Tax payers will no longer subsidise taxi service in Herefordshire (From Hereford Times)

Tax payers will no longer subsidise taxi service in Herefordshire

12:18pm Monday 30th April 2012 in Hereford City

Herefordshire taxpayers will no longer be contributing to the cost of providing a taxi licensing service.

A council meeting on Friday heard that the service cost around £33,000 over and above the fees paid by taxi drivers for their licences last year.

These costs are currently being picked up by local council taxpayers.

At Friday’s meeting, councillors agreed to the principle that taxi drivers should cover the costs of this service through an increase in the annual licence fee for a Hackney Carriage vehicle and a Private Hire vehicle.

The committee agreed that representatives from local taxi associations would meet with council officers to go through the costings to make sure their licence fee matched the cost to the council of providing the service.

The service ensures the safety of taxi drivers and passengers through tight licensing of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.

For more on this story see Thursday's Hereford Times