Wolverhampton taxi firms and drivers given notice of rises and drops for fees

Wolverhampton Council has made an announcement under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 Section 70 around the licence fees for hackney carriages, private hire vehicles and operator licence fees.

The proposed fees by the council would be set for either one year or five years and vary around being either initial fees for operators and vehicles or renewal of licences.

The changes has seen drops in fees from the 2022/2023 financial year, but also a price rise for testing.

Private hire vehicles are only available to passengers who pre-book, while hackney carriage taxis can be hailed from the street and include black cabs.

For large private hire operators, which are described as organisations having more than four vehicles, the initial fee for one year would be £1,000, down from £1,077.

An annual renewal would be £750, down from £785 and a five year renewal of £3,000, down from £3,140.

Small private hire operators, which are described as organisations having four vehicles or less, will also have an initial fee for one year of £1,000, down from £1,077.

They would have an annual renewal of £150 and a five year renewal of £500, which remain the same from the previous year.

For hackney carriage drivers, a one year fee for vehicles up to 16-years-old will be £125, down from £135, while a fast track for new licences or a renewal will be £180.

An exceptional 'condition assessment', which is required for vehicles aged older than 16, will be £120, with an assessment required every six months, which remain the same.

For private hire drivers, a one year fee for vehicles up to 10-year-old will be £125, down from £135, while vehicles aged older than 10 and under 12-years-old will have a six month fee of £125, with a fast track fee for new licences or renewals being £180, which remains the same.

Finally, the fee for council approved VOSA registered garages for hackney carriage and private hire vehicle testing facilities will be set at £200, a rise of £50 from the previous year.

Wolverhampton Council has publicised the changes through the public notices as part its legal requirement.

It says a copy of the notice can be inspected without payment during normal office hours at the Licensing Service at Wolverhampton Civic Centre and said that any objections to the proposed variations should be made in writing or via email to the undersigned by February 28.