BOURNEMOUTH taxi fares will be going up by 5.5 per cent this year.

The rise will come into effect from April 2 and will affect Hackney Carriages, the London style cabs that are allowed to pick up people from the street.

The starting fare on the cheaper tariff will be £2.80 and the cost of a two mile journey will be £6.07.

The prices last went up in April 2011.

The 5.5 per cent increase was proposed by the taxi drivers and accepted by Bournemouth’s Licensing Committee on Tuesday.

John Tye, chairman of Bournemouth Taxi Trade Associa-tion, said local increases were calculated according to the London Formula, which balances rises in living costs against any running costs.

He said increases in taxi insurance, fuel and tyre prices would have given a rise of 11.8 per cent, but the trade decided to propose only half of that.

He told the Echo: “We decided it was unreasonable to expect the travelling public to pay that much. We want to take a responsible attitude to the public but also protect our own business.”