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There’s bad news in store for your bank balance if you’re a black cab user – London taxi fares are going up this spring.
It’s been a tough few years for London’s Hackney carriage drivers. They’ve had to contend with the rise of cheaper, ride-hailing services like Uber, rising fuel prices, the pandemic, more taxes on driving in the city via the ULEZ zone and increased Congestion Charge prices.
It’s no surprise, then, that a lot of cabbies have decided to call it quits of late. The number of cab drivers navigating the capital’s roads fell by 2,693 between March 2020 and February 2021 – a drop of 12 per cent. While the number of black cabs in the city is also currently at its lowest level for nearly four decades: down 24 per cent in the last two years.
To try and steady the exodus from the profession, Transport for London has announced an increase to taxi fares in the city, with prices set to go up by 5.5 percent. The new fares will come into effect on April 30 and will apply to journeys taken between 5am and 10pm. If you’re waving down a black cab in the small hours, you don’t need to worry – those rates will be frozen.
The current minimum black cab fare will go up from £3.20 to £3.80 and meters will ‘tick over’ more quickly. A surcharge for passengers headed to Heathrow will also increase by 80p, while drivers will add £5.20 to the fee if they enter the airport’s drop-off zone.
A Transport for London spokesperson said the fare increases acknowledged ‘that taxi drivers’ costs have increased significantly since fares and tariffs were last changed’. Prices last went up two years ago.
‘We want to ensure that taxi drivers can cover their own operating costs and make a living,’ they added. ‘It’s important the review ensures that the role of the taxi driver remains a viable career. Any reduction in supply will impact on how quickly passengers can get a taxi around London.’
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