York taxi fares are set to rise by 10p - but cabbies are calling for a new system to be used to calculate fares, claiming the council just cannot do its sums.

Feelings ran high as the chairman of York Taxi Owners and Drivers Federation, Gerald Grisdale, branded council methods for working out taxi fares "nonsense".

Members of the city council's planning and transport committee admitted they had been confused about the figures but voted yesterday to accept officers' recommendations that fares should be raised by 4.5 per cent.

But Mr Grisdale believes the whole method of working out fares is based upon a total lack of understanding about taxi prices - and marred by basic mathematical errors.

He says all the council has done is to add 10p to taxi fares regardless of the distance and they have not made a percentage rise at all.

"The livelihood of York's 500 cabbies is being put at risk because the council can't do its sums," said Mr Grisdale.

"I have no doubt we would be able to convince the council of their mistake if only it would meet us.

"I don't think it really understand all the elements that go into making up the fare.

"Using its current method all it does is to penalise passengers making short journeys and penalise the taxi drivers over the longer distances.

"We want to see a fair system in place - that everyone can understand."

He says cabbies have repeatedly approached the council asking to be allowed to explain the fare structure but their offers have been rejected.

"As far as I know there is not another authority in the country which uses the same system as York because it is a complete nonsense," said Mr Grisdale.

"We would still like to meet someone from the council because we are confident that we could explain how the system works - we would even bring along an independent expert."

The cabbies are questioning the council's ability to do its sums and the way it calculates the percentage increase on fares.

Taxi fares are made up of seven different rates including the basic rate for hiring the cab - the flag rate - as well as charges for subsequent miles, waiting time and night rates. But cabbies claim all the council has done is to add 10p to the flag rate and through a "ludicrous" system of calculations expressed this as a rate across the whole fare.

Trevor Philips, assistant director of environmental regulation at the City of York Council, said he stood by the council's figures and said the authority had made changes in line with those the drivers had asked for. "I have had a number of meetings with drivers over the fare increase in the last few months," he said.

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