SCOTTISH Borders Council leader David Parker says he has “some sympathy” with a Peeblesshire taxi operator who wants to change the way fares – uniformly set across the region - are calculated and applied.

Mr Parker was commenting after his council’s executive met this week and voted for no increase in the maximum rates which may be charged in the coming year.

It will be the second successive year fares have been frozen for the 355 taxis which are licensed by the council across the Borders.

In so doing, councillors rejected a recommendation from their own officers that the “flag rate” – the amount shown on the meter at the start of a journey – should be increased by 7% from December 1.

If implemented, the starting rate would have gone up from £2.15 to £2.30 for a standard four-passenger vehicle at non-peak times.

The increase had been recommended in a report by SBC’s transport management team leader Tim Stephenson, who revealed that, when it was put out to the trade in September, only one operator – Colin Ross of the Cardrona-based Yellow Cab Company – responded with a letter.

Indeed, at four consultation meetings set up by the council in Peebles, Galashiels, Hawick and Duns, a total of just nine operators attended, with only one – Mr Ross – showing up at the Peebles event.

That apparent apathy on behalf of the trade was cited by Mr Parker as he moved for no change in current maximum fare levels.

After his motion was endorsed by a 10-3 vote, he told the Peeblesshire News: “Apart from Mr Ross, the response from the industry has been negligible and, in light of this and to help the hard-pressed Borders public, we agreed to peg fares at current levels, although operators can set fares as they see fit within these parameters.” In his letter penned after the Peebles meeting, Mr Ross said increasing the flag rate was “illogical”. He claimed that 300 journeys would be required just to cover the cost of meter recalibration.

“If an increase is to be applied it should be applied to the mileage rate otherwise it is not an increase,” he wrote.

Mr Parker responded: “I have some sympathy with Mr Ross, but the problem for the taxi trade in the Borders is it has no organisation to represent it and lobby on its behalf.

“I hope that next year when we do our annual fare review that this has changed and we can sit down with representatives of the industry, perhaps on a regional basis, to discuss the best way forward.

“If that means revisiting the formula by which fares are set, then so be it.” The current formula, which has prevailed since 2009, has a weighting of 45% for vehicle-related costs (fuel prices, insurance charges, purchase and maintenance of vehicles) and 55% to reflect local wage levels.

Taxi operators dissatisfied with Tuesday’s decision have 14 days to lodge an appeal to the Traffic Commissioner who will decide if there are grounds to hold a hearing, the costs of which will be borne by the council.