Sunderland taxi fares set for rise from April after trade request
- Perry Richardson
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
Hackney carriage fares in Sunderland are set to increase from April 2026 after the city’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee was asked to approve changes to distance rates across all three tariffs.
A report presented to councillors on 16 February 2026 confirms that the Sunderland Hackney Carriage Operators’ Association (SHCOA) has requested amendments to elements of the existing fare structure, with any approved changes intended to take effect no earlier than 1 April 2026.
The proposals do not alter the flag fall or starting charges under Tariffs One, Two or Three. Instead, the association has requested a reduction in the distance travelled for each subsequent 20p increment after the first 100 yards, effectively increasing the fare over longer journeys.
Under Tariff One, which applies between 7.00am and 11.00pm Monday to Saturday excluding public holidays, the current charge of 20p per 159.11 metres would fall to 149.05 metres per increment. The average increase across sample journey distances is calculated at 4.3%, according to the committee report.
Proposed tariff changes would increase average fares by around 4% across all three charging bands
For Tariff Two, covering overnight journeys and Sundays, the distance per 20p would reduce from 120.70 metres to 113.39 metres. The average uplift across example journeys is 4.2%. Tariff Three, which applies over Christmas, New Year and other public and bank holidays, would see the same reduction in incremental distance as Tariff Two, producing an average increase of 3.9%.
Illustrative figures in the report show that a 2.5-mile journey under Tariff One would rise from £8.20 to £8.60, while the same distance under Tariff Two would increase from £10.20 to £10.60. Under Tariff Three, a 2.5-mile trip would move from £11.20 to £11.60.
No changes have been requested to waiting time charges, which remain at 40p per minute, nor to additional passenger, luggage, animal, vehicle summoning or fouling charges.
The report notes that the Consumer Price Index stood at 3.5% as at 15 December 2025, providing economic context for the requested increases. Members are also reminded that councils may only set maximum fares, meaning individual drivers retain discretion to charge less if they choose.
The proposed increases would apply across all four of Sunderland’s licensing zones: Sunderland, Hetton, Houghton and Washington.
