Posted on the 11th September 2026 in PHTM News

CUMBERLAND TAXI FARES LOOK SET TO UNITE UNDER A UNIFORM TWO MILE TARIFF AT £7

Taxi and private hire fares across the Cumberland Council area could soon be streamlined into a single standard rate. When the council’s executive committee meets on Wednesday 16 September, members will review a proposal to set a uniform two-mile tariff at £7.

The upcoming change aims to replace the varied pricing structures left behind by the legacy councils of Allerdale, Carlisle, and Copeland, which were combined when the new authority formed on 1 April 2023.

Officials noted that the unification plan is designed "to help the trade and the customers to use the service, that would have one price for the journey across Cumberland."

If approved, the new rate will mean price adjustments depending on the local zone. Journeys in Allerdale will see a £1 or 17 per cent increase, while fares in Copeland will go up by 80p or 13 per cent. Passengers travelling in Carlisle, however, will experience no change to their current costs.

Even with these bumps, the council pointed out that the proposed standard "is below the sample average."

The push for higher fares originally came from the hackney carriage trade itself, prompted by mounting financial pressures. The report highlights that "the increase is sought in response to rising operating costs, including fuel prices, which have increased significantly due in part to international market pressures associated with the Iran-American conflict and wider economic factors."

Should the executive committee back the proposals next week, the new tariff card will move forward to a statutory public consultation. Any formal objections raised during this period that are not subsequently withdrawn will be brought back to the executive committee for a final decision.


Read another story