Taxi Driver Online

i have bought a railway permit at derby station at the cost of £350. we have alot issues which need to be addressed and would like some advice please.

- the facilities given are completely inadequate. we have an official rank of 13 spaces given by midland mainline near to the main doors, an unofficial rank (gentleman’s agreement) on neighbouring hotels land of 16 spaces (but when they want to park or deliveries come we have to move of or make space for them). the remaining vehicles park on double yellow lines and frequently get hassled parking attendants. they midland mainline have issued 140 permits for the above facilities, and currently receive £45k in revenue for there troubles. Should the charges reflect the cost to midland mainline of leasing the land from network rail
- we have no disabled facilities. if wheelchair person wants to use a taxi we have to pull of the rank, onto the neighbouring hotel land find a reasonable flat surface to set up ramps on and push the wheelchair up an adverse camber, sometimes with great difficulty.
- Private hire are flying jobs when ever possible. The front of our rank is location about 100yards from the main doors, vehicles which drop of customers are right outside the main doors, consequently when a customers come they see the private hire first, and use them sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. We have reported this to the council and so far done nothing. can midland mainline undertake prosecutions for flying.
- When a big event acurs locally and alot of people are disembarking of the railway station, they midland mainline put on busses to move customers of to there destination, citing safety reasons for there actions. As a consequence these are our customers being taken away from us. We have requested documents to show the arrangements between the bus operator and midland mainline, but they refused point blank.
- We have no contract as a consequence we don’t know what our rights are, what are we paying £45k for. when I have enquired with previouse collegus they mention that the rank spaces are termed as given for periods of rest as opposed to picking up passengers.

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mazdy

Report illegal picking up to British Transport Police. Its a breach of railway bye-laws. At least it is here

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

As this is a private agreement between you (and your mates) and the station folks then, when it comes down to it, they can do what they like on their land.

But surely you must have some sort of represenatation with the station folks, so have they just said if you don't like it then bog off?

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IDFIMH

I would suggest you get the local disabled body involved with this.

They and the press love this kind of story.

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IDFIMH

The station folks via the Transport Police should be sorting this out from their end, and the council should be sorting this out from their end.

The fact that they don't seem to be doing that is not on, and maybe you could add that bit to the story the press are going to do about the wheel-chair issue.

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IDFIMH

Clearly someone from the trade's end needs to ask the station folks all these questions, and get the right answers.

Maybe you and your colleagues should arrange a meeting of the lads on the station rank at 18.00pm on a Friday night, invite your MPs, your licensing councillors, the station folks and anyone else you can think of.

It might cost you a little bit in the short term, but you will gain in the long term.

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IDFIMH

We have regular meeting with the railway people.

For the money we pay we get plenty of work. I have never seen a PH pick up from the rank.

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Unmet demand you're having a laugh

pujabimc
if you think you have problems at derby here its a ruddy nightmare,we have 4 yes 4 taxi spaces here and have to que to get on round the corner from the station out of view on a council owned rank with 14 spaces and wait for a bell to ring before we go up,this council rank is situated at the side of the busiest roundabout with traffic lights controling it and is gridlocked most of the day,wouldnt like to hazard a guess how many hacks now have a station permit but in the day were parked on double yellows ,grass verges and any where you can get,once you get to be 18th car ie 4 on station 14 on rank the wait on average is 1 1/2 hrs before you get your next fare and if you get a around the corner job it starts all over again,i know of drivers who have done 8-9 hrs and taken less than £20 and still they issue new permits,if you go into to town the council rank is even smaller and the hacks are all parked on double yellows waiting to get on the rank,i think in the whole we have about 21 spaces for hacks which 14 are used has a feeder to station,how many hacks in total in our district many many many more than catered for

Does your Council have a policy of restricting the number of Hackney Carriage Vehicle licences?

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Former taxi driver

Do you not think the anwer is to increase rank space rather than decrease cabs?

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IDFIMH

no restriction at all ,yes rank space is urgently needed and not stuck away in a side street,the busiest supermarket in crewe is asda with a very large council car park,asda has a freephone to a local p h firm but no hackney rank any where near it is just crazy in crewe and the night life in the week is very poor,if your lucky you can have a good saturday, but saturday night it is saturated with hacks n ph so its now pot luck and every driver is looking to snatch a fare and stitch each other up,a real sad state of affairs even the main hospital has freephone to p h and no where for hacks

Why don't the hacks get together, start up a firm, and get their own freephones?

Play the PH at their own game.

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IDFIMH

Dont pay em owt, stick together and get them to pay to come to them

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you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

That's the problem.

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IDFIMH

We are lucky all our station ranks are on the main roads.
But drivers are a bit picky when a non normal driver ranks up.

Flyer