TAXI fares in West Somerset and Taunton will be increased for the first time in a decade on February 6 - but by 25 per cent less than cab firms had asked for.

At their meeting last Wednesday, Somerset West and Taunton Council’s Executive agreed to modify fare increase proposals to 75 per cent of the rise requested by the area’s taxi drivers to bring them in line with Mendip and Sedgemoor fares.

Proposing the modified tariff, Cllr Andrew Sully said that under the previous Taunton Deane and West Somerset councils, taxi fares had been kept separate for nearly 11 years but now was the time to bring them together.

He said: "We decided not to increase fares by the full amount asked for, which would have been, for example, £7.20 for a two-mile trip, but to align them with Mendip and Sedgemoor at £6.80. The current price in Taunton Deane is £6.20 and in West Somerset, £5.80.

"West Somerset taxis will get an increase of 17 per cent and Taunton 10 per cent.

Cllr Sully added: "The sum of £6.80 is a 75 per cent of the original proposal, plus an extra 5p. We are doing this because prices have not gone up for a very long time and have been subject to inflationary pressure.

"We are achieving parity with other neighbouring councils and then it will be up to the future new unitary authority to look at the whole price structure."

Taxi firm representatives told the meeting that since the last increase there had been a massive rise in the price of everything from tax and insurance to wages and running costs. They said there was a serious shortage of drivers and that an increase might encourage new applicants.

Executive chairman Cllr Derek Perry said: "I am in no doubt that there needs to be a significant rise in taxi fares because our two predecessor councils did not increase the rates and those rates are just not tenable ten or 11 years on."

He added: "We all have sympathy with the financial pressures on taxi drivers, and an increase is in the public interest to preserve the number of taxi drivers available. It also needs to be quite significant.

"We should go with the amended figure because many people with limited incomes rely on taxis in rural areas where there are often are poor levels of public transport.

"In a national taxi fares league table which contains 364 taxi fare licensing areas, Taunton is in 151st place and West Somerset 237th. We are a long way down. A fare of £7.20 would put us between 17th and 22nd in the national table but £6.80 would put us level with Mendip and Sedgemoor."

West Somerset councillor Marcus Kravis said that in his area there was a serious lack of taxis and an increase in fares might encourage more people to operate rural taxi services. He supported the increase which would bring local taxis in line with other districts in the county.

Cllr Roger Habgood agreed that in rural areas taxis were out of reach of most residents. He understood that taxi fares should increase ’but there is more to the transport problem in rural areas than taxis’.

Cllr Mike Rigby said that the forthcoming unitary council should have an early review of taxi fares rather than leave it another ten years. They should be looked at again in another year or so to make sure they had been pitched at the right level.

The modifications to the original fare structure proposals were passed unanimously by Executive members.