14 days and would open to objections.
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