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Last drop off at Edinburgh Airport
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Author:  Jasbar [ Fri Oct 29, 2010 11:19 am ]
Post subject:  Last drop off at Edinburgh Airport
Last night I dropped my last passenger to Edinburgh Airport. He gave me £20 for the job. Nice one.

However, he is the last. I now refuse to pick up to the airport in protest at the Airport charging £1 to drop off, the council allowing them to do so, and the trade's so-called representatives for not protecting the general trade's interests.

The Airport, run by BAA, are the 21st Century equivalent of Dick Turpin. They are greedy, robbing bar stewards. Their stand and deliver is designed to harvest cash from people who are forced to run their monopoly service. It is a scandal that they are allowed to get away with it.

Now I could drop off near the airport, or at their free area which is some distance from the terminal, but to do so would invite the wrath of passengers and I'm not prepared to be drawn in conflict with customers. So, no more drop offs.

I look forward a wet busy day when someone who needs to get to the airport in a hurry hails me down and they are refused. I look forward to them making formal complaint.

The Council bottled this. They have the power, or could assume the power, but deliberately choose not to do so in the mistaken belief that they do not want to assert control over the Airport because of the potential ramifications that could result. This is a false premise. The Airport does not have the economic muscle the council is attributing to it. And by rolling over to the Airport authorities the council is negating its political responsibilities to the electorate who are being stiffed. Wouldn't the logical conclusion to this be that the council has been "got at"?

This year £1. Next £2. After that? Well the sky is literally the limit. Then we get charged at the stations. And so on ....

The trade representatives are supposed to be representing the whole trade. But this process is dominated by City Cabs and Central. Both companies are the major shareholders in Forward Travel which has interests at the Airport. The Company generates over £300,000 in fees from owners drawn from the two fleets (Where does this money go?) so they do not want to rock the boat either. So we all lose out because of their commercial interest.

Curiously both company committees are charged with looking after the interests of all their members. So how is it that those owners who have signed up to Forward Travel membership will not have to pay the £1 drop off charge while those who haven't will. How can it be right that committee members should ignore the interests of some of their members.

Word on the grapevine is that both companies have set their EGMs for 14th November in the same venue when the proposed merger will be discussed. It should be interesting to see how two sets of egos will craft the marriage that will cement their grip on the companies that they run as if they own them and not the memberships.

Let's hope it happens, even if only to reduce their voice on the relevant council power platforms.

Now I'm looking forward to a formal complaint. Let's hope one comes along soon.

meanwhile, I intend to make a formal complaint to the monopolies and mergers bodies about this charge. Let's see where this goes :wink:
Author:  grandad [ Fri Oct 29, 2010 11:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Last drop off at Edinburgh Airport
Jasbar wrote:
meanwhile, I intend to make a formal complaint to the monopolies and mergers bodies about this charge. Let's see where this goes :wink:


Is there such a body anymore?
Author:  bloodnock [ Fri Oct 29, 2010 12:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Id rather pay £20 in Drop off fees than lose £2000+ in runs.......

I Feching hate BAA's set up at Edinburgh, the cost of picking up whilst parked in the Short stay carpark has gone up as well.........Was £ 4.10 if it tripped over half an hour..now its £4.40 an 8% rise.

You cant do it any cheaper as they hold the Passengers back so long after their flight arrives..If I was in the least bit cynical I'd have said the People in In International arrivals Passenger Clearance were in Cahoots with the People in Parking...Not yet this year Have I arrived at the Flight Arrival time and managed to collect the Client within half an hour of their arriving...!!!!
Author:  Jasbar [ Fri Oct 29, 2010 12:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Last drop off at Edinburgh Airport
grandad wrote:
Jasbar wrote:
meanwhile, I intend to make a formal complaint to the monopolies and mergers bodies about this charge. Let's see where this goes :wink:


Is there such a body anymore?


There are various bodies.

The Competition Commission looks as monopoly situations. As does the OFT.

However, these Quangos may be involved in the latest government restructuring.

Anyway the function will persist so there is much scope for a referral. It may well be that others have already done so.
Author:  grandad [ Fri Oct 29, 2010 3:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
bloodnock wrote:
Id rather pay £20 in Drop off fees than lose £2000+ in runs.......

