Taxi Driver Online

Well even you won't defend it, so why would I?



So your neck of the woods is precisely the same scenario as that outlined by Captain Cab?

Funny that

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Caledonian Cabbie

On the issue of selling plates you have already had my opinion



Well if CC's scenario is that taxi drivers in de-restricted areas get to spend a lot more time in their cabs, then yes I suppose it is. You haven't produced any evidence to the contrary tho Why do you think it's funny?

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

So was that the scenario that took place in your area when numbers were derestricted?

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Caledonian Cabbie

Still no name?

There's a surprise.



Perhaps, but then I have never sold a plate or license.



I have written about deregulation on numerous occasions since I started writing in taxitalk.....your point is?



Winners and losers?

Hmmm not too sure about that. If plates are regulated anyone entering the trade is more or less guaranteed a known income. In the deregulated system the certainly are not.

I see you give the ultimate cop out and ignore what has happened in virtually every deregulated are in your second point.



It doesnt matter what you are in favour of, the LA will bring in age restictions etc......this has happened in virtually all cases of deregulation.

a lot less cabs you aint had very much experience with deregulation have you? try treble or quadruple the number......yeah a lot less.



I did

CC

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

I didn't realise you wanted me to. Why have somebody guess what your opinion is why not just state it clearly so everybody knows.



Oh I see you think I don't have an opinion of my own and had to contrive with CC to form one, well you are wrong.



Who is this aimed at and is what the scenario cos they are both questions, no scenario there Unless of course you want me to comment on what's happened here since we de-restricted

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

What's the fascination with my name? I can't see you badgering anyone else for theirs, and it shouldn't have escaped your attention that the vast majority of people on here use nom-de-plumes.



But the point is that you do aspire to.



And in regulated areas anyone entering the trade is either guaranteed a massive debt round their neck or a massive rental, irrespective of income.





Could you be more specific?



Well I've no objection in principle to age rules.

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Caledonian Cabbie

FFS, I can't even be bothered looking back at the specific point, but I think the clue to my opinion was in the word 'profiteer'.

You can use Google to look it up Toots, you know, Google that's a search engine.

The dumb blonde/brunette act doesn't work with me

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Caledonian Cabbie

As for the points about the derestriction scenarios, perhaps it's better to rewind a bit.

Captain Cab said:



I suggested that going from the first to the second scenario could result in less taxis. CC thought that they would triple or quadruple.

I don't believe that for a minute.

Do you think the number of taxis would triple in Edinburgh on derestriction?

Not on your nelly.

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Caledonian Cabbie

Same drivers, working the same shifts, just in their own taxis.





2 drivers in 1 taxi = 2 shifts.

2 drivers in 2 taxis = 2 shifts.

BTW The clue for the hard of thinking is that both options esult in 2 shifts.

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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?"

Does that mean you're not going to clearly state what your opinion is of profiteers who sell plates?

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

FFS, Toots, the clue is in the word 'profiteer'.

Tell you what, I'll pander to your dumb Toots act and include the dictionary definition here:

profiteer verb [no obj] make or seek to make an excessive or unfair profit, especially illegally or on a black market: [as noun profiteering] seven food merchants were charged with profiteering.
noun a person who profiteers: a war profiteer.

On a more personal level, I don't blame anyone particularly for making money from the sale of a plate, but in the final analyisis it's still profiteering.

Which indeed seems to concur with your own view?

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Caledonian Cabbie

Ok pre de-restriction we had approx. 82 taxis. Now the question you asked was would they triple on de-restriction in Edinburgh. Who knows I certainly don't but I do know when we de-restricted we hit a high of 400 plates. I do believe there are now 232 plates actually being used. Of those 232 plates 93 have felt it necessary to join a PH circuit to make ends meet. Approx. another 50 odd have joined the other PH circuit to make ends meet. There are not enough rank spaces, theres not enough work. I know several taxi drivers that would like to give up and go back to PH but they can't cos they've got a WAV to pay for, the same WAV they'd bin if they could. The WAV that costs more to maintain than a saloon vehicle, drinks more juice and doesn't actually get them that much work unless they are attached to the PH company. So now they're paying for HP on the WAV and settle for the radio from the PH company. If they had rented they could have just give it back, no great shakes if you know what I mean.

There is also the other aspect of de-restriction and that is the age limit on first plate. With it being under 3 years of age the cheapest vehicle available is approx. £20,000.00+. Bare in mind that the average E7 doesn't last 5 minutes before it needs attention and that is at the cheaper end of the scale for purchasing new or nearly new WAV's.

So anyway imo going from the first to the second scenario does not result in less taxis it just results in poorer taxi drivers working longer hours.

Personally I think it would have made more sense to manage the growth of the taxi industry. If they had actually issued say 10 plates that would be more than there are currently which only work the road or are on taxi circuits. The other 143 are glorified PH that pick up from the streets if they get the chance.

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

There's no need to get shirty. I never asked you to explain what profiteering is, I know what profiteering is. I asked for your opinion of profiteers, which incidently doesn't concur with my view. My view is simple. I don't believe that people should be able to sell their plates. If they don't want them give them back to the council, simples. I think you're having a blonde moment and did not fully understood what it was I was asking

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

No, I think you were having a (feigned) blonde moment and were trying to wind me up

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Caledonian Cabbie

Toots, a couple of questions re your scenario. How much were plates trading for before derestriction, and when did it happen?

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Caledonian Cabbie