They also want to increase the rate used from 11pm to 6am and public holidays from £4.50 to £9. Members should also consider doubling baggage fees to 40p.

The way it would work is that the meter would start at £3.30 and at the end of the ride the driver would press a stop button on the meter.

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If the fare at that time is lower than the minimum fare offered, it will automatically revert to £6. Drivers also offer ‘minimum fare £6.00’ stickers inside the vehicle.

A petition signed by nearly 50 carriage drivers says that due to rising fuel prices and the cost of living crisis they believe the current £3 fare is “completely unreasonable”.

The average UK diesel cost in London in February 2020 was 128.6 pence per litre. In June 2022, average prices reached 190.92, an increase of 48%.

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The hackney drivers wrote: ‘Firstly, as the majority of customers are train station commuters, taxi journeys are generally not much longer than a mile.

“Secondly, drivers wait up to an hour in a queue before being given a taxi fare, and only receiving an extremely low fare around the region of £3 is very frustrating, which is particularly accentuated now with the rising cost of living.”

They also want charges to be in line with other Berkshire local authorities and private operators, such as Uber, as the Royal Borough is one of the cheapest.

Advisors on the Licensing Committee are due to consider this proposal on Tuesday, July 5.