Gosport’s cab drivers will now be able to charge passengers more for journeys after a decision by the borough council.

Gosport Borough Council’s regulatory board panel approved an increase from 20 pence to 30 pence for a pull away charge for hackney carriages, as suggested by drivers.

Charging for time and a half has changed hours too and will now start from 11.30pm - not midnight - to 6am.

The charge for the first 153 metres travelled has gone up from £3.00 to £3.30, followed by 20p for each subsequent 153 metres or 40 seconds waiting.

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On February 5, a licensed Gosport Borough Council taxi owner submitted a request for a change to the hackney carriage taxi tariff.

The application was accompanied by a petition supported by 21 signatures of the 50 Gosport Borough Council hackney carriage owners.

Meeting documents said there has been no tariff increase since September 2022, with the council concerned the hackney carriage tariff is at the right level for Gosport’s “economic viability of the trade” and “affordable” for often “vulnerable” members of the public.

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Councillor Kevin Casey (Con, Alverstoke) said at a recent meeting: “The increase is only pence.”

When considering the increase, committee chair Councillor Steven Hammond (Lib Dem, Bridgemary) said: “They [drivers] can decide not to charge a maximum fare, and charging is the discretion of the driver."

The increase was approved by the panel with Forton ward councillor Mervin Bradley (Lib Dem) voting against. Cllr Bradley said he had spoken to “a few drivers” who said it might make business more difficult: 

“A rise might tip it over the edge,” he said.