Taxi Driver Online

Read the article here:

http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/quotalas.htm

Post you views below!

Please note that most of the issues involved have been discussed in other threads already, but feel free to continue the discussion here!

It would be very nice if LOs from those councils still restricted could up-date us on what they are doing.

Still if it was 169 in July and now it's 125, then well done to all those councils that have finally realised that treating drivers the same isn't such a bad thing after all.

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IDFIMH

Congratulations on a good article. The OFT information on restricted councils was out of date even before it ever went into print, that in itself is not altogether news, especially to those in the trade who take such matters seriously. However, now that TDO has produced the facts, it has exposed the DFT as being both complacent and inadequate to provide relevant information to local authorities about the Taxi trade.

The DFT is quite happy to allow MP's and Ministers to cavort around the Country, dispensing outdated information as a prescription for keeping the control of numbers. One might have thought that with all the information at hand the DFT would have updated this list long ago. One has to ask the question why they haven't?

Instead, it was left to a few dedicated people to gather the relevant information in order that a wrong could be righted. They believed it was wrong to exaggerate the facts, especially when those facts are glaringly obvious. Perhaps the DFT will now do the right thing, adopt this list and maintain it accurately. After all, the hard work has already been accomplished.

It just remains to be said that "fact is sometimes harder to swallow than fiction" but if you want facts then you know where to come, if you want the alternative, there are plenty of Taxi Journals out there that will gladly serve you up a four-course meal of fiction.

Best wishes

JD

I agree JD.

The way it is going at the moment, I can see the number of councils with quotas going well below 100 by April (24%).

Of course you are going to get the odd (being the right word) council that thinks spending tens of thousands on surveys, and hundreds of hours of time on the accompanying pointless bureaucracy, but now thankfully the vast magority realise the flawed nature of quotas.

And about time too.

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IDFIMH

I add my congratulations on a well written piece.

However, whatever your own personal view of either limitation or delimitation of numbers, surely one thing needs to come out of this whole mess. To me that is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure they license a decent standard of vehicle and driver, moreover, they should always consult and consider the views of the profession.

Unfortunately, we all know that once the issue of delimitation rears its head, some of the trade become hysterical quoting inaccurate facts along the way, however, very often this is countered by unqualified councillors and licensing officers who see delimitation as a great magnum opus that will end all of their problems on a Saturday night Sunday morning.

Everyone needs to be aware of what delimitation will achieve and what it will not achieve. Local Authorities should question themselves as to primarily what they hope to achieve by the issue of further licenses.

The government have been consistent in their policy of a two tier system remaining, they have also been consistent in maintaining that all areas will eventually provide an accessible hackney carriage fleet.

My own view is that the market will always find its own level, but standards need to be in place prior to the issue of licenses.

While the government insist that local authorities that limit licenses should justify this policy publicly. It would surely be in the best interests of the public that all local authorities do the same as part of a regular review policy, linked up to transport planning that will include all forms of public transport in a local authority area.

I have already aired my views on that of Halton Council, this manner of justification is equally as bad as a local authority who choose to delimit purely on the grounds that a survey will cost too much money. Both types of LA are guilty in my eyes of not having the will to take the trade seriously and perhaps consider us not worthy of such expense. It is my contention that unless we are regularly looked at, we will never improve.

Whilst the figures are useful it would be interesting to find out the manner in which delimitation in these areas has taken place, has the LA, for example, based delimitation on the fact that they don't want to pay for a survey? Or has delimitation taken place or to take place on the grounds that a survey says there is a demand?

I keep getting back to the word responsibility and wonder how many LA's take the profession seriously.

There is the question of at least one national body, the NTTG, who apparently raised some £50k from taxi drivers to fight the OFT. With that amount of money sitting in their bank account, why have they not used some of the money to fight delimitation in one of their members locations? Perhaps they are saving it for Liverpool or Manchester, but that of course would be beneath me to suggest.


Regards


Captain Cab

Can't argue with that.

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IDFIMH

As one of those smug gits who already lives and works in a delimited area and has done so for many years, I still fail to see the problems the doom mongers would have us believe.

The only problem area I ever forsaw, was the sudden change from limited to delimited. If the transition isnt done properly, it does play with peoples incomes until it all settles down.

