TAXI regulators have been accused of ignoring their own formula which was designed to keep prices fair.

City of York Council is meeting to consider more than 50 complaints from representatives of hackney carriage drivers that the equation to work out fare rises, adopted by councillors in December, has been overlooked.

They claim the calculated increase of 7.8 per cent has not been adopted.

Gerald Grisdale, chairman of the Taxi Owners and Drivers Federation, said more than 50 drivers had complained to the council because the actual increase is only about four per cent.

Taxi fares are made up of many different aspects, including the time of day the journey is made, the amount of waiting time and the hire charge. With all aspects taken into account, the overall increase is far below 7.8 per cent, he claimed.

He added: "The council has said that we will have 7.8 per cent increases, but the evidence is irrefutable and shows that it only increases by about four per cent.

"Our argument is not about the 7.8 per cent increase, our argument has always been that what City of York Council say they are going to do is not what they are doing."

Mr Grisdale said the increase had been calculated to account for increases in national earnings and costs for fuel, insurance and tax and car maintenance.

He said: "The York hackney trade are once again being denied a fair and honest fare increase by a planning and transport committee that says one thing but does another."

Trevor Phillips, the council's assistant director for environmental regulation, said increases had been agreed after consultation with the York Taxi Proprietors Association, made up of Station Taxis' shareholders.

Association chairman Richard Hall said: "Members have the full support of the YTPA in their endeavours."

Mr Phillips commented: "We started out aiming to have a 7.8 per cent increase, but the YTPA said they wanted to be careful in case it would make hackney carriages uncompetitive.

"They objected and put their proposals to the committee."

Mr Grisdale said he had been invited to take part in the discussion, but members of the federation didn't allow consultation with the association because they were not elected representatives of the industry.

The complaints were being considered by the council's planning and transport committee today.