
The cost of taking a taxi in Inverclyde could be set to increase by summer 2026, just over a year after the last set of charges came into effect.
The impending review comes as a new Inverclyde Council report highlights that local authorities are still guided by nearly 40-year-old advice prioritising the taxi trade's interests over those of the public when setting fares.
The council’s general purposes board is due to consider the report on December 10, which confirms that representatives of the taxi trade "have now been requested to submit their views regarding what they deem to be the appropriate taxi fares scale, in order that any revision of the fares and charges can be implemented in June 2026."
This follows a 7% increase on both the ‘flag fall’ and ‘running mile’ charges implemented in December 2024, which itself followed a 12% hike in March 2023.
The report states that licensing authorities are required to review and fix taxi fare scales within 18 months of the latest charges coming into force. Crucially, the same report references Scottish Government guidance from November 2023, which directs councils to "pay regard to advice" from a 1986 circular.
This decades-old guidance states a key principle for setting fares: "In fixing fares, authorities will want to pay primary regard to the costs incurred by the trade, having regard to the capital costs (including interest payments) of the vehicles, the cost of maintaining and replacing them... The public interest is best served by ensuring the maintenance of an adequate taxi service by giving the trade a fair return, rather than depressing fares for social reasons, however understandable."
Currently, the initial charge for a ranked taxi is £3.30 (rising to £3.41 late at night), with pre-booked hires starting at a minimum of £3.41, plus distance-based charges.
Additional fees include charges for more than four passengers, a "waiting time" fee, and a "soiling charge" of up to £50.
The council's licensing team has consulted with all taxi operators, who have been "requested to respond no later than January 9, 2026."

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