PASSENGERS have temporarily escaped a rise in taxi fares that would have seen Worcester be-come one of the most expensive places to travel by cab in the West Midlands.

The city council's licensing committee last night decided that Worcester Taxi Drivers' Association's application to put tariffs up by 15p for every tenth of a mile was unjustifiable.

But the Association was asked to hold discussions with council officers over the proposed increase.

At the Guildhall meeting, David Allen, on behalf of the drivers, argued it had been 18 months since the last increase.

He maintained that the rise was in line with drivers' costs and had taken the views of customers into account.

"They may say it's too expensive but everything is too expensive these days if you ask people - beer, going out, transport," he said

The extra 15p, added after £2.20 for the first mile, would have meant a two-mile trip at night, in line with the 4.25 per cent increase, would cost £5.25.

Mr Allen said figures for Birmingham - where such a journey would cost £4.80 - and other places could not be compared with Worcester, because initial charges might be different.

Coun Paul Denham praised the taxi system, maintaining it was still cheaper for two people to take a cab than travel by bus, while Coun Ray Turner hailed them as "good value for money".

Head of environmental health Roy Fidoe asked councillors to bear in mind the steep cost of insurance and stressed the fact that journeys were "two-way".

But Coun Richard Udall argued that just because there had not been an increase for 18 months, it did not mean one was justifiable now.

"I don't want to think the people I represent in Dines Green can't get home because they can't afford the fare," he said.

The next committee meeting is on Monday, December 3.