Taxi Driver Online

New 'Instant Taxi' Service Launched

20th September 2008

Inverclyde Taxis and ABC Taxis are offering clients a free ‘instant taxi’ booking service.

Callers to the local operations centre will have the opportunity to use the new automated system.

Isabella McCall, operations supervisor explained: “The new system is so straightforward and easy to use.

"Clients just call their usual number – then press 1 on their phone. That’s it. The system then automatically dispatches the next available car that is nearest to your address.”

She continued: “Instant taxi is brilliant for all callers – for example, maybe someone who phones every morning for a taxi to work. Clients can use ‘instant taxi’ and save themselves some valuable time every morning.

And of course, myself or a member of the team will always be available to assist any clients who prefer the personal touch.”

As part of the launch of the service, all callers who register for ‘instant taxi’ by Friday 31 October, will be entered into a prize draw to win a 42” flat screen TV.

The service will initially be available to all callers from a landline. Callers will need to register which will take no more than a few seconds. Then, callers can simply dial and press 1 every time they need a taxi from home.

Henry Glasgow, managing director, said: “We are delighted to offer all our clients the enhancement of the ‘instant taxi’ booking service. It simplifies the booking process for our clients making regular and repeat journeys – saving you time on making the booking itself and resulting in a quicker dispatch of your taxi.”


Source; inverclydenow.com

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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I don't know what the law is in Scotland, but in England this just shows up again the classic differences with the legisaltion.

In England, certainly in Birmingham, this booking system could be used by a Hackney dispatch system, but not a Private Hire dispatch system.

Why?

Because when taking a booking on a Private Hire system, the information required is;

Name of passenger
Pick-up address
Destination address

This system assumes the pick-up address, does not know the passenger's name, & certainly does not know the destination.

Another clear case of the law not keeping up with advances in technology!!!

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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At the moment we don't have licensed offices here, but they are coming soon. It will be interesting to see if this system is compatable with the new licenses when they come out.

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Is it used in many areas down here.

It all depends on whether the licensing rules stipulate all the info required you listed.

I know one council changed their requirements when they updated their rules recently.

I think most of the requirements are made to verify a booking is a legit one. With auto dispatch it would be very hard to corrupt.

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IDFIMH

Ph in Scotland needs the same information at point of booking...Plus your supposed to give a Price in Advance too...

Says who?

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I think you've made my point for me, Mr Sussex.

In your area it's allowed, in Brum definitely not.

Our LA want to see, passenger's name, pick-up address, destination, driver's code, & I believe vehicle regd No on every booking in the operator's office.

The enforcement officers started another type of enforcement action about a year ago, working in fours; two on the street & two in a know deviant PH operator's office.

With driver's on the street 'ranked up' outside a venue where the PH operation had a 'contract' with the management, the enforcement officers were in constant mobile phone contact between street & PH base & were validating, or not, whether drivers accepting bookings on the street from the venue, were doing so legally & that the job had been properly booked at the operator's office prior to the passenger getting into the car.

Enforcement officers were very successful in identifying numerous transgressions, including one operator having over 25 blank bookings on the system at peak time, ready to be filled in with details, once the driver had accepted a street hiring & radioed the information to his base.

There were loads of prosecutions from these exercises.

Which just goes to show how differently the legislation is interpreted throughout the country, or more precisely how different each LA's rules & regs are.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Says my Local Authority, they state and I quote :

"The Driver of a private hire car shall,if the cost of the journey is not regulated by a licensing Authority fare Structure, Inform the Hirer(s) or Passenger(s) before the journey commences (a) that the fare is not so regulated; and (b)the cost, or the method of calculating the cost, of the proposed journey"

True, but the driver isn't usually the point of booking. Most PH bookings are done through an office.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Councillors and ex-councillors in Edinburgh have Ph, interests.

Now I wonder how this system work?

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

I would guess that when registering to use this service that the passenger has to register his name and address. I would also assume that when using the service that the passenger would have to say where they required picking up, if different to the registered address and also the destination. from this information a simple computer programme linked to a mapping service would instantly be able to give the price for the job.

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Grandad,