This is how much taxi fares are going up by in Sheffield over the festive period

Going out in Sheffield will put a bigger dent in people’s wallets over the festive season as taxi fares are going up for Christmas and New Year.
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Private hire drivers with City Taxis, which is Sheffield’s biggest firm of its kind and handles the majority of bookings locally, will be charging time and a half on certain days over the holiday fortnight.

Customers are being told the higher prices apply from 6pm on December 24, then all day on December 25 and 26, before normal fares resume on December 27.

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Time and a half applies again from 6pm on December 31 and throughout January 1.

Lee Ward, chairman of ALPHA - A Local Private Hire Association.Lee Ward, chairman of ALPHA - A Local Private Hire Association.
Lee Ward, chairman of ALPHA - A Local Private Hire Association.

Journeys in hackney carriages – black cabs, which can only be hailed on the street – will cost more over Christmas, too.

There is an additional £2 charge for trips between 6pm on December 24 and 6am on December 27, then from 6pm on December 31 to 6am on January 2.

Lee Ward, chairman of the Sheffield private hire association ALPHA, said his members ‘can only charge what the companies set’.

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“We can't set our own rates, and black cabs are fixed at whatever rate is set by the council,” he said. “The only one that's truly variable is Uber, due to their surge pricing.”

Taxi fares will go up over Christmas and New Year in Sheffield.Taxi fares will go up over Christmas and New Year in Sheffield.
Taxi fares will go up over Christmas and New Year in Sheffield.

Opinion is mixed among drivers on the annual practice of increasing taxi fares at Christmas and New Year, he said.

“Some think a fare and a half puts customers off using us, and others think it makes it viable for them to go to work on those holidays.”

Passengers, he said, 'would expect time back and a day in lieu' for working over the festive period.

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“They just see taxi drivers as someone driving them around. We have got families at home that we could be spending time with. Unfortunately, at this time of year, it's probably the worst time to be a taxi driver. People who don't drink very often drink copious amounts, which quite often makes them difficult customers, to be honest.”

But he emphasised: “On the rest of the bank holidays through the year it's ordinary fare.”

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