Taxi Driver Online

It's sure to be a rank Christmas

GETTING a cab over Christmas and the New Year will be no easier this year - because a limit on the number of hackney cabs is set to remain.

An injunction taken out by Carl Cummings of Black Cabs to prevent city licensing officials implementing a decision by councillors to make more cabs available will continue into the new year.

Earlier this year hackney cab drivers staged motorcade protests at the council's proposals but the move - aimed at making more cabs available at busy times - has been backed by some drivers with private hire licences.

A spokeswoman for Cardiff council said that the eight-week injunction served on the council expired today.

"What we have agreed is that if it is extended we won't oppose it.

"But we are seeking an assurance that the court hearing will be held as soon as possible."

Mr Cummings said: "Everything is limited by demand and the ability to make a living. People don't join the taxi trade unless they believe they can make a living. There might be an increase in part-timers at weekends, but this will affect full-timers.

"If a glut was created you would eventually see drivers spending less on their vehicles in terms of maintenance and safety and the standard of cars would deteriorate."

He maintained that there was currently a shortage of drivers in the city.

Hackney drivers are allowed to pick up passengers on the street while private hire licence cabbies are prevented from doing so.

Cardiff council has claimed that delimitation was in the best interests of the travelling public and of the hackney carriage trade.

***************************************************

I like the last bit.

_________________
IDFIMH

Yeah. I like that too.

But, a shortage of drivers surely means that the trade isnt good enough (paying enough) to support them. In a totally free market situation, a balance will eventually pertain.

The serious issue however, is how easy it is to get in, and get out, of the trade. If it is too easy, then you get a floating and unprofessional market.

Heres an idea...

What if, you had to pay a Bond to the Council to get a plate? Or maybe even a licence too?

_________________
There is Significant Unmet Demand for my Opinion.

Mr Cummings is rumoured to be a very nasty man with very few principles.

The description I have heard of him suggests a hungry shark would be better company.

Many of the cars on his circuits could hardly have less spent on them.

There are many many Mr Cummings in the HC/PH trade, and many many idiots who support his cause.

They deserve one another.

_________________
IDFIMH

The Welsh council person sounds a bit confident, if you ask me.

Alex

_________________
ʎɐqǝ uo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq ı ǝɯıʇ ʇsɐן ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ

Simply the best taxi forum in the whole wide world. www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Well it's not the hardest thing to defend, de-limitation.

Look at how the others try to un-successfully defeat it.

_________________
IDFIMH

Quite right Andy7, there's a shortage of drivers in my manor (even though drivers are sitting around doing next to nothing for £3-4/hour or so), because the vast majority of owners aim to have thier cars 'covered' as much of the week as possible, so they're always competing for the limited pool of journeymen - and if all cars were covered and there were more drivers available then some owner or other would just put more cars on.

The bottom line is that in many areas there will ALWAYS be a shortage of drivers, because self-interest dictates that each owners car is on the road as much of the week as possible.

So the number of drivers in the trade is decided by the market - if they started earning £2/hour then some would leave, if they started earning £6/hour then more would be drawn into the trade.

But where cars tend to be single driver, such as in London, then new drivers aren't particularly welcome, whereas they are welcomed with open arms in other areas.

A couple of years ago, in Edinburgh it was proposed to dumb down the knowledge test to solve the driver 'shortage' whereas at the same time the London boys were complaining about the same thing.

Of course, the difference is that in London they know that relaxing the knowledge would just dilute their earnings, but in Edinburgh the 'trade' just want as many cars packed into their cars as possible. Ditto things like the 'trade' in Brighton wanting the knowledge there watered down, and the apoplexy in the trade at places like Leeds introducing the DSA test and the CRB business with the London minicab trade.

Like the London boys, because I drive my own car and don't hire jockies then I'd be cock a hoop if it was made more difficult to get a badge, but most in my manor wouldn't.

I doubt if restricted numbers really make a difference to this - perhaps only if the driver/car eqation is such that it's impossible to pack any more drivers into each car.

The Cardiff example is a classic case of the 'too many taxis/not enough drivers' double standard.

Dusty

Hmmm...

One of the major problems is the preoccupation of the trade with vehicle numbers, which is sourced from the vested interests in the trade - personally, as per my post above, I'm not really bothered about the number of vehicles in the trade, it's the fact that most have between 2-3 drivers, with most of the non-owners probably not paying tax.

To that extent assuming a bond was a good idea then it would be better for drivers instead of vehicles - a bond would be similar economically to a plate premium, and thus wouldn't stop lots of 'floating' drivers coming into the trade.

If we were more concerned about the number of drivers rather than the 'tools of the trade' then a lot of the problems would never arise, but the vested interests prefer to concentrate on the latter to their own ends, and don't like the number of drivers being stifled, and that's the problem.

Dusty