Bridgend County Borough Council's cabinet put off a decision on hackney carriage fares on 20 October. Wales Online reported that the request is now expected back in November. The figures before cabinet would be the first change to the table since 26 September 2022. Bridgend could soon be one of the most expensive places in Wales to get a taxi
The request
Richard Parrott asked the licensing department for the increase. He is a licensed hackney carriage and private hire driver, a licensed vehicle proprietor and a private hire operator. The application cites fuel, maintenance and insurance, the effect of inflation and the cost of living on earnings, and difficulty retaining and recruiting drivers. It places Bridgend's fares below regional and national averages, and treats the council's licensing standards as a higher cost than those met by private hire vehicles licensed outside the county and working in it. In the application, the present tariff has played a part in the smaller hackney fleet, and some proprietors are considering an out-of-area private hire licence.
The council licensed 380 hackney carriages in 2019, 301 in 2024 and 315 in 2026.
The proposed fares
All four tariffs would rise, together with waiting time. Every other charge would stay the same.
Tariff 1, from 6.00am to 8.00pm: two miles from £6.80 to £7.65, up 12.50 per cent. One mile would move from £4.60 to £5.15, and ten miles from £24.40 to £27.65. The percentage climbs with distance, from 11.96 per cent at one mile to 13.32 per cent at ten.
Tariff 2, from 8.00pm to 6.00am and on bank holidays except Christmas Day: two miles from £7.90 to £8.85, up 12.03 per cent.
For five or more passengers, the daytime two-mile fare would move from £9.40 to £10.35 and the evening fare from £11.00 to £12.30. The increase on those tariffs runs from 9.56 per cent to 12.86 per cent, depending on distance and hours.
Waiting time would rise from £0.33 a minute, £19.80 an hour, to £0.40 a minute, £24 an hour.
Inside the county borough the driver must use the meter and must not exceed the authorised fare. A driver may charge less, but the meter fare has to be shown so the passenger can see the discount.
The Welsh table
Private Hire Monthly's league table for October 2026, set out in the cabinet papers, places Bridgend 238th of 337 authorities in England and Wales. Those papers describe the £6.80 two-mile daytime fare as the twelfth highest in Wales, and £7.65 as the fourth highest. The places rest on published tables and on checks of councils' own tariffs, and they can change when another authority revises its fares.
On costs since the September 2022 table:
"The current table of fares has been in effect since September 2022. During the intervening period, the cost of operating a licensed hackney carriage has continued to increase. Whilst inflation has reduced from the exceptionally high levels experienced in 2022, cumulative inflation since the last fare review has resulted in significant increases in the costs of vehicle maintenance, insurance, servicing, replacement parts and other operating expenses."
The Consumer Prices Index remained elevated in 2022 and 2023 and moderated during 2024 to 2026. The revision is presented as a way to keep licensed hackney carriage work viable, while the service continues for residents and visitors. Cabinet is asked to weigh the higher running costs against passengers who depend on hackneys and might travel less if the fare rises.
What approval would trigger
Cabinet is asked to approve or reject the table. Approval would set 16 December 2026 as the implementation date, subject to the statutory objection process, and would authorise an advertisement in a local newspaper. Under section 65 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 the variation has to be advertised, with at least 14 days for objections. If none arrive, the new fares take effect on the date cabinet sets. Objections have to go back to cabinet before any variation. The cost of the notice would come from existing budgets. The council has no other direct cost from the change. Request to vary the hackney carriage fares tariff