Sevenoaks taxi drivers push for bigger fare changes as council prepares to decide on first price rise in over four years

Taxi fares in Sevenoaks could increase by 10% from 1 December 2026 as councillors prepare to decide whether to approve revised hackney carriage tariffs following consultation with licensed drivers and the public.

Sevenoaks District Council’s Licensing Committee will meet on Tuesday 3 November to consider the proposed changes, which would represent the first adjustment to the district’s maximum taxi fares since May 2022.

Council officers have recommended a 10% increase across existing fare charges, while retaining the current percentage-based arrangements for additional passengers and journeys during Christmas and New Year.

However, the committee must also consider alternative proposals submitted by the local taxi trade, including higher surcharges and changes to the hours during which night-time charges apply.

A consultation conducted between 20 July and 3 August attracted seven individual responses from licensed hackney carriage drivers, alongside a collective submission representing 74 licensed drivers. One member of the public also responded.

Among the requests submitted for consideration is bringing forward the start of the night-time surcharge from 11pm to either 9pm or 10pm.

Drivers have also requested an increase in the night surcharge to £2.40, compared with the £2.20 proposed by council officers under the standard 10% adjustment.

Bank holiday charges are another area of potential change. The trade has requested a 16.67% increase in the bank holiday surcharge, taking it to £2.57. Officers had originally recommended increasing the charge by 10% to £2.44.

The committee will also consider introducing annual fare reviews, which could provide a more regular mechanism for assessing operating costs and potential tariff adjustments.

Council officers have suggested that, should annual reviews be introduced, at least 20% of the licensed trade should positively support an increase before the matter is brought back before the Licensing Committee.

The proposals follow more than four years without a tariff increase. The council’s report identifies fluctuations in fuel prices since May 2022 as part of the background to the review, with official Government road fuel statistics used to illustrate changes in costs through September 2026.

The report also reveals a significant change in the composition of Sevenoaks’ licensed driver workforce.

In 2022, the district had 189 hackney carriage drivers, 42 dual-licensed drivers and 90 private hire drivers. By 2026, the number of hackney carriage-only drivers had fallen to 69, while dual-licensed drivers had increased to 134 and private hire drivers to 122.

This represents a 63.5% reduction in hackney carriage-only drivers, although the increase in dual-licensed drivers means the figures do not establish an equivalent reduction in drivers authorised to operate hackney carriages.

If changes are approved, councillors are being asked to agree an implementation date of 1 December 2026.