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City of Wolverhampton Council proposes higher black cab fares as authority opens statutory objection period
Wolverhampton is proposing changes to its regulated hackney carriage fares, with the daytime starting charge increasing from £3.30 to £3.50 and the additional mileage rate rising from £2 to £2.20.
The City of Wolverhampton Council published a statutory notice on Thursday 29 October setting out the proposed changes and inviting written objections until 14 November 2026.
The revised fare structure would replace the existing three tariffs with two, changing how different rates apply during daytime, evening, weekend and holiday periods.
Under the proposed first tariff, passengers would pay £3.50 for the initial quarter-mile, followed by £2.20 for each additional mile, calculated in 10p increments.
The council’s published notice identifies the first tariff as applying between 6am and 9pm from Sunday to Friday.
The second tariff would retain the £3.50 initial charge but increase the additional mileage rate to £2.60. The notice identifies Friday and Saturday nights between 9pm and 6am, along with specified Christmas dates and bank holidays, as periods covered by this tariff.
The existing published fare table applies a £3.30 starting charge and £2 per additional mile during weekday daytime hours. Its intermediate tariff charges £3.50 initially and £2.20 per additional mile, while the highest tariff charges £3.50 initially and £2.60 per additional mile.
The proposed changes would therefore increase the ordinary weekday daytime starting charge by approximately 6%, with the additional mileage rate increasing by 10%.
The revised structure would also bring forward the higher Friday and Saturday evening tariff by one hour, from 10pm to 9pm.
However, the statutory notice does not explicitly identify the applicable tariff for Saturday daytime journeys or overnight journeys from Sunday to Thursday. Clarification of those periods would be needed to establish the complete effect of the proposed structure.
The council is proposing to retain its existing waiting-time charge of 10p for every 30 seconds and the maximum £50 vehicle soiling charge.
The proposals follow consideration of a fare variation report by the authority’s Regulatory Committee on 7 October.
If no objections are received, or any objections are subsequently withdrawn, the variation can take effect under the statutory procedure. Outstanding objections must be considered by the council before the changes proceed.
The proposed changes concern Wolverhampton-licensed hackney carriages rather than the substantially larger private hire vehicle fleet licensed by the authority.
Department for Transport figures published in August showed that Wolverhampton licensed approximately 100 hackney carriages and 38,000 private hire vehicles as of April 2026.
For affected black cab drivers, the changes could increase fare revenue on qualifying metered journeys, although the financial impact would depend on journey distances, working hours and passenger demand.