Today, I rarely see a booker or PH vehicle on the streets. What happened here was that the PHs just became Hacks. There are very few more now, than there were when delimited. Imediately after delimitation there was a sudden bloom, and then over a year or so, it settled back how it was before. Overall, incomes have risen. Clearly not enough (when will anyone say he/she earns too much?), but ce la vie ce la Gare...

I would however, caution the detail of delimitation vis a vis deregulation. Where we have seen delimitation along with deregulation it has been an absolute nightmare for the poor blokes who have to work and earn a living against the cowboys.

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There is Significant Unmet Demand for my Opinion.

The answer to our taxi problem is ... wait for it
By Sean Berry
November 28, 2004
The Sun-Herald

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You'll just have to wait. On the eve of the annual Sydney Christmas cab drought, the head of the NSW Taxi Council said all passengers could do was "be patient".

Every holiday period, as people flock to the city for shopping or social functions, the taxi system becomes overwhelmed.

Although there are around 4500 cabs on Sydney roads, demand far outstrips availability.

Taxi Council chief executive Howard Harrison said problems at this time of year were inevitable.

"Taxis were never designed to be a total transport solution," Mr Harrison said.

"There is no shortage as such - there are around 4500 taxis in Sydney - it is just that so many people descend on the city during this period and finish shopping or leave a function then expect to jump straight into a cab."

Things may be even worse than normal this Christmas amid reports that passengers are turning away from the city's unreliable rail network, piling more pressure on the cab system.

The president of the NSW Taxi Drivers Association, Michael Jools, said taxi use was already on the rise as a result of RailCorp chaos.

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Advertisement"People are using us more, particularly for the longer trips where they are otherwise uncertain of reaching their destinations," he said.

"There's a traditional increase for late November and December, which we are already experiencing, but on top of that there do seem to be more people coming from the train system."

State Transport Minister Michael Costa last week announced the end of the no-destination policy for booking taxis.

Under the policy, drivers were not told the destination of the passenger until that passenger got in to the cab.

It was an attempt to stop drivers ignoring shorter journeys in favour of longer ones.

"We think it probably will affect the system, but we are trying to make sure the putting back of the destination doesn't have a negative effect," Mr Jools said.

Mr Harrison said the holiday period also meant more traffic for taxis to contend with.

He encouraged passengers not to take their frustrations out on drivers.

"There are more cars and congestion on city streets slowing things down, but it is not the drivers' fault," he said.

"People really need to be patient."

Mr Jools said taxi drivers' jobs would be easier if people used taxi ranks or stood where it was easy for the taxi to stop.

"Please don't stand on street corners," he said. "That's against the law - please stand where the driver can see you and stop safely. If you do otherwise, you are risking your own life and limb."



demand exceeds supply in Australia too

regards

Captain Cab

Some things just never change.

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IDFIMH

sounds like unmet demand to me

regards

Captain Cab

Sounds like a massive mis-quote to me.

"There are more cars and congestion on city streets slowing things down, but it is not the drivers' fault," he said.

"People really need to be patient."

I read that to relate to conjestion and therefore length of journey time ..... not availability.

if they are stuck in traffic they cannot be available?



now is that one of your funnies.

Oxford council have decided not to change their policy on restricted numbers.

Best wishes

JD

It has been pointed out to me (off-line) that Welwyn Hatfield Council is not on the restricted list, yet they are restricted at 231.

But as they weren't on the list of restricting councils sent letters by the DfT, you have to wonder if they have actually been asked to review number restriction.

Alex

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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

Welwyn Hatfield re restricted late last year. Thank you for the information. They were not on the original Government list for the simple reason they were not restricted.

My understanding of the situation is this. They had a Survey, which recommended there was demand for Taxis at every time of the day and the policy should remain unchanged.

They then had another survey a short time after, which said there was no unmet demand. It was after the second survey that they decided to re restrict numbers.

Having spoken to a Hackney carriage owner in Welwyn he told me that they had in the region of 40 applications from Asians who lived outside the area and it was owner pressure that made the council re restrict.

My list has been amended to reflect the change. The number of councils who still restrict are now back to 125 as the article states.

Best Wishes

JD