Sheffield councillor thanks black cab who saved her when 'stranded in snow' facing £30 fare for short journey

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.

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“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.”