15 August 2017
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has produced standardised tariff cards to be displayed in all taxi-cabs so that users can easily see how their fares are calculated.
Consumer research has identified a lack of understanding of the distinction between taxis and cabs and how their fares are applied. DfI has produced these tariff cards to assist customers and as well as being displayed in the vehicle, a quick reference information chart is available showing how fares are calculated.
The States’ Sustainable Transport Policy required the Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Eddie Noel, to reform and simplify taxi-cab regulation. Of the 742 individual responses received in the Taxi Regulatory Reform consultation (the highest response rate of any consultation to that time), over 90% agreed that the Minister should set a maximum level of fares for all taxi-cabs.
On 1 July 2017, the Minister for Infrastructure made an Order that, for the first time, set simple transparent maximum taxi-cab tariffs for both the rank and private hire sides of the industry, with a provision for private hire to apply a company booking fee to cover overheads for pre-booked work only. Passengers taken from the rank or hailed should be charged the taxi-cab tariff.
The tariff set is a maximum, and therefore drivers or companies are free to charge less or offer discounts.
To simplify the tariffs, fares are now calculated in tenths of a mile.
The number of tariffs has been reduced to just three
- standard
- peak, Sundays and Bank Holidays
- Christmas and New Year
Hidden extras have been removed, with additional charges being a maximum of 50p for credit cards and £1 per passenger for the 5th and subsequent passengers for larger vehicles.
The principle behind the changes is that customers benefit from simplified, transparent pricing and open competition. When hailing a taxi-cab or using the rank, customers will have confidence that the amount charged on the meter is controlled and regulated by government. A clock in the meter that has been checked and sealed by DVS automatically sets the tariffs charged. In addition, when booking a cab in advance it will now be far easier for customers to price compare and shop around for the best deal.
Deputy Eddie Noel said “We needed to help customers understand taxi-cab fares. We hope that by making the tariff cards more easily available in the vehicles and elsewhere is a step in the right direction along with the simplified tariffs and the removal of hidden extras."
Taxi cab tariff card
gov.je