Highland Council begins next phase of taxi fare review process
- Perry Richardson
- Sep 12
- 2 min read
The Highland Licensing Committee is preparing to enter the next phase of its statutory review of local taxi tariffs following meetings with drivers and operators across the region.
As required by the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, the Council must carry out a full review of its taxi and private hire vehicle fare structure every 18 months. The current tariff has been in place since August 2024. The latest consultation involved informal meetings held in Inverness, Fort William and Wick in August 2025 to gather initial feedback from the trade.
Feedback showed a range of opinions across the Highland area. Several operators, particularly in Fort William and Wick, supported keeping fares at current levels. Others, including Inverness-based Inverness Taxis, suggested targeted changes to flag fall rates and waiting time charges. Proposals included raising initial fare rates, adjusting charge increments, and introducing a new peak-time tariff on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Operators also discussed possible changes to additional charges, such as increasing the luggage surcharge. Proposals ranged from a modest increase to £10 to a maximum of £50. Most operators, however, indicated no change was needed to the booking, soiling or supplementary charges.
Suggested fare structures varied, with some plans reducing shorter journey prices while increasing longer trip costs. One proposal from Inverness suggested reducing Tariff 5 rates and consolidating some holiday tariffs under existing ones to simplify the structure.
The Committee will now consider the input received before agreeing on a draft tariff. The next step will be to publicly advertise the proposed rates in the Press & Journal (Highland edition) and on the Council’s website on 19 September. This will mark the beginning of a 28-day consultation period during which representations can be submitted in writing.
Any final decision on the tariff is expected in early December, with implementation likely to begin in February 2026, assuming no appeal is lodged with the Traffic Commissioner.
The Council confirmed that any revised tariffs will continue to reflect running costs for operators, including recent inflation figures for vehicle maintenance and fuel. The most recent data shows an 8.7% increase in maintenance costs since the last review, while fuel prices have seen a slight drop.
The review process remains open to further comment as the draft tariff is finalised and presented for wider consultation.
