Footage shows private hire taxi drivers going on strike as they demand £5 minimum fare in Milton Keynes

Currently minimum fares are set by each company but the average is £3.20.

The private hire drivers, who congregated at Stadium MK, say their profits have fallen over the past 16 years due to increases in the cost of fuel, insurance, maintenance and council plating.

Hackney carriages (black cabs) in MK have a £3 start rate, (£4.40) for the first mile. £1,60 for the next mile and thereafter a charge of £2.00 per mile.

But MK’s private hire rate is one of the lowest in the UK , say drivers.

Stuart Day, general manager of Bounds Taxis said: ““We having a meaningful dialogue with our drivers. We understand their concerns.”

The drivers, who went on strike for two hours between 7am and 9am, are also asking for no fixed price village pickups and increased prices for airport runs,

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