TAXI firm criticised for hiking prices during the bad weather

Source: The News

Angry customers have hit out at Portsmouth cab firm AquaCars for charging time-and-a-half to ferry passengers around in the treacherous conditions. Managers decided to increase fees on Tuesday night when the snow first hit in a bid to entice more drivers to work. Despite that though, fewer than 80 drivers turned out compared with the 240 who are normally on the roads at that time. But the firm stayed open. AquaCars then opted to keep the increased prices in place as snow continued to fall and driving conditions worsened even further when temperatures dropped on Wednesday night. The price hike is still in place, but managers say the situation is under constant review. Matthew Oram, 25, from Oxford Road, Southsea, normally walks the mile to work at the Old Vic in St Paul’s Road, and back but decided to call a taxi in the dangerous weather conditions. He was angered at the rise. ‘I normally walk to work – it takes about 20 minutes,’ he said. ‘But I finish any time between about midnight and 3am so I decided to get a taxi earlier this week. ‘It normally costs me about £4 at night but it was £9. I couldn’t believe it. ‘Obviously there are fewer taxis on the road because of the bad weather but considering the fact that public transport is limited I think it’s ridiculous to charge more.’ Mark Dixon, 26, from St Andrew’s Road, Southsea, was also annoyed at the taxi company’s fare rise. ‘I normally walk everywhere because I don’t have a car, but I was really worried about slipping and injuring myself or breaking a bone and not being able to work, so I’ve got a couple of taxis this week. I think it’s a bit of a cheek that they’re charging extra.’ Robyn Timberlake, of Balderton Close, Hilsea, branded it ‘a disgrace’. ‘I have friends in other counties and I asked them about the taxis in their areas and it seems that taxis in Portsmouth are the only ones that have the nerve to do it and get away with it,’ she said. Bruce Hall, general manager at AquaCars, defended the prise rise. He said: ‘On Tuesday night the buses stopped – we still provided a service. ‘We could have closed everything down, it would have been easier for us, but we carried on. ‘The decision was taken on Tuesday night when it was very difficult to get around Portsmouth. ‘To entice drivers to work and provide some sort of service we decided to charge time-and-a-half and run a skeleton service. ‘We tried to prioritise people like doctors and nurses – normal members of the public, I’m afraid, came second that evening but we did the best we could. ‘We normally have about 240 cars on a Tuesday night – that night we had just under 80. ‘And with the big freeze on Wednesday the conditions got even worse. In my mind the weather warrants it.’ Nickii Humphreys, licensing manager at Portsmouth City Council, said private hire cars were allowed to increase their charges. ‘She said: ‘Local authorities regulate hackney carriages and prices are not allowed to go above the agreed rate. However, local authorities do not regulate the fares of private hire vehicles who can set their own prices. ‘It is an offence for hackney carriages to charge more than the agreed rate and this would be investigated by the local authority.’

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