Taxi Driver Online

A few points have been picked up the wrong way here so I'll start by putting them right.
Firstly when I mentioned waiting I was refering to passengers NOT vehicles, so if I was a member of the public waiting at a rank for a taxi or waiting outside a pub for a pre-booked PH and I had to wait for half an hour for either I would have to wait. This example is more commonplace with PH customers particularly at weekends. compared with HC where customers are only kept waiting on weekend nights. after 11pm and 2am for no more than an hour.

Secondly to the poster of the previous message who considers every written word on here to be against or about him, I have no need to study the industry in other countries as I have studied through my years driving a cab in my local area the requirements of my local community providing the services they want NOT the services I want to give them.


I find it appauling that certain cartels are allowed to be formed in a industry where the majority of people involved are self employed. In the previous posters company where drivers are employed I guess their salaries are NMW at best.

What I can't understand is why PH drivers consider themselves as being discriminated against, if I'm busy throughout my shift I'm happy, picking people up I have come to know, something I would much prefer than sitting on ranks or driving around looking for strangers.

This site must appeal to people who care more about others and what they've got than the much better things they have themselves.

So i guess when everyone can pick up off the street instead of 12+ cabs there will be hundreds. I chose to buy a HC plate rather than go PH, i had a choice, if they deregulate this then i will have to work for a booking firm, whats stopping them, pushing the prices up knowing there is now no alternative as just working off the streets will not be viable.

Derek

Why will there be hundreds? Where will these cars appear from?

If you are suggesting that the PH will on mass convert, then if they have to buy a £30,000 WAV, how many will? And will the customers that they used to pick up as PH suddenly dissapear?

Following de-limitation you will have roughly the name amount of cars, being driven by the same amount of drivers, picking up the same amount of customers.

I couldn't agree with you more mate.

There will be hundreds because that is what has happened in other areas following deregulation.

The cars will come from PH and part timers looking to take advantage of the busy periods only.

PH will on mass convert, if the authority insist on a WAV only fleet that is quite clearly against the advice given by government who promote free trade and any policy which regulate numbers.

The customers will be let down, again against the advice stated above.

Following deregulation MORE drivers drive MORE taxis as existing plateholders rent out their cars to those who can't afford or finance a WAV.

Unfortunatly customers aren't considered, the only consideration seems to be the plate drivers on here fix to the rear of their vehicle.

dont guess anything.

what are you talking about?

THE GOVERNMENT ARE INSTRUCTING COUNCILS TO GO ALL WAV.

you are not even on this planet man.

I've heard this fable many times, but haven't seen much, if any, evidence to back it up. However what I have seen is a small increase in the total taxi/PH fleet.

Why on earth would anyone spend up to £30,000 on something they would only use part-time?

I suggest you read http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/ddafp.htm

I still can't work out where all these new drivers are going to come from. Especially, if as you suggest, the trade is already flooded.

How many customers do you know want less cabs available?

_________________
IDFIMH

Recently many areas have seen massive increases in HC numbers, many are now seeing numbers doubling. This is no "fable" it is very much reality, the rights and wrongs are another story.



UP TO £30,000 can mean as little as what Sussex? Your theory doesn't include a minimum age or any other guarantee that modern spec vehicles would be required. A FX4 can be bought on e-bay for £200.



Where have I said the trade was flooded? what I have said is that the large operators, now trying to pass themselves off as agencies, wish to flood the existing HC trade to force those not working their circuit to do so, a point and opinion shared by Dereck.
The extra drivers may well initially come from the current PH sector but eventually "brand new " drivers just enter the trade as an independant HC in order to avoid the ever increasing office fee's.

It may have escaped your attention but who fills the shortfall these drivers leave, whether they desert their offices to do rank work or stay with the office work and desert the ranks. Either way the customer suffer, something you have consistantly failed to consider.



Ask the customer what they consider to be a cab, many assume that when they phone the local PH operator they are phoning for a taxi, then when they are told they will have to wait an hour they complain there's not enough taxis.
Customers will always want more regardless what industry your involved in, people now complain about waiting for everything we all want what we want yesterday and promises for anything less is never enough.

Sorry Mr Guest but the recent advice from government is to remove restriction of numbers.

The European directive is to have all public transport accessible to all, this is contained within the DDA with implimentation to start in designated councils next year over a 5 year period.

If the DDA was to be implimented properly every vehicle operating for hire and reward should be accessible to wheelchair users, in which case we could get rid of every saloon whether HC or PH and only allow vehicles converted or manufactured to carry wheelchairs. Now is this what you are suggesting should happen, and if you are how much support do you think you would get from either side of the trade?

The DDA doesn't include any provision for WAV PHs. Not saying that in the years to come it wont, but at present the DDA only applies to taxis.

oh [edited by admin] you have just thrown the argument away, prat.

you know [edited by admin] all and are talking like a pillock.

This is a contradiction to your ideal though!

Are you not arguing for a single tier!

Are you not leading people up the garden path here, has your ideal as a "operator" been rumbled and so you resort to namecalling.

PH are part of the public transport system, you have (and rightly so) inclusion in your areas local transport strategy, why then do you want to pick and choose which legislation applies, the word fairness is banded about time and time again on here but you only want whats fair to you.

If you believe I have "thrown the arument away" and acted like a "prat" because I "know bleep all" and am in fact a "pillock" then surely your response would have contained your reasoning and evidence as to why you believe your opinion is more valid than my own.

Maybe you should take some time before answering as to date your responses seem to indicate that the allegations you make against me should in fact be levelled against you.

The facts are simple here, if everyone is a taxi then everyone has to abide by the same legislation, you seem to be implying that you want to have a single tier system which allows you to drive what you want but still recieve all the percieved benefits currently applied to the HC fleet.

Bring on single tier, bring on 100% WAV fleet, then maybe the power crazed PH operators will actually need to work harder to justify the ammount of money they "leech" from the trade.