Two unnamed Cornwall taxi firms told The Voice that dearer fuel is making it hard to keep going. The Cornish Times published the piece this morning. Neither firm is named, and the paper gives no Cornwall pump price.
Diesel
RAC Fuel Watch put the UK average for diesel at 142.38p a litre on 28 February, a record 200.01p on 2 October, and 199.90p on 9 October. That is 57.5p higher than before the US-Iran conflict. It is a national average. TaxiFeed has already reported the move through £2.
The meters
Cornwall still has six hackney zones, and the council sets a separate maximum fare in each. A driver can charge less. Private hire fares are not those tables.
The tables Cornwall Council publishes now are:
North Cornwall, 30 November 2022. In the daytime, Monday to Saturday, a cab carrying up to four passengers starts at £4.20 for the first 352 yards, then 30p for each further 176 yards.
Caradon, 6 April 2023.
Carrick, 1 April 2024.
Restormel, 22 July 2026. In the daytime the flag is £4.20 for the first half mile, then 30p for each tenth of a mile.
Kerrier, August 2019.
Penwith, July 2022. The council advertised a new Penwith scale to start on 1 October 2026. Its website still links the July 2022 card.
The North Cornwall firm said the price on the meter is the same as four years ago, and that the council sets it. For that zone, the published table is the November 2022 one. Restormel’s maximum changed on 22 July this year.
What the firms said
The North Cornwall firm said it is rural, that about 95 per cent of its work is holidaymakers from May to September, and that October is dead while council fees and insurance still have to be paid. The 95 per cent is that firm’s estimate.
A second firm, described as one of the county’s largest, said AdBlue and oil cost more because they arrive by road, and that licence fees are rising. It also said drivers are sent from Penzance to the council offices in Bodmin for vehicle checks. The council’s licensing page says vehicles are tested at approved garages. It does not say that every check is in Bodmin. For 2026-27 a one-year driver licence is £240 and a one-year vehicle licence is £345. The page does not show last year’s fees, so the claimed rise is the firm’s account.