Taxi Driver Online

i've been thinking about whats missing off the websites and forums in relation to the taxi cab / private hire [mini cab] industry.

and theres no site where drivers / owners etc can leave questions on legislation etc and get a reply from a Solicitor or other qualified person who specialises in the taxi industry.

the posts would then be answered by the Solicitor and left up as a point of reference for the future where others with the same problem could refer too.

So i've been speaking to relevant parties in the industry and there's at least one firm of solicitors intrested...!!

can you give me some feedback of ideas on how you would want it to work or other points of intrest...??

also looking at doing something on accounts aswell where you can ask questions to an accountant and be able to download online accounts that you can do yourself and send off as an email attachment.

is either of the above of intrest and do you think it would work.
or whether we would get the feedback [posts] on either Forum...??

the 2 forums would be on www.Press Cuttings Monthly.com but with links back to this forum from Press Cuttings Monthly.

the layout for the Legal forum is well underway and maybe live within the next couple of weeks...!!

I think most Unions and Associations retain the services of a legal advisor or as in the case of the LTDA, an in house solicitor (Michael Demidecki)

I'm sure Terry mentioned the GMB has an extensive legal team, albeit mainly made up of women who wear dungaree's and sport hairy arm pits.

Advice is always a good thing, as long as it's accurate? Even more so if the advice being given is "accurate", "free" and prompt. If the solicitor in question is willing to give up his time to answer queries on Taxi licensing etc, then he is to be commended.

I'm sure he will be kept busy.

Regards

JD

Fair point GBC, but arent the majority of drivers not in an association or union through choice..!!

in an association its something that a lot of drivers join up for and the fact of been informed as to whats going on in their own area.

but theres many more who arent in a union or assoc for what ever reason, hence they dont always know who or what advice is available to them.

the key point / reason im doing this or even looking into it,
is the fact of creating a point of intrest / reference

and if the knowledgeable people such as JD and the likes would like to put in relevant cases of intrest to refer to for guidance then much the better.

Fair point GBC, but arent the majority of drivers not in an association or union through choice..!!

in an association its something that a lot of drivers join up for and the fact of been informed as to whats going on in their own area.

but theres many more who arent in a union or assoc for what ever reason, hence they dont always know who or what advice is available to them.

the key point / reason im doing this or even looking into it,
is the fact of creating a point of intrest / reference

and if the knowledgeable people such as JD and the likes would like to put in relevant cases of intrest to refer to for guidance then much the better.

sorry for the double posts. im blaming the mouse as it seems to be clicking with a mind of its own...!!
off to get a new 1...

There is also THE BOOK by John Denby the 13th edition.. searchable Taxi and private hire on disc, it is very good and is being updated for this year...

_________________
Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

I'm not dissagreeing with you Tony, Yes, there are many more drivers who are not in a local association, than are.

The pitfalls are well known, although that does'nt precluse basic legal aid if one found themselves accused of a crime opposed to a licensing contravention.

On a personal note, I think my £16 a month is peanuts for the potential service I could benefit from.

The other great thing about our association, that it does'nt do politics, just concentrates on Licensed London Taxi related issues. Plus the entire executive is made up of Licensed London Taxi drivers opposed to people who have wandered in from other trades claiming to be saviours and martyrs.

I think theres a couple of points:

1: how many will buy a book...?
2: how many actually have a pc...?

the beauty of the internet is that its an easily accessible point
of reference.... if you know how to use key words in your search correctly.

look how successful TDO is....!!!

its easily accessible and a point of contact with other drivers and owners where you can voice your opinions and use to acquire information that you can use to your advantage or just advance your own knowledge of the trade.

a books great if its not in written in away you cant understand and is in plain english which is understandable to even the most unschooled individual...!!!

on here if you dont understand a reference to something you ask the question and there's always someone to explain it in away you'll comprehend.

the big Question is do you think it would be used....???
thats the Legal forum

whats your thoughts on the accountancy one as most already have an accountant or do it themselves.

the ones doing it themselves, leave themselves open to incorrectly surrendered accounts.
and maybe in their eyes whats worse is not claiming what they actually are entitled to due to bad advice.

i bet there's loads of loopholes which arent being used or passed onto others involving what you can claim for and against.

