Sheffield councillor thanks black cab who saved her when 'stranded in snow' facing £30 fare for short journey
A councillor thanked the black cab trade for saving her when she was stranded for two hours in the snow facing £30 charges from private companies for a short taxi ride.
Councillor Karen McGowan, chair of the licensing committee, said the trade helped her on two recent occasions when private hire cars – who are part of companies like Uber and City Taxis – skyrocketed their prices.
She gave her thanks at the end of a meeting in which the committee agreed to increase fares for black cabs, also known as Hackney carriages.
Coun McGowan said: “I want to express my thanks to the Hackney carriage trade. I personally have had two experiences recently and they have provided a really good and fair service.
“One was in November when we had the snow and the bus strikes and I came back on the train from York. The trams had stopped, the buses were on strike and I stood in the taxi rank at the train station for more than two hours.
“We had private hire companies charging £30 just to get to Lower Manor and when I finally got (a black cab) taxi I got charged the normal rate and I was just so grateful that he got me through the snow and got me home.
“The second was on New Year’s eve, I booked a private hire taxi from the south east of the city to the Sheffield Wednesday ground, it was 7 o’clock at night when I booked it and automatically got charged £25 to book it.
"It took that then I got charged £23 when I got there but when we came out at half past one in the morning which I class as unsociable hours… I didn’t go straight home, dropped someone off at Shirecliffe, and I got charged less than £20.
“It was cheaper to go home at half past one in the morning and not directly in a Hackney than it was in a private hire car direct from my house to the same venue.
“So I just wanted to say, you do offer value for money and thank you for that. I hope the members of the public appreciate the service you offer.”