I Feching hate BAA's set up at Edinburgh, the cost of picking up whilst parked in the Short stay carpark has gone up as well.........Was £ 4.10 if it tripped over half an hour..now its £4.40 an 8% rise.

You cant do it any cheaper as they hold the Passengers back so long after their flight arrives..If I was in the least bit cynical I'd have said the People in In International arrivals Passenger Clearance were in Cahoots with the People in Parking...Not yet this year Have I arrived at the Flight Arrival time and managed to collect the Client within half an hour of their arriving...!!!!


We don't go into airport carparks until the flight has been on the ground for at least 1/2 hour. If we have taken the customers to the airport we ask them to give us a ring when they have collected their baggage and cleared customs. Then we go in.
For overseas students that we collect from Heathrow, we do not enter the carpark until the plane has been down for 2 hours.
Author:  Sussex [ Fri Oct 29, 2010 6:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
grandad wrote:
We don't go into airport carparks until the flight has been on the ground for at least 1/2 hour. If we have taken the customers to the airport we ask them to give us a ring when they have collected their baggage and cleared customs. Then we go in.
For overseas students that we collect from Heathrow, we do not enter the carpark until the plane has been down for 2 hours.

Haven't paid a penny to pick up at an airport for about 10 years, other than for account work where I get every penny back.
Author:  LongshanksED [ Sat Oct 30, 2010 10:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
tell ya what jimbo

fare hails you at porty high st and wants to go to airport, if you turn it down then im happy to take the job if im after you


yes im not happy about the charge but even if there was an out n out strike by the taxi trade baa wont change their stance on the drop off fee
Author:  Jasbar [ Sun Oct 31, 2010 5:06 am ]
Post subject: 
LongshanksED wrote:
tell ya what jimbo

fare hails you at porty high st and wants to go to airport, if you turn it down then im happy to take the job if im after you


yes im not happy about the charge but even if there was an out n out strike by the taxi trade baa wont change their stance on the drop off fee


That's the difference between us.

I've got standards.

Post your telephone number and I'll happily give you the job.

And nothing will change.

Now, the point of you sucking in air is .... what precisely?

:roll:

At some point in the future your descendants are gonna look around them and wonder how the feck things are so screwed up.

Eventually they're gonna wonder why you and your ilk allowed things to get so screwed up.

Now, why don't you practise your reply. Go on, we'll try not to laugh .....
Author:  skippy41 [ Sun Oct 31, 2010 5:25 am ]
Post subject: 
Why not have a boycott the airport day, it affects not only you lot up in Edinburgh, but all taxis that bring or pick up there,
Even block it off for the day and see how quick things change
Author:  captain cab [ Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:03 am ]
Post subject: 
skippy41 wrote:
Why not have a boycott the airport day, it affects not only you lot up in Edinburgh, but all taxis that bring or pick up there,
Even block it off for the day and see how quick things change


Says the man who shafts his colleagues offering discounts ffs

CC
Author:  toots [ Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:21 am ]
Post subject: 
Can the £1 not be added to the fare?
Author:  grandad [ Sun Oct 31, 2010 11:18 am ]
Post subject: 
toots wrote:
Can the £1 not be added to the fare?


Of course it can, but some folks think the punter won't stand for it and go to another company.
Author:  skippy41 [ Sun Oct 31, 2010 1:59 pm ]
Post subject: 
toots wrote:
Can the £1 not be added to the fare?


The £1.00 could Toots, if your an out of area cab or ph, but when you pick up you have to go into the short stay car park, and it can cost over £4.00 to get out if the punter is any later than 10 Min's.
I don't know if Edinburgh cabs and pH can, as it may not be on the tariff sheet
Author:  gusmac [ Sun Oct 31, 2010 3:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
toots wrote:
Can the £1 not be added to the fare?


Effectively making the cabby a tax collector for BAA?
Author:  Sussex [ Sun Oct 31, 2010 5:23 pm ]
Post subject: 
toots wrote:
Can the £1 not be added to the fare?

The council would have to put it on the tariff sheet first.
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