Posted on the 16th September 2026 in PHTM News
CARLISLE TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE DRIVERS SOUND ALARM OVER FALLING STANDARDS AND LOW PAY
Taxi and private hire drivers gathered at a city centre meeting in Carlisle on Monday, 14 September, to voice serious concerns about how the local trade is being managed across the Cumberland Council area.
Members of the Carlisle 2022 Taxi and Private Hire Association organised the meeting because they feel standards have drastically slipped.
Chris Bray, the group's secretary, stated that the trade had taken a nosedive since the early 2000s and claimed drivers had been railroaded with new licensing conditions without proper consultation.
He pointed out that while fare tariffs are proposed to rise in Allerdale and Copeland to match Carlisle, city drivers will see no increase, leaving them struggling financially. He added: “We’ve had no increase in fares. And I don’t see why, because we’re way below the minimum wage.”
Drivers also highlighted a severe shortage of wheelchair-accessible vehicles coming into service, with Mr Bray noting: “There’s no disability wheelchair accessible vehicles coming on. And disabled people are entitled to a taxi as well as everybody else.”
Mr Bray warned that mounting overheads are crushing the workforce, explaining: “Drivers are just beside themselves. Most of them are working for less than minimum wage. Once you’ve got the rental, everything has increased.
"You have got all the prices going up for rental, diesel and tyres. Garage maintenance has gone up 70 per cent in three years. It’s just a mess.”
He also criticised the council for a lack of communication, noting that for two years the standard response has been a lack of staff, leaving both drivers and the public without answers.
Retired drivers with decades of experience also condemned the current direction of the industry. Sandra Graves, who spent 25 years in the trade, described the situation as awful and horrendous, while fellow long-serving retired driver Margaret Milne argued that the council is failing to maintain basic standards.
Ms Milne added: “The main issue is that the council do not seem to want to keep the standards up. They’re allowing the drivers to use sat navs, which we were never, ever, allowed to use. In fact, I don’t use taxis for that reason now. We should go back to the old standards such as the Knowledge test.”
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