MP submits petition as local high fuel price driving pressure on Dunfermline taxi trade and motorists
- Perry Richardson
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Fuel costs in Dunfermline are creating serious difficulties for local taxi operators, as prices remain up to 6p per litre higher than in towns just ten miles away.
The issue was raised in Parliament this week by Labour MSP Graeme Downie, who presented a petition on behalf of over 600 residents and businesses calling for an investigation into what he described as a pricing cartel.
Taxi services and other motorists, which rely heavily on fuel to maintain reliable operations, are being squeezed as operating costs rise. Many drivers are now forced to travel outside Dunfermline to refuel, adding both time and mileage, or absorb the additional cost, reducing margins in an already competitive market.
Rising costs for taxi drivers could mean passengers may soon face fare increases if the fuel price gap is not addressed. The impact also reaches taxi and private hire firms contracted for school runs and patient transport, who are locked into fixed-rate agreements and cannot adjust charges in line with rising costs in the short-term.
With the Competition and Markets Authority being urged to step in, taxi drivers and motorists across Dunfermline will be watching closely.
Downie MP said: “I rise to present a petition regarding high fuel prices for people and businesses in Dunfermline. Prices in Dunfermline Scotland’s historical capital city, are often as much as 6p per litre higher than in towns as close as 10 miles away.
“This cartel of pricing in and around Dunfermline is damaging small businesses, and unnecessarily increasing the cost to people getting to work, families on the school run or the child taxi service, as well as young people getting to college or training places.
“It is also increasing carbon emissions as a result of drivers travelling outside the city for cheaper fuel. The petition is signed by my constituents and backed by more than 600 people who have signed an online petition relating to the same issue.”
