The record has been set straight on Reading being the ‘most expensive place’ for taxis in the country.
Research from vehicle leasing company Nationwide Vehicle Contracts claimed that Reading is the most expensive place to get a taxi in the UK, being more expensive than Oxford, Portsmouth and London.
They stated that an average journey costs £18.06 in a Reading cab, which are officially called hackney carriages.
Cab taxis can be booked on the spot.
But the figures in Reading have been found to be lower than those claimed.
The figures published by Nationwide Vehicle Contracts were calculated using Numbeo, the world’s largest cost of living database and a crowdsourced global resource for quality of life data.
However, the fare is actually lower according to Reading Borough Council’s table of fares for hackney carriages.
The amount for cab rides varies according to tariffs: one, which applies from 6am to 10pm each day, two, which applies from 10pm to 6am overnight, three and four which are the day and night tariffs for Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s and any other public holiday.
Tariff one has a ‘flag drop’ starting fee of £3.60, which covers the first 278 yards (256.94 meters) or two minutes and 24 seconds of the journey.
After that, a 20p charge comes into effect for every 123 yards travelled.
The Nationwide Vehicle Contracts claim is that an average journey of 2.6 miles (four km) would cost £18.06 based on a starting charge of £4.50 with £3.39 charged per kilometre.
However, the council’s licensing department calculated that such a journey would instead cost approximately £10.50-£11, or even lower at £9.90 if there is no waiting time.
That is approximately £7 cheaper than the average journey cost calculated by Numbeo.
The journey would be more expensive if undertaken overnight between 10pm to 6am, as the flag drop begins at £4.60 for the first 281 yards (282.55 meters) or two minutes and 22 seconds of the journey.
The fares for cabs were last increased following a decision by the council’s licensing applications committee in September 2023.
The rise made no change to ‘the flag drop’, instead adjusting the 20p charge so it comes into effect every 123 yards, rather than the 133 yards travelled previously.
Numbeo’s website states: “The prices provided are based on data submitted by Numbeo users and may include both official rates and informal rates negotiated with drivers.
“This section is useful for travellers and locals who want to budget for transportation expenses, compare fares between cities, and avoid overpaying for taxi rides.”
The yards travelled fare increases to 30p for tariffs three and four.
