
Taxi passengers travelling in groups of five or more in Bracknell could soon face higher costs as drivers push for a change in how fares are calculated.
Currently, the rules state: “When this vehicle is carrying more than four passengers, a surcharge of 50 per cent will be applied to the fare shown on the meter at the end of the journey.”
However, drivers are now proposing to scrap this percentage-based surcharge in favour of entirely new, higher fixed tariffs for larger vehicles carrying up to eight people.
Under the new plan, daytime journeys for larger groups would see maximum charges start at £4.80 with higher rates for distance and time. Overnight journeys for five to eight passengers would be even more expensive, starting at £6.40 with an additional 40p for every extra 135 yards or 40 seconds of travel.
These changes would introduce three new tariffs to the current pricing structure, labelled '1a', '2b', and '3c', specifically for larger groups.
The current fare system has been in place since June 2022, but taxi operators believe the wording needs to be updated to better reflect the costs of running bigger cabs.
The proposal is scheduled for discussion by the council’s licensing and safety committee on Wednesday, February 11.
Following that meeting, the council’s Labour cabinet will consider the recommendations next month before a final decision is made on whether to implement the new pricing.

The proposal is designed to modernise the licensing system, reduce duplication, and improve efficiency while maintaining all required safety, knowledge, and training standards.

At Bolton Council’s licensing committee on January 6, the council highlighted its strict stance on driver conduct, resulting in one suspension and one final warning for the operators involved.

The council is considering new rules that would require taxi & PH firms to carry out criminal record checks on all staff members and notify passengers if their driver is licensed in a different town.

The incident took place just before 1am on Wednesday, February 4, on Mardale Road, where a taxi parked on a private driveway was set on fire.

Darren McCartney, a former prison officer and hostage negotiator, appeared before the North Ayrshire Licensing Committee following objections from Police Scotland regarding his criminal record.

The St Annes-on-Sea operator has partnered with Greenway Power Group (GPG) and the Patons Group to provide the technology, which is also being made available for public use.

Officers stormed properties on February 5, detaining a woman, 42, and a man, 46, on suspicion of fraud; a man, 22, on suspicion of handling stolen goods; nd a man, 18, on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking.

Abdulsalam Idlebi was found in breach of discrimination policies following the incident at a taxi rank on Irvine’s Bank Street last November.

Police have issued a fresh plea for help exactly one year after the body of 47-year-old Jesbir Singh Khela was discovered in a burnt-out car.

The cost of a standard one-year driver’s licence would jump from £150 to £165, while those opting for a three-year licence would see prices climb from £240 to £264.

Less than a third of taxi drivers in Greater Manchester are using new government-funded grants to switch to electric vehicles, according to research by the Clean Cities Campaign.

Under the new timeline, drivers must have a vehicle newer than a 2009 plate by December 1 of this year to renew their licence, with standards tightening further to a 2014 plate by 2028.

Research by Go.Compare Car Insurance found that 46% of adults “wouldn’t feel safe using a driverless Uber,” highlighting a significant hurdle for the government-backed technology currently being trialled in the capital.

Councillors in the Royal Borough are set to make a final decision on Monday 9 February, on a proposed 10 per cent increase to daytime taxi fares.

A North Ayrshire man has been denied a taxi licence following a "very serious" series of alcohol-fuelled offences that included stamping on a customer's face and assaulting police officers.

Alex Kendall, boss of British tech company Wayve, posted a video on social media to show off his car's “impressive drive without intervention” on his way to receive an OBE.

A Wolverhampton-licensed private hire driver's licence has been revoked for using illegal number plates and fraudulent insurance.

The pair, aged 50 and 23, convinced the driver to take them from Lisbon, Portugal, all the way to Barcelona, Spain.

Officers pulled over the Toyota Prius on Brown Street and discovered what they believe to be illegal drugs inside the car.

Members of the district council have adopted a new HC and PH licensing policy removing the requirement for the knowledge test to make it easier and cheaper for people to start working as drivers.
