Taxi fares 'just ridiculous', say some islanders

Taxi fares are too expensive for the journey length and paying strangers is easier "for a cheap lift home", some islanders have said.

The comments come after politicians approved plans to make it easier for the government to crack down on illegal taxi services during a States Assembly sitting on Friday.

Proposer Deputy Catherine Curtis said unregulated, uninsured services like those on Facebook groups "Jersey Lifts" posed risks to passengers and drivers, but some politicians criticised regulated taxi services for being too expensive and not meeting islanders' needs.

Sisters Jodie and Hayley Mcshea said they could not remember the last time they used a taxi because "it's so expensive".

"Probably the last time I got a taxi [it cost] about £20 from town to St Clement's - it's just ridiculous," Jodie Mcshea said.

Policy Centre Jersey said the cost of a rank taxi cab journey in Jersey was "among the most expensive in the United Kingdom" at 13% more than the national average.

The charity found a two-mile (3.2km) daytime journey cost 7% more in Jersey compared to the average price in south-west England and almost 20% more compared to the UK national average.

Mick Tostevin, secretary of Jersey Taxi Drivers Association, said the island was "a very expensive place" to live and therefore "unfair to compare us to other jurisdictions".

Curtis said multiple Facebook groups called Jersey Lifts had been offering unregulated journeys to thousands of members at a cheaper rate than regular taxis.

These groups require no DBS checks for drivers - one group has about 14,000 members and another about 28,000.

Hayley Mcshea said people were "put off paying taxi prices" and that it was "much easier and cheaper to get a Jersey Lift".

"It's like a no-brainer that they're going to go for that option, but risky because it's not regulated," she said.

Her sister added: "It's the younger crowd that are going for Jersey Lifts - they probably don't really think about whether it's regulated or not, they're just looking for a cheap lift home."

Daniel Trenoceiro said he thought taxi costs were "not too good, not too bad" but that the assembly had "bigger problems to worry about".

"We're a couple of months before an election - for this to be a priority, I think it's laughable... for us to be focusing on Jersey Lifts I think is misguided," he said.

In her proposition, Curtis said unregulated and uninsured drivers were not paying tax on their illegal earnings, which the government was losing out on.

Trenoceiro said: "The reason why tax is generally more expensive is obviously because of the heightened regulation - they have to adhere to standards, and so on and so forth.

"I don't think Jersey Lifts is overall a good thing but equally I don't think that it should be in any way at the top of the pecking order for things to address."

Jasmine Razna said she did not use taxis and would "rather just take the car and pay for parking".

"It's so expensive, I'd rather sacrifice not having a drink," she continued, adding though that she had used Jersey Lifts when she was a teenager.

"It's so much more affordable - you pay a fiver to get from the other side of the island all the way back into town."

Ashley Viera said she used to get taxis "all the time when I used to go out".

She said a taxi from town to First Tower, St Helier - about 1.2 miles (2km) - cost her £15, which she described as "a bit much" but added it was "necessary" if people needed to get home.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.