TAXI fares in the borough could be set to rise as local cabbies have called for a review of all fare scales to be discussed by Waverley Council next week. The Association of Farnham Taxi Drivers, representing about 60 of the licensed proprietors in the Farnham area, have put forward a proposal for a fare increase in response to rising fuel and maintenance costs, to be addressed at a meeting of Waverley's licensing (general purposes) sub-committee on Monday. Russell Thomas, chairman of the association, claims that taxi drivers in Farnham have it worse than their London counterparts, saying: "The drivers in London only do short journeys and don't spend a lot of time waiting between jobs or travelling to or from jobs. They only move when they have a fare. "We do about 50,000 miles in a year on average and our occupancy is only something like 30-33 per cent. Only about 20,000 of those miles pay." The proposed fare increases would see a rise of 40p per mile. Along with the increase in fares, there have also been proposals to keep double time at Christmas, increase waiting time, and increase the soiling charge from £50 to £100. Mr Thomas said: "Fuel prices are constantly increasing and the running costs for a taxi have increased. We also have to pay licensing to the council, which has also increased." He placed an estimate on the cost of running a taxi in Farnham at "somewhere between £20- £25,000 per year," adding that: "There comes a point when it's no longer worth it." If the proposals are approved the new tariffs would come into effect in early August.
