Taxi Driver Online

Ill tell you what it is folks, this trade is disorgainised from top to bottom.

I have never seen such a trade where so many leaders let alone taxi drivers are so ill informed, and we have seen that on here, its been murdering itself for years.

Just a word for chopsy, councils are now orgainised thanks to this barmy Government in such a way as single councillors do now take ministerial type decisions, the good news for her is that more informed decision is likely to be made, however there will be a scruitiny committee that can call in her decision and review it.

but the trade in Bath is in such a mess, what comments and how ill informed they are, gawd they dont have a clue about the law do they?
the council Have to have a survey? cobblers.

you can see here another band about to go down the swanee of a lost court case.

and the fools think the law is there to protect driver earnings? and fellow drivers EVERY TIME THAT ARGUMENT IS USED WE SLIT OUR OWN THROATS.

you can see cant you how our man in Gateshead, has been arguing for months for more salloons, when pointed out to him that back loading WAVs could be used he gave a distinct impression that in Gateshead they go crashing into the back of each other, his views were rubbished.

this is a public forum, for months read by licensing officers from all over including Mansfield Gateshead, Calderdale, and well what happens proffessional advice about back loading shows our Gateshead man to be wrong.

Is this a bad thing? no instead of scrap LTIs the streets of the North East Town will be full of new vehicles that are accessible by all, but our man from Gatehead put it down!

from Gatehead to Bath, from Bournmouth to Bradford, a good cost effective public transport system at night has never more been in demand

so why do we struggle as the man from Bath reports? because we wont change our methods of working.

neither would the miners, neither would the steel workers,neither would workers at British Leyland.

the real problem of today brothers and sisters is those people who lost thier trades then are NOW DRIVING TAXIS AND LEADING THE TAXI TRADE.

and making the very same mistakes that led to demise in those industries,
for the first time in decades , we are in decline as an industry at a time when bus and train figures are rapidly rising, and we as taximen are in the most versitile form of transport,

now instead of moving on to more profitable modes of working working to the opportunities the law gives we stick our feet in the sand, move with the times, move with the age.
and its about time somebody had the guts to stand up and say so!

The reference in the quota list said "Executive decision". That means the Executive is going to decide on the Government guidance on the date supplied by the Licensing officer, that being the 21 Feb. The meeting between the Executive Transport portfolio holder and the relevant licensing officer is an internal meeting and not open to the public. Once the Executive Transport Holder has reached a decision on future Hackney Carriage policy and that means addressing the Government guidance then those recommendations will go before the full executive on the likely date of March 2nd.

It will then be up to the full executive to make the decision, however that meeting on the 2nd of March is open to the public.

The fact that at last weeks licensing committee, plates were issued to all bar two of the existing applicants on the waiting list suggests to me two things. Either Bath are keeping a numbers policy and just issuing those plates to clear the waiting, list or they have decided to lift numbers control completely. The sting in the tail will be when the Executive announces their future policy on 2/3/05

So there you have it. I would take special notice of the quota list because it is extremely accurate. The applications for Hackney carriage licenses have been an item on the February 17th Licensing committee agenda for some time. They have now been resolved but I can assure you they had nothing whatsoever to do with the Government guidance. You therefore have more cause for concern than you think because if Bath change their policy to one of Quality control rather than quantity control, It might leave you worse off than you are at present.

Best wishes

As regard your first point, I think the fact being alluded to was that in St Andrews there are 150 HC drivers (say) since most cars are doubled-shifted, whereas in Bath there are 100 HC drivers (say) since you say most cars are not doubled.

Thus your point about not many cars having second drivers makes Bath look even more under-supplied, at least compared to St Andrews. I'm not sure if you were making the point to suit your argument or not, but it certainly seems to go against the essence of your main argument.

As regards your second point, this sounds like someone trying to induce others to enter into an illegal arrangement, so it's perhaps unsurprising that there have been few takers - is this common in Bath? - it certainly occurs elsewhere.

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

But not as daft as implementing restricted numbers in the first place

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

So if things are so bad in Bath why are plates changing hands for £20k?

Plates, incidentally, issued by the LA for next to nothing, and only having such a value because of the closed market.

You say that there will be no point in having a plate in Bath with de-restriction and having to operate a WAV, so presumably many others will think likewise so those actually going ahead will manage to make a crust

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

Well that wasnt daft, it was done in the interests of animal welfare, and that may not be important to you, but is to others in a HUMAINE SOCIETY.

Yes, that may be a historical fact, and I'm all for animal welfare, but I think that this has long since been disregarded as any sort of rationale for restricting numbers.

In fact it's difficult to think of any real rationale at all unless they happen to serve your interests, or just because they're there.

The Angel seems to be the only one on here to provide any sort rationale, and they are:

1 That making people pay a fortune for a plate is FAIRER than imposing reasonable quality standards;

2 That HC restrictions stop PH operators buying lots of PH vehicles and renting them out at extortionate prices.

To me that doesn't make sense

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

Thanks for your feedback guys. You pretty much said what I expected (with the exception of JD's post which was very informative - thank you).

Just to clarify - my point about second drivers was meant to illustrate that owner/drivers have to pick and choose which shifts to work in order to make a decent living. There is very little left to offer a second driver. Cant speak for all but this is true of the majority. Not sure what the ratio of H/C badges to plated cars is though......

Can I also say that plate values have dropped quite sharply. Not sure how long ago (but certainly no more than a year) a chap paid 25k. Another chap bought one very recently for 15k. Recent scaremongering has the price at 4k but I have yet to hear more than one person saying this.

At the end of the day, we will have to make the best of whatever happens I guess.

look plate prices do go dead when there is a report before the council, the reasons are obvious.

but I can show you the post office trade where premiums have been murdered, and the pub trade too.

my advice to anyone thinking of paying premiums is DONT.

i SOLD A TAXI LAST WEEK TO SOMEONE, I sat him down and reccomended he put on a WAV and put his money in a vehicle, he persued so I have a form with his signature on it saying my views.

its buyer beware, no council can be bound by private decisions.

And so it shouldn't.

Again you misquote me, again you make claims that I have said things in a weak attempt to discredit my opinions.

What I said was that PH operators are buying more WAVs and getting free HC plates and that this action is beneficial on two counts; firstly that they can charge more for a HC vehicle than a PH vehicle whether it is rented out or sold on, secondly that by filling the ranks with their vehicles the amount of money the independants make is reduced and they need to look to PH operators to provide them with work.

I have witnessed this ever since a local PH operator took the council to court after only a certain number of WAV plates were released after our last survey.

B. Lucky

Why dont you set up a taxi co-op?
do you need help financial or otherwise?

I believe I could be of massive help.

We already have one Yorkie, as well as a "driver" orintated office with the majority of cars HC.

The driver co-op is successful, and the "new" office is growing rapidly.

I know personally all the people involved in the co-op and the owner of the "new" office, they are all turned onto the needs of both their fellow drivers as well as their customers and all realise the value of service.

It is because of this awareness they will continue to grow, both will soon be major players when it comes to corporate accounts and large annual contracts.

B. Lucky

See what can happen following de-limitation.

The lads looking to look after punters instead of their premiums.

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IDFIMH

Driver co operatives are the way forward.

In that case I wish you well.
good luck with the corporate accounts.

I thought it was all despair

mixing private hire in was not a good idea.