Brighton and Hove taxi passengers could see the cost of a typical two-mile daytime journey rise from £8.70 to £9.30 under new fare proposals being considered by councillors.
The proposed changes are due to be considered by Brighton & Hove City Council’s Cabinet on 17 September 2026. Any approval would be followed by equality engagement and the statutory public consultation process before the changes could take effect.
The taxi trade has proposed keeping the existing £3 initial meter charge, while reducing the distance covered between subsequent fare increments. The council said the approach would spread the increase across journeys while limiting the impact on passengers making shorter trips.
Under the proposed tariff, the approximate daytime rate would increase by 30p per mile to £3.30. The hourly waiting-time charge would also increase from £20 to £30 — a 50% rise — following concerns over drivers’ earnings when vehicles are stationary or held up in traffic.
According to the council report, the proposed tariff would represent an overall increase of 27.55% since August 2019. Over the same period, Consumer Price Index inflation increased by 30% between August 2019 and March 2026.
For journeys exceeding 10 miles, the proposed changes would represent an average increase of around 7.4% compared with the previous fare revision in March 2024.
Among comparable councils and neighbouring authorities in Sussex, Brighton and Hove would have the third-highest fare for a two-mile journey. The proposed £9.30 fare would remain below Eastbourne, where the equivalent fare is £9.60, and Arun at £9.50.
The council report noted that relatively small fare differences can result in significant changes in national taxi fare rankings. The proposed 60p increase would move Brighton and Hove up by approximately 23 places, although the rankings could change as other councils review their own tariffs.
Trade representatives told the council that taxi fares had failed to keep pace with rising costs, including fuel, insurance, vehicle maintenance and regulatory compliance.
They also highlighted the cost of maintaining vehicles in line with the standards set out in the council’s taxi licensing conditions, commonly referred to as the Blue Book.
The trade told the council that a driver operating under a 50/50 revenue arrangement may need to take at least £30 an hour to secure an income equivalent to the applicable living-wage level, particularly when the driver is responsible for fuel.
Higher tariffs for vehicles carrying five or more passengers would remain at 1.5 times the corresponding standard rates. The higher tariffs were introduced to encourage proprietors to invest in wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
The proposed changes would apply only to hackney carriage journeys beginning at a taxi rank or when a cab is hailed in the street.
The council does not regulate private hire fares, although its report said local private hire operators have historically followed the authority’s taxi tariff structure.
School transport costs would also remain unaffected, as these journeys are covered by contracts between operators and the council’s school transport team.