Hackney carriage fares in Cardiff will increase following a proposal by Dragon Taxis which has been approved by Cardiff Council's Cabinet

The cost on the meter when a customer gets into a taxi will increase from £2.30 to £2.50 with a 10 pence increase per mile - raising the rate from £1.70 a mile to £1.80.

In September 2009, the Council approved a Hackney Carriage Fare Index which calculates the costs associated with being a taxi driver with the money that they receive in fares. The last increase in the costs of fares took place in December 2015.

Since then, calculations show that running costs of a vehicle have increased significantly. Insurance costs have increased by 22%, vehicle parts have increased by 40%, the cost of diesel has increased by 12% and the cost of petrol has increased by 15%. The only cost that has reduced is the cost of the license fees to the Council, which has fallen by 5%.

Based on a two-mile journey, Cardiff currently lies 220^thin a league table of the most expensive place to get a taxi in the UK out of 370 counties, cities or airports.

Following the approval by Cabinet today, Cardiff has now moved up the league table by approximately 100 places. Catching a taxi in Cardiff will cost the same amount as getting a taxi in 27 other areas including Carmarthenshire, Aberdeenshire, Canterbury, Ipswich and Scarborough.

Under the new prices, a three mile journey will increase a fare by 6.7% during the day and 6% in the evening. The cost of this fare will increase from £7.30 to £7.80 in the day and £8.30 to £8.80 in the night.

The variation in the tariff will now be advertised for 14 days to give the opportunity for people to object. If no objections are received, it is anticipated that the new fares could start as early as January 8^th2018.