A BID to increase the hackney taxi tariff in the Adur district has been rejected.
The tariff has not been increased since 2008 and a trade ballot carried out last year narrowly rejected proposals to seek an increase.
However, hackney carriage proprietor Stephen Flemming put in his own application to the licensing committee, which met on February 25 to discuss his proposal.
He told councillors costs of running his business had increased and some drivers had taken to working seven days a week to make up costs, which was a health and safety issue.
Taxi driver Mr Ridley, however, said Adur tariffs were artificially high – the ninth highest in the country and the highest in Sussex.
He said an increase would be “commercial suicide” for drivers, particularly in light of the on-going recession.
Paul Spedding, executive head of housing, health and community safety, asked members to bear in mind the vast majority of taxi drivers were sole traders, whose income was indirectly regulated by the council.
The hackney carriage fare is a maximum rate and the driver has the option to charge below the fare displayed on the meter.
The committee agreed the taxi tariff remain the same, without any increase.