
Edinburgh city councillors are set to meet on Monday 11 May, to decide on a proposal to increase taxi fares across the capital.
If the plan is approved, Edinburgh will climb from the 19th to the 13th most expensive city for taxis in the UK, putting it on par with Glasgow.
Under the new proposals, standard fares would rise by 5% to keep up with inflation.
This change means a two-mile daytime trip would increase from £9.00 to £9.30, and for the nighttime period would go from £10.20 to £10.50.
And for a five-mile trip, the price would go from £17.40 to £18.00 during daytime, and £18.60 to £19.20 during nighttime.
Passengers heading to Edinburgh Airport would also see the pick-up and drop-off fee climb from £6 to £7, though a free area remains available further from the terminal.
Other changes include raising the pre-booking fee from 80p to £1, increasing cancellation charges from £2 to £3.00, and bumping the extra passenger fee to 50p.
The £50 penalty for soiling a taxi will remain the same.
The move follows a public consultation where 55% of responses were ‘broadly positive’, with many people describing the plan as ‘fair’, ‘good’, and ‘happy’.
While about 40% of the feedback was negative, council officers stated ‘there is insufficient material therein’ to stop the hike from moving forward.
If the council gives the green light, the new prices will start on June 9, following a two-week period where taxi operators can still lodge formal objections.
While the new rates represent the maximum a driver can charge, firms are still free to offer lower prices if they choose.

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