Taxi Driver Online

Skippy,
Its not quite 350, but your point stands.

I do not think lifting the cap is the best idea, but the system as it stands is failing, so a complete recast is required.

Not a bad guess though
If the cap was lifted I dont think there would be many more cabs put on all I think would happen is the jockey would get his own cab and work when he or she wanted, the plate baron then would be left without a jockey and would either have to work themselves or sell the cab as there could be a shortage of new or secondhand ones available to the newly licenced jockeys

Frank, we need a united trade and equality for all. The driver should have the right, of unfettered access to the tools of their trade, just like in any other trade. It's a right, Frank, not a favour, or a gift, or something to rent or buy at an artificial value. If you want to control driver numbers, you do it as a trade, through quality controls. You raise the standard to become a taxi driver. And you demand your financial entitlement through selling your professionalism. You dictate your worth. And you never accept the value that others place on you.

If you really do see yourself as a professional businessman Frank, then it starts by taking control of your trade and its destiny.


Oh I know, “it will never happen”, but that's hardly the drivers fault, it's every-man for himself

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Skull i have said before i am a driver in a deregulated city and i still want a cap on licences being issued.

And before Gusmac says that saloons are not deregulated, it does not make any difference.

Stationtone, you have a choice, either you take control of your trade, or you give it away. Now tell me why you deserve the air that you breath?

Oh and Stationtone, what is control?

Oh and btw, in Edinburgh, we are talking about de-restriction, and not de-regulation.

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Stationtone, is that the same as saying you are [edited by admin] it, and are desperate for someone to look after you?

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Gary,

There is some moron over on the other site called ali g that seems to think that I am in fact you!

The guy seems unable to string a sentance together, so has probably not been able to read our posts and notice that we disagree on almost every thing.

You gotta laugh!

SURE HE DID NOT MEAN INFATUATED WITH YOU?

Entirely possible, entirely possible.

I am a sexy beast, after all!

I take it, you are in agreement Frank?

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Gary,

How can I disagree with you, when everyone knows that I am in fact YOU in disguise.

But seriously, delimiting would not have a desirable effect.
I think the whole licence system needs addressing.

If owners are unable to rent taxis out to other drivers at a cost that allows the driver to make a decent living, then the option to rent out a licenced taxi should be taken away from them.
I am sure that could be legally done.
There is probably a clause that forbids renting out a licence anyway.
If they want a driver then they would have to EMPLOY one.

This would have the effect of the non driving taxi owners and the saturday night only men handing plates back, to be reissued to those that are willing to actually work.

I am in a hardline mood tonight.

This of course would also require an small increace in the number of plates as more taxis would become single shifted.

As a driver, delimiting would have seriously beneficial effect on me. End of.

Rentals are based on market forces. Hard to get a driver the price should come down. Except the driver has nowhere to go. He is forced to pay whatever the owner wants., End of. Enslavement.

There are no provisions to remove an owner's licence because he is a greedy bar steward and he is operating the council's corrupt restriction. There should be.

Frank, you're almost there. You know full well that the situation is unsustainable and that the council now almost certainly recognises this.

The council has made no differentiation between any of the cases they've had sisted. I suspect they have engineered a certain defeat to get the courts to force the grant which will protect taxpayers from existing owners tempted to sue for loss of plate value.

Now I know you know this. The game's up. The quicker you recognise this and begin the process to force the council to put in place the quality controls to keep driver numbers down the better. If we don't get our fingers out we're gonna get a delimitation heading towards Dublin. Not as bad because we do have some controls in place, but not as many as would protect us.

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

Jim,

I am not going to agree with you that derestriction would be a good idea.
It would mean continueing with the same problems but just with more taxis.

I think the whole system needs needs re-evaluated.

All taxi plates must be held by someone with a taxi drivers licence, and for who it is their full time occupation. No company names. And of course no more than one plate.

If you dont work full time then you dont need the plate and it should be revoked

As the council regulates the fares then obviously as part of that equation they must have in mind what they think is a fair rental for a driver who could be working opposite the owner.
They should make that public and revoke the licence of any owner charging substantially above that figure.

I agree with you that the system as it stands is in complete disrepute, I only disagree on what would be the solution.

All licences could expire at a certain point in the future with new rules being applied then.
Any owner who has put the plate in his own name and can comply with any new rules could be guaranteed a reissue of said plate.
Those that do not comply would be revoked and reissued to others.

Further to that, (I always think of something else afer I have posted).

I think your delimiting approach assumes that all drivers want the worry of owning their own vehicle. That is not the case.

I never had any intention of owning my own taxi, but as I seen the way things were going, I was (financially) forced to go down that route.

Even to this day, I would much rather have stayed a jockey with the ability to leave and come back as it suited me.

When I was a jockey I could pack it in and go and drive buses and coaches, coming back only when it suited me.
But as an owner I am kinda stuck with it.

The main problem for the trade as a whole is that most of the money handed over from passengers goes to radio companies and taxi owners, leaving little for the drivers. This means that drivers need to pack it in with little chance of them ever coming back.

I would much rather be a jockey, with the freedom that goes with it.
But it is no longer financially worth doing that.