Taxi Driver Online

Does anyone have any info as to how this works, as it seems a good idea, but do you need to have the meter on while doing this.
This idea has will be started shortly in Gateshead and Newcastle, where by taxis will pick up punters from any bus stop, on the way back from a job and take them into the city for a £1.00,
If you know please post all relevant info and any additional costs

Skippy it will be started in Gateshead soon and hopefully be adopted in Newcastle shortly afterwards.

Gateshead Council claim that by asking for permission from the initial hirer for their consent to pick other passengers up would constitute touting.

We have asked the DFT for clarification of section 59 of the 1847 Act and guidance as to whether the scheme could be operated in the same way as the taxishare scheme and taxibus schemes.

We await their advice.

If primary legislation needs to be changed then a adapted taxi connect scheme would be operated until that legislation could be changed.

The concept itself is simple .................... get paid for your dead mileage.

B. Lucky

This post has been brought to you by GHDA - seeking opportunities for the taxi trade.

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

Thanks for that GA, I hope it can be done as the idea is so simple, and I hope that it will be possible just to pull into any bus stop even when empty and ask people if they want to go into town for a £1.00
Another idea would be to have the information on bus stops letting folk know they can go by taxi as well and your right no more dead mileage
You know this could catch on and save hundreds of cabby's from sitting about doing nowt
I wonder if we could get one of them miracle's where we get duty free fuel

If you stop and ask then you are touting Skippy.

If you make the public aware of the scheme by advertising it within the bus stop and in the cabs themselves they will use it ............. it has worked when its been trialed.

Its all the talk in cabs up here mate and we expect extra earnings between £20 and £50 per shift.

Becoming recognised properly by everyone as part of the public transport system will bring more advantages than the lip service we currently receive.

Anyway .................. look to Gateshead for new schemes which will benefit taxi drivers across the country.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

So they'll basically have to flag you down then?

And what do you mean about having other punters in the cab - you can't mean that you'll be picking up people when already engaged, surely?

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

This is essentially a alternative bus service which operates without a timetable.

When the taxi has completed a rank job, or street hailing it will travel back to the town centre to get its next job.

This journey would normally be undertaken without a customer and would be a single occupancy car journey which have been identified by the government as a major contributing factor to congestion and pollution in our towns and cities.

When clear, and heading back to the rank, taxis will be available to the public at a fare of £1 per person and people stopping the taxi (in the same way as they stop the bus) should be able to acess the service if there is room for them within the vehicle.

That is why we need clarification of S59 1847 Act as express permission must be obtained from the initial hirer before any further people can be carried ........... I repeat the council are suggesting that by asking for the initial hirers consent we are in fact touting.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

Oh I see, the persons whose permission is required is the other £1ers.

TBH it sounds like a recipe for hassle and confusion.

I can't see who your council could class asking the initial passengers' permission as touting - aren't they referring to what happens at the bus stop?

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

No Dusty express permission must be obtained from the initial hirer to carry other passengers.

The vehicles will have a orange sticker in the windscreens while participating in the scheme as well as their top-sign or for hire light ........... if the member of the public is standing at a bus stop and they indicate they want the vehicle to stop they would have to be asked if they wanted to take advantage of the scheme.

If they do want to take advantage of the scheme we must then ask if they would mind other people taking advantage of the scheme whilst on route to the town centre, with the most direct route being taken.

Other people would not need to give their consent.

That is on the understanding that we need to comply with S59 and I agree that it becomes quite confusing if we need to.

It would of course be far simpler if we just needed to say thanks for the quid pet 4,5,6,7 or 8 times on our way back to the town centre (depending on the capacity of the vehicle).

Watch out on The Liars part2 for further developments.

GA .......... the one from Gateshead

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

So what if the cab isn't part of the scheme and thinks it's a standard flag down - I can't see the public being able to distinguish cabs in and out of the scheme too easliy. The punter will be naffed off if the taxi wants the full fare and the driver will be naffed off if the punter wants a cheapo.

What if punters want to go where the driver doesn't want to go etc and if everyone's not going to the same destination then there's potential for confusion and conflict there as well.

I think that's why there's generally buses and taxis and they're regulated separately and with distinct rules - rigid timetables, routes and fares for buses, and taxi flexibility - when you try to mix the two then it becomes confusing for drivers and passengers alike.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

I hope it works out for you, but surely your existing custom will just go to a bus stop. So instead of getting normal fares you will be only getting £1 a time.

That said every punter we get away from a bus is a bonus.

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IDFIMH

That is why we have identification stickers on the windscreens Dusty.

That is why the scheme has only one destination.

And the fare would be payable in advance so there would be no confusion.

Anyway the vast majority of the HC's want to be involved and the only people, except you, who are trying to confuse the issue is the local bus company.

At the end of the day Dusty the trade is stagnant and we believe that something should be done to help drivers make more money and provide the customers with more services.

Obviously you disagree.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

Well I don't disagree with drivers trying to secure extra business, but I always think that once you start moving away from the basic taxi idea then things just get confusing and quickly falls apart.

You seem to be saying that a sticker in the window would prevent any confusion arising, for example, but you might just as well say that stickers stop PH plying for hire, which it clearly doesn't.

For example, I know that there's been a lot of confusion re taxis in taxicard schemes and suchlike, even where stickers are meant to inform the public, but you still get confusion and disputes.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

If there's only one drop-off point then obviously that's a plus point, but on the other hand it'll make the service less attractive and could cause disputes with drunks, for example, who want to go to the pub door for their pound.

I'm not trying to deride the idea, and I hope it works out, but these things always seem to be a recipe for problems, and I'm just trying to point out some of the possible pitfalls.

Even with the standard taxi operation there's still a lot of confusion and conflict in my manor, both because of driver and customer ignorance, and I wouldn't be confident that such a scheme wouldn't make things worse in that regard.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Illegal, unless they are flagged.

Regards

JD

I was going to say couldn't they make them places 'hailing points', but Mr Button says the 1985 act doesn't allow cabs picking up at hailing points to charge seperate fares.

Bit of a shame really.

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IDFIMH