The cost of black cab taxis in the capital is set to increase by at least 6%.
The increase is for Hackney Carriage fares, where the initial cost of getting into a taxi will go up from £2.30 to £2.50 next week.
The average cost of the journey will also go up from £1.70 per mile to £1.80, meaning a 3-mile journey will increase from £7.30 to £7.80 in the day.
This means Cardiff’s taxis will be the most expensive in the whole of Wales.
The organisation representing taxi drivers in Cardiff has defended the increase, saying it is the first rise in more than two years.
According to the Taxi Trade drivers are facing increasing costs on insurance, fuel and vehicle maintenance.
Paul O’Hara, from Taxi Drivers Cardiff said: “The fare increase is overdue, it’s been over 2 years since the last one, we don’t think it’s too excessive.”
But Christian Amodeo, a manager for a Cardiff Culture Brand has questioned the service taxi’s provide. He said: “The standards of the vehicles and the driving of taxis need improving.”
In a statement, Cardiff Council said: “The Council’s Hackney Carriage Tariff is the maximum rate hackney carriage drivers can charge for journeys that start and end in Cardiff. All these journeys should be charged on the meter. Taxi drivers do not have to apply the Tariff or use the meter for fares that start or end outside the Cardiff Boundary, the fare is then an agreement between the driver and passenger.”
Out of 370 local authorities in the UK, Cardiff is 229th in the list of Hackney tariffs.
With this taxi fare rise, Cardiff will go up to 131st.
The rise will start from Monday 12th March.
