City to back changes for taxi fares

A SERIES of changes to taxi fares are set to be rubber-stamped by councillors.

Council officials have recommended that previous proposals for an 8.4 per cent fares rise are approved.

It is also proposed that a request from the taxi trade to increase the charge for hires commencing at Edinburgh Airport from 80p to £2 is rejected.

In a report for Tuesday’s meeting of the council’s regulatory committee, Alastair Maclean, director of corporate services, recommended not increasing the airport pick-up charge.

He said: “The existing extra of 80p permitted in Edinburgh’s tariff is an incentive for taxis to service the airport. The waiting times at the airport taxi rank were monitored as part of a demand survey in 2008-9. Apart from an occasional queue in August, the average waiting time for passengers was comparable with other ranks in the city.”