Falkirk taxi fare rise to come faster amid concern over impact of fuel price hike

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An increase in Falkirk taxi fares is to be brought forward as quickly as possible to help drivers cope with the soaring cost of petrol and diesel as the war in Ukraine continues.

Taxi tariffs are set by the council in a legal process that usually takes months of research and consultation. But spiralling prices at the pumps mean that drivers cannot wait that long to raise their prices and Falkirk Council's executive agreed on Tuesday that a quicker timeline was necessary.The process will still need to be followed, including consultation, and if there are any issues raised, this will got to the June meeting of Falkirk Council rather than waiting for the next executive.Councillor Laura Murtagh urged the executive to agree to speed up the process, given the exceptional circumstances.Falkirk Live brings you the latest headlines from Falkirk and beyond.But did you know all the ways you can stay informed with us?We share live news and exclusive scoops every day so make sure you're following us so we can keep you informed on all things Falkirk!She said: "Naturally, the situation over the last few weeks and the record-breaking daily increases in fuel costs bring further further cause for concern and waiting for a full tariff review - which can take several months before coming into force - would not be desirable given the gap until a new executive next meets."The matter was raised as part of a full review of the council's policies that has been undertaken by a cross-party panel, led by Councillor Murtagh.Its main focus was making sure that Falkirk taxis start moving towards either electric or low emission vehicles - and also to ensure that there are enough wheelchair accessible vehicles to meet demand.But members also had to