Taxi Driver Online

I think you watch the 'X' files too much.

If you can think of any system that allows for a mixture of growth coupled to demand, I'm sure everyone would be interested to hear.

CC

Well here's one example of the "issue" that the blacks have with the PH in Edinburgh, so suggesting that "If somebody wants to do this job so much they can be PH what's the issue?", seems to be consigning them to some sort of lower order, from the blacks perspective at least:

The Edinburgh Taxi Trade has been on the decline for at least the last 10 years

If somebody genuinely wants to be in the transport industry and offer a service to the public then they can, via PH they can even have their own licence to operate so they don't have to pay a circuit. There is more than one way to skin a cat and de-restriction is imo a heavy handed approach

In what respect? Are the standards dropping? Is the work dropping? With this in mind is now a good time to de-restrict when there are more cabs than there is demand for or don't you care one iota if people can make a living making standards even harder to maintain. There are lots of reasons why restriction doesn't work but there are also lots of reasons why de-restriction doesn't work as well. I think the sensible approach is to look at all aspects of the trade and not just one if the balance is to be right.

So one the one hand you're lauding the virtues of unrestricted access to a market, yet on the other you're doing completely the opposite.

You can't have it both ways.

Unless, of course, you subscribe to the phrase I think you used yesterday as a criticism - "Do as I say, not as I do".

At best.

It is more likely to be longer hours for less money.

If more plates are issued, there WILL be more taxis on the road at any given time.

You can forget pervy jims mad idea that lots will just be parked up or be used as private cars. All just waiting for Saturday night.

More Plates = More cars on the road = work spread thinner = longer hours with no more money.

For the avoidance of doubt, that's a response to Skull's post. If you must reply to two different people in the same post then it might be a good idea to make this obvious.

Ask Frank about the protocol for quoting

I'm not lauding the vitues of any side of the trade. I was merely offering it as an alternative.

If somebody genuinely wants to be in the transport industry and offer a service to the public then they can, via PH they can even have their own licence to operate so they don't have to pay a circuit.

But it sounds like you're lauding it and employing the same argument that's used for taxi derestriction when you said:



So having your own taxi licence to operate and not having to pay rents is such a bad thing?

The Edinburgh Taxi Trade has been on the decline for at least the last 10 years, but drivers rentals and artificial plate premiums have increased against customer demand going down.

It's a scam alright and one which is unsustainable.

"Possessions" is given a broad definition and includes a licence. Article 1 of the First Protocol does not apply to property which a person wants or hopes to acquire. Therefore an applicant hoping to acquire a hackney carriage vehicle licence is not able to rely on this Article.



CC

The primary concern with illegal plying for hire is that the pre-booking requirement is not met. This means that the passenger has no way of knowing whether the vehicle and driver are licensed, they have no
recourse concerning the fare charged and there are no records at the
operators office to enable the Council (or the police) to identify the
vehicle and driver concerned. Illegal plying for hire is also likely to
invalidate any insurance held by the driver.

It would also appear that some drivers ‘sign off’ the operator’s radio
circuit at busy times and choose to ply for hire instead. The benefit the
driver receives is that the fare they charge is unregulated and they do
not encounter the problem of booked passengers having already been
picked up by other drivers that are plying for hire.

The Consultant’s report indicated that it could not be easily denied that
there were high levels of unmet demand for hackney carriages at
nightclubs between midnight and 3.00 am on Friday and Saturday
evenings. The report indicated that whilst private hire vehicles may be
legitimately be collecting pre-arranged bookings, the scale and nature
indicate otherwise.

The primary concern with illegal plying for hire is that the pre-booking requirement is not met. This means that the passenger has no way of knowing whether the vehicle and driver are licensed, they have no
recourse concerning the fare charged and there are no records at the
operators office to enable the Council (or the police) to identify the
vehicle and driver concerned. Illegal plying for hire is also likely to
invalidate any insurance held by the driver.

It would also appear that some drivers ‘sign off’ the operator’s radio
circuit at busy times and choose to ply for hire instead. The benefit the
driver receives is that the fare they charge is unregulated and they do
not encounter the problem of booked passengers having already been
picked up by other drivers that are plying for hire.

The Consultant’s report indicated that it could not be easily denied that
there were high levels of unmet demand for hackney carriages at
nightclubs between midnight and 3.00 am on Friday and Saturday
evenings. The report indicated that whilst private hire vehicles may be
legitimately be collecting pre-arranged bookings, the scale and nature
indicate otherwise.

There are a number of district councils which already exercise no control over
the number of taxis in their areas without causing problems of over supply.
However, the Department accepts that in some areas the total abandonment
of quantity control could lead to an initial over-supply of taxis before market
forces could being about an equilibrium between supply and demand. In
order to avoid possible disruption, a district council faced with a large number
of applicants could in the Department’s view, reasonably grant a proportion of
the applications, deferring consideration of the remainder until the effects of
granting the first tranche could be assessed.”

Here's another little interesting snippet from the same report. Strange how you didn't think that bit as interesting as I do

Anyway it's a really interesting report and I hope caledonion cabbie has read all of it by now. It has the plate premium within it and also the correct number of taxis to 126 just prior to de-restriction

A 'scam' (your words) to which you have used the system to have profited.

This surely is where you and your mates 'scam' idea is incorrect, unless of course you are using the market forces argument, where Ironically you also seem to be incorrect.

Are you saying the demand for trade has decreased yet the demand for rentals has increased?

If you follow your and your mates pretext then surely market forces, or the lack of them, would ensure that all of the tales of woe you describe would ensure rentals actually decrease?

At this point I am actually expecting a 'f*ck off' answer, because the post has gone beyond your head and you'll have to phone a friend.

CC