Taxi Driver Online

Been told today by our IO that it is illegal to pick up off the street,i.e. not on a rank, unless we are booked or flagged down, can someone please tell me if she is correct.

Surely someone knows the answear to this.

Dont fully understand your question but if your a hackney how else could you pick up other than flagged, rank or booked

Your LO is correct.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

She is saying you can only pickup off a rank,not on a road unless you are booked or flagged down.Say if I stopped outside the papershop to get a paper and someone came out of the shop and said I need a taxi surely I,m not breaking the law by picking the person up,I am Hackney before anyone asks.

Could you give me more info on this,as our local nightclub as no taxi rank outside,so are you saying we are all breaking the law by plying for hire outside there.

You can't ply for hire on an unofficial rank. You should see about getting an official rank put there

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I am saying your LO is probably right....I never mentioned a nightclub.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Cant see how that is illegall,for instance when starting work in the morning or evening someone approaches your cab, why wouldnt you take them ? I must be breaking the law at least a dozen times a week

Deliberately sitting off when not on a rank to obtain a fare is illegally plying for hire, it's that simple. I don't know why you don't understand this, I'm ph and I understand it. You've commented on this subject before and I got the impression that you thought as a HC driver you can pick up wherever you want, however you want so long as it's within your licensed area

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Some believe hackney carriages can only stand for hire on taxi ranks or ply for hire on the streets......standing or plying.

However, section 38 of the 1847 describes a hackney carriage;

38 What to be hackney carriages.

Every wheeled carriage, whatever may be its form or construction, used in standing or plying for hire in any street within the prescribed distance, and every carriage standing upon any street within the prescribed distance, having thereon any numbered plate required by this or the special Act to be fixed upon a hackney carriage, or having thereon any plate resembling or intended to resemble any such plate as aforesaid, shall be deemed to be a hackney carriage within the meaning of this Act; and in all proceedings at law or otherwise the term “hackney carriage” shall be sufficient to describe any such carriage:Provision always, that no stage coach used for the purpose of standing or plying for passengers to be carried for hire at separate fares, and duly licensed for that purpose, and having thereon the proper numbered plates required by law to be placed on such stage coaches, shall be deemed to be a hackney carriage within the meaning of this Act.

The term 'any street' does tend to give the game away.

However, as you know, Hackney Carriages are also governed by byelaws, these tend to differ from area to area, however the majority tell the driver what to do after a fare, the model byelaws state;

7. The driver of a hackney carriage shall, when plying for hire in any street and not actually hired -

(a) proceed with reasonable speed to one of the stands appointed by the Council;

(b) if a stand, at the time of his arrival, is occupied by the full number of carriages authorised to occupy it, proceed to another stand;

(c) on arriving at a stand not already occupied by the full number of carriages authorised to occupy it, station the carriage immediately behind the carriage or carriages on the stand and so as to face in the same direction; and

(d) from time to time, when any other carriage immediately in front is driven off or moved forward cause his carriage to be moved forward so as to fill the place previously occupied by the carriage driven off or moved forward.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I suspect they do, but some of us might actually be trying to earn a living.

The answer is you can't park up just anywhere, plying, on public road, unless it is a rank.

Else it's touting, and that is a criminal offence.

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IDFIMH

I was going to send him an application form for either the NTA or GMBPDB.......



CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Not according to subsection 2 of section 167 of the criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I appreciate that,It was me who gave the nightclub as a example.