FLAG FALL HIKE: Windsor and Maidenhead Council panel backs 10% daytime taxi fare rise with £7 start price

Hackney carriage fares across the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead are set to rise after councillors endorsed a 10% uplift to the daytime tariff and a higher minimum start price of £7. The Licensing Panel considered the move at its 13 October meeting following a request from local drivers.

The report to members says trade representatives “have requested an increase in the tariff” to reflect higher operating costs and to “make a reasonable living” in current conditions. The paper was authored by Greg Nelson, Trading Standards and Licensing Manager, who led the review and set out the options for change.

Under the recommended option, Tariff 1 would rise by 10% and the minimum fare would move from £6 to £7. No change would be made to Tariff 2, which applies between 11pm and 6am, on Bank Holidays and at all times during Royal Ascot when picking up from the official rank at Ascot Racecourse. “This is the recommended option,” the report states, adding that it has backing from around half of the hackney fleet.

Explaining the trade’s position, Nelson writes: “The drivers… have requested an increase in the tariff due to general cost of living increases, increases in the cost of motor insurance and the need to be able to make a reasonable living.” He notes a petition signed by 50 drivers, with 49 of them agreeing to a 10% rise in the daytime tariff with no change to Tariff 2.

The paper records that Windsor and Maidenhead’s daytime fare level now sits below neighbouring authorities on a two-mile comparison, increasing pressure on earnings. It says the borough’s tariff is now lower than all of the other Berkshire authorities and most other neighbouring authorities.

Nelson sets out wider economic indicators that have shaped the recommendation. Average unleaded prices have fallen since 2022, but other cost drivers remain. The report notes a decrease from 165.06p in 2022 to 135.83p so far in 2025 for petrol, and cites CPIH easing to 4.1% in July 2025. In food retail, inflation edged up to 4.2% in August. Drivers “provide an essential means of public transport,” the report says, and the package aims to balance viability with affordability.

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Alternative options considered included raising the night tariff by 5% or 10% in addition to the daytime change, but officers warned a larger increase after dark “may lead to particularly high charges for longer journeys which may deter passengers from using hackney carriages”. The split view across the trade on Tariff 2 was highlighted to councillors before they reached a decision.

The recommendation is framed to keep cab fares competitive with other forms of transport available locally. While private hire prices cannot be compared like-for-like because they are set by operators and can vary with demand, officers conclude that the chosen option should not leave hackney carriage fares “disproportionately higher” given the on-street availability of taxis without pre-booking.

The report also lists the current licensing and compliance costs facing RBWM drivers, including vehicle and driver licences, knowledge testing, compliance testing, DBS checks, livery, medicals and safeguarding training. Nelson’s assessment is that the proposed increase “should meet the needs of the drivers whilst ensuring that they remain competitive in relation to comparative forms of public transport”.

Nelson sums up the balance the council is seeking to strike. “The key implications are the need for RBWM licensed hackney carriage drivers to be able to earn a reasonable living whilst not proving too expensive so that potential customers go elsewhere.” With no risks identified and the legal steps mapped, the decision now moves to the formal notice stage.