SO ARE EITHER OF THE FORUMS WORTH DOING.....???

It's a case of every little helps, and the more info/advice for drivers the better.

But will they be used, and will it be a waste of time and resources?

The problem is that taxi/PH law is quite specific, and not that many qualified legal folks can tell some of the lads on here anything new.

Not saying lawyers don't have their place, but I think they are best protecting you rather than advising you.

_________________
IDFIMH

i totally agree with you GBC and i think the cost of being in some sort of association or member of a union etc is a worth every penny.



the thing with all associations are that they are all within a defined area
geographical area.

im looking at trying something more national giving people the chance of seeing whats happened in lets say Ripon for example.
that it could be of benefit in Margate...!!

if your in an association are you aware of whats going on elsewhere....?

another point is are you bothered if its not on your doorstep and not in anyway of directly effecting your livelihood.... i bet not..!!

but thats where the trade falls short in my opinion.
unlike the scousers who will stick together through most things
the trade on the whole doesn't care whats happening elsewhere.

fair point Sussex


but that could also be a pack of Richard Bransons...lol

seriously though would it not be better getting advice from a qualified person who specialises in the taxi trade...?
rather than from a driver on the rank...?

................................................................

The UK presently has 13.1 million broadband users, that figure is expected to increase to 14.7m by the end of the year. Without looking it up I haven't a clue how many dial up narrow band users there are but usage is no doubt in the millions.

One major fact for every new website is that they need to look at the speed of the servers on the prospective hosting company, visitors are not going to wait around indefinitely for a webpage to load. Slow hosts should be avoided at all costs.

Taxi Today magazine is trying to exploit a Gap in the market that other magazines do not have the time or resources and perhaps in-depth knowledge to cultivate. Their website is trying to bring real time interaction to interested users whether it be by the latest media news or other forms of interest such as the legal help highlighted in this thread.

Whether or not people avail themselves of the opportunities made available by the Press Cuttings Monthly website is entirely up to them but knowing such a service is available, can only be a good thing.

Having said all that the only place where you know you will get instant advice and news on the Taxi trade is TDO but that does not mean you shouldn't avail yourself of the wider legal advice you might get from the setup on Taxi Today. Assuming it gets off the ground?

Regards

JD

thankyou for thaT JD.

theres no doubt in my mind that the quickest response anyone will get is from on here at TDO...!!

you only have to look at the times posts are made and at the times of responses.

JD also made a valid point on a earlier post



THE PROMPT PART BEING THE KEY WORD
my concern at this stage is how quick the posts are replied too.
as for accurate im putting myself on the accuracy of the reports in the hands of the said Solicitor.

cant see why TDO and Press Cuttings Monthly cant come up with something between us in the future...?

Pete as nearly finalised the Forum layout etc.

so even if for some reason i'm not happy with the discussions this week
with the solicitors.
ie the response time and accuracy of their feedback which i'm looking for guarantees on.

there are options with at least another 4 parties...!!
one of whom as written for the publication which i think was in the first 6 or 8 issues before moving into a new market place, and having spoken to him he wants to come back to the taxi market.
the firm have 20 years in the taxi market place minimum, fighting cases at all levels nationally.

but i'll openly admit my preference would be doing something with TDO
the possibilitys of readership/ users and size of the site are huge and the first ones to do it will have the market place to themselves.

i'm lucky to have a person i can trust who designs and maintains my website and also controls all the emailing and writes the computer programme to maintain and edit the emailing database which is totally self managing. he puts the new mag on the email and walks away the programme he wrote does the rest.
so with his knowledge of design and programming and background and everything thing else it could be a worth while site in terms of managing and layout.
the rest would be down to you the users and the free, prompt, accurate advice given, of which is totally out of my hands.

i can use the resources and know how available to me but the rest is down to everyone else...