A two-mile daytime taxi ride in Horsham goes from £8.07 to £8.45 from 13 November if no one objects. The Christmas double rate would start at 6pm, not 11pm.
Taxi fares in Horsham district are set to rise by about 4% from Friday 13 November. The district council approved a new table of maximum fares on 15 October. A two-mile daytime trip would go up from £8.07 to £8.45.
The rise applies to hackney carriages, the white taxis that ply for hire at ranks and can be hailed in the street. It does not cover private hire cars booked through an operator or an app, which set their own prices (Horsham District Council).
The decision was taken by Cllr David Skipp, the Cabinet Member for Environmental Health, Recycling and Waste (decision notice). It can still be called in by councillors until 22 October. The public then has a fortnight to object, from 29 October to 12 November. If nobody objects, the new fares apply from 13 November.
What changes
The new table is in the appendix to the decision. Set against the fares in force now, the main changes for a standard taxi carrying one to four passengers are:
| Tariff | Now: first 710m | Proposed: first 710m | Now: then | Proposed: then |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One: daytime | £4.20 | £4.40 | 20p per 134m | 20p per 124m |
| Two: night and holiday | £6.40 | £6.40 | 30p per 134m | 30p per 124m |
| Three: double daytime | £8.40 | £8.80 | 30p per 134m | 40p per 124m |
The night starting charge does not change, but every tariff now ticks up every 124 metres instead of every 134 metres. The waiting allowance inside the first charge rises from 2 minutes 39 seconds to 2 minutes 52 seconds. Each extra 20p, 30p or 40p also runs on time, at one step every 30 seconds, as now.
For larger taxis carrying five to eight people:
- daytime starts at £6.60, up from £6.30, then 30p a step as now
- night and holiday starts at £9.90, up from £8.40, with each step cut from 60p to 45p
- double daytime starts at £13.20, up from £12.60, then 60p a step as now
The extras stay the same. Each passenger beyond two (or beyond six in a larger taxi) costs 50p. Luggage carried outside the passenger compartment is 50p a box or package, card payment is free, assistance dogs travel free, and the soiling charge stays at £100.
What a trip costs
The council worked out what a journey of each length would cost at the top of the meter, on distance alone:
| Distance | Daytime now | Daytime proposed | Night now | Night proposed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mile | £5.53 | £5.85 | £8.40 | £8.77 |
| 2 miles | £8.07 | £8.45 | £11.99 | £12.66 |
| 3 miles | £10.61 | £11.05 | £15.58 | £16.55 |
| 4 miles | £13.15 | £13.65 | £19.17 | £20.44 |
| 5 miles | £15.69 | £16.25 | £22.76 | £24.33 |
Short trips rise most in percentage terms: 5.8% for one mile against 3.6% for five miles. The council puts the average daytime rise at 4.24%.
The council’s table has a sixth row labelled “10 miles”. Its figures (£18.23 now, £18.85 proposed) are one mile on from the five-mile fare, so they match a six-mile trip, not ten. We have left that row out.
Christmas and New Year: the double rate starts earlier
The double daytime rate covers the Christmas and New Year nights. The new table brings its start forward by five hours on both evenings:
- Christmas: now 11pm on Christmas Eve to 5am on 27 December; proposed 6pm on Christmas Eve to 7am on 27 December
- New Year: now 11pm on 31 December to 7am on 1 January; proposed 6pm on 31 December to 7am on 1 January
So a taxi home from Christmas Eve drinks at 7pm could cost twice the daytime rate this year, if the table takes effect as published.
Sundays
The current night and holiday rate applies “between 11pm and 7am, Sundays and National Public Holidays”. The proposed table says “between 11pm and 7am on National Public Holidays”. Sundays are not mentioned. The decision notice and its report do not explain the change, so it is not clear whether Sunday daytime trips are meant to move to the cheaper daytime tariff or whether a word has dropped out. We will add the answer when the council publishes the formal notice on 29 October.
Why fares are going up
A hackney carriage driver asked for a review in April, citing lower fares than neighbouring councils and the rising cost of living. The council emailed every hackney driver on 1 April to ask about their running costs, and 34 replied by 13 April (report). Fares were last reviewed in 2025.
The council uses a cost formula first drawn up by Guildford Borough Council and adopted in Horsham in 2025. Its base figures include:
- a driver salary allowance of £32,500 a year, for a 10-hour day
- 41,250 miles a year, half of them without a passenger
- 12 paid journeys a day, averaging 3 miles each
- diesel at £1.81 a litre
- £2,500 a year for insurance, £548 for the station rank fee and £3,000 depreciation
The report warns that not raising fares “would risk further reduction in licensed taxi provision” in the district.
Even after the rise, Horsham would stay at the cheaper end of West Sussex. The council’s comparison, taken from the trade magazine Private Hire and Taxi Monthly at 30 September, gives these two-mile fares:
- Adur £7.80
- Chichester £8.00
- Crawley £8.90
- Mid Sussex £9.00
- Worthing £9.10
- Arun £9.50
The council puts the median at £8.70, so Horsham’s proposed £8.45 would sit just below it.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes yet. The current fares apply until at least 13 November.
- These are maximum fares. The council says a driver can charge less, and the price is negotiable at the start of the journey. For trips that end outside the district, a driver may charge more than the meter only if you agree it in advance.
- You can object. The formal notice will appear in the West Sussex County Times on 29 October, and objections can be made until 12 November. If any are made and not withdrawn, the cabinet member must consider them, and the new fares must then take effect by 13 January 2027 at the latest.
- Every meter will be recalibrated and resealed once the table is agreed, and the new tariff card must be on display in every taxi with a meter.
- Booked a minicab or an app ride? Those are private hire fares, which the council does not set. Agree the price when you book.
Getting to the station? Our Horsham trains to London page has the timetable and fares, and our roadworks and travel page has this week’s closures.
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