A POSSIBLE increase in hackney carriage fares and a corporate identity for Basingstoke's private hire taxis are among proposals which will be discussed at a meeting next week.

Basingstoke council's licensing committee will also decide next Tuesday whether to introduce age restrictions for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles, reduce the age for both types of vehicle for when they require six monthly tests and increase the licence fees for hackney and private hire drivers.

The committee has been recommended to order that all private hire vehicles should be white with Basingstoke and Deane corporate blue bonnets and rears to help the public distinguish licensed cars from unlicensed ones. The vehicles would need to comply by 2006.

In addition, the committee may ask all private hire vehicles to carry the council logo and "pre-bookable only" signs on the driver and front passenger doors from November 1 this year and order all hackney carriages to be black.

A questionnaire filled in by 88 hackney carriage and private hire drivers showed only 41 per cent were in favour of the colour scheme.

Several commented that the public would think vehicles would be taxis when used as private cars, and that it would affect future sales of the vehicles. However, 61 per cent backed "pre-bookable only" vinyls.

Hackney carriage drivers have asked Basingstoke council to allow them to increase their fares because of several factors such as rising living and petrol costs and the proposed increase in licence fee. The fares were last raised in July 2002.

The proposed increases for fares range from zero to 16.7 per cent, plus a 50 per cent increase to the waiting time fee and the advancement for the 50 per cent extra tariff from midnight to 9pm.

The proposals to increase the age at which the cars can no longer be relicensed - seven years for private hire vehicles, 10 for hackney carriages - have been met with a lukewarm response by hackney carriage drivers.

The council has proposed the changes because of advancements in vehicle safety and security measures, such as anti-lock brakes, side impact bars and air bags which have become commonplace over the last four years.

But Terry Cooper, chairman of the Basingstoke Hackney Carriage Federation, said: "We're not happy about these proposals at all. There is no reason why a properly maintained vehicle should not go on forever. This is aimed at private hire vehicles, but we are being tarred with the same brush."

The questionnaire showed 48 per cent of those surveyed backed the plan to test both types of vehicles over three years of age every six months.

This regulation currently applies to vehicles more than five years old, but this was decided before three-year manufacturers' warranties became commonplace.

Half were in favour of the cars being no more than three years old on their first licence.

Mr Cooper said the proposed increases in licence fees are "modest" and that drivers had been expecting them for some time.

The licence fees have been frozen for eight years.