Rochford District Council has agreed a taxi fare rise that puts 50p on the flag — drawing warnings that short local trips will see the biggest percentage jump.
Echo reports Monday–Saturday 6am–9pm first 440 yards (or two minutes) rising from £4 to £4.50 from 1 October, the first increase since May 2024; later yardage rates stay unchanged. Councillor Angela Sutton said a half-mile trip for a pensioner or mobility-impaired resident takes an immediate 12.5% hit, while longer journeys barely change, and asked why running rates were not adjusted instead. Chair Tina Hughes, a former cabbie, said drivers face licensing, fuel and insurance costs and backed the 50p flag rise as fair.