Taxi Driver Online

Just to add to my already numerous comments. To obtain a more accurate survey of demand you would need to do more than one survey using more than one method and more than one company. Using the current system only gets one analysis and that really isn't enough.

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

Surveys are not objective but subjective.

By the time the survey report is published it is already out of date.

Surveys are used to justify the council's policy to restrict. The reult is determined, the survey conducted to prove it.

It is no accident that Jacob didn't tender for the last Edinburgh survey. They kept coming up with no unmet demand when the city was burgeoning, booming. For them to come up with 30 new licences would have been too obvious. But Halcrow DID come up with 30 while we are in the depths of the biggest recession since the 30s.

How come? because the stats are being fiddled.

Not satisfied with this, the council used other information like stats from two radio companies. Word is from the defected former leader of one of them was that the figures were false. The companies that were objecting to licences were fiddling the stats to prove their point.

All of this points to a corrupt process. An expensive process. And a discriminatory process which bolsters commercial interests at the expense of those who simply want to compete.

This is the system that CC would support. because he is a greedy urchin who can't stomach competition.

The benefit of free competition is that it weeds out the weak, those who depend on council largesse to prop up their illusion of status.

The trade should be screaming out about this corruption. Not only because it is unfair, but because it has allowed private hire to increase exponentially. Able to do so because the hacks are being held back, fettered by vested interests.

Humbug!

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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?"

Why do you say that? Are you suggesting that these surveys are influenced by personal prejudice? If so do you have evidence that they are? What you're suggesting is that the survey companies are using personal belief to form their opinions and not stats or evidence. Do you have any proof of that?



Not quite sure what you're trying to prove here



Do you have evidence of that?



The word of a possibly disgruntled ex member of a company is not evidence. Is there any evidence to back up these claims?



If indeed this is true and there is evidence to prove it then it does, but, currently it appears to be rumour and speculation



I don't believe CC has ever sold any free plates in a restricted area, unlike some Perhaps he is a realist with a family to support. You seem to form opinions about people you know little or nothing about. Where is your evidence that CC is indeed greedy or indeed cannot stomach competition?



Does it? Again I'll ask you do you have evidence to support this and have you ever looked into the disadvantages of free competition



So why isn't the trade screaming out about this corruption? The PH trade will always increase they have vested interests in their company so it's their business to increase. They are not concerned about how much drivers earn they are concerned about how much the company earns. Therefore taxis being de-restricted isn't going to stop them.

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

The statement speaks for itself toots.
How can one company come up with result after result after result saying there is no demand during a period when the economy is booming and PH numbers quadroupled, and another company comes up with just enough demand to disperse the long since closed IPL, when the economy is in a massive slump?

It defies logic and it beggars belief.

The choices are

1 Believe these incredible findings or
2 Not to.

If you don't believe this, what does that say about the surveys?

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

I've already given my opinion of surveys

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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 it's OK for everyone else - including yourself - to ask questions, but not me. Another example of do as Toots says, not as Toots does.



Well if I'm guilty of anything then you're even worse. And look at the debating 'technique" of your sidekick Captain FFS, FFS.

No, you're just not used to proper debate and scrutiny. You can flutter your avatar and flirt with others on here and they'll just do what they're told, but it doesn't work with everyone

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Caledonian Cabbie

By the way Toots, you should take heed of the words in your own signature:



Wise words indeed, but if others are doing likewise you shouldn't accuse them of playing dirty.

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Caledonian Cabbie

.

What, were you thinking I was claiming that drivers must work 24/7?





No, it's not common sense.

Common sense dictates that there's less cabs out at quiet times (ie when there's less demand), not that there's a 'shortage' in that they can't meet demand.

I thought restricted numbers was about crudely limiting the number of taxis, not dictating when they work.

How do you think the PH trade works, how do you think derestricted taxi areas work, how do you think the likes of the London taxi trade works?

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Caledonian Cabbie

I've watched your debating technique over the past couple of weeks.

You dont actually make any statements and basically answer everything with a questionmark.

When you mention scrutiny you wish to scrutinise others, without making any input of your own to scutinise.

CC

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

Again, its like banging your head against a brick wall with you.

The PH trade in many areas complain about the overabundance of PH cars on radio circuits, greedy Operators taking on more and more vehicles.

It has already bee explained to you on numerous occasions that many derestriction has meant the taxi driver has had to work excessive hours, for no increased remuneration. Cardiff is one obvious example, where the trade is in such a poor state the Police backed re-restriction, this was also the case in Liverpool many moons ago.

As for London, deregulated London. You try getting a cab there on a Sunday night.

As ever, a waste of time responding to you, as whatever anyone writes you will simply not believe.

CC

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

It's easy, put your hand up.

Last time I put my hand up in London a bloke on a bike said 'taxeee boss'

The last time my association secreatary was in London a cab on a rank suddenly decided he was on a tea break........he understood the old term Cherrypicking b*stard' though

CC

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

Aye, whatever.

As I said, I don't have time to do much more given the amount of time expended on absolutely nothing, such as your points on financing plate purchases.

The case generally has been made recently in the Scottish press, and in relation to what's going on in Edinburgh.

What sort of 'input' do you want?

Oops, sorry, that's another question, and they're not allowed.

After all, I input your earlier quote from Taxi Talk

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Caledonian Cabbie

You mean like this

(Note, that in the interests of diplomacy, I ommitted the question mark from the above sentence.)



But the point was about shortages at particular times, now you've went off on another tangent altogether.



Deregulated? London?

I thought they were the most heavily regulated in the world.

So are you now saying London cabbies are so hard up they don't have to work on Sundays or they are so well off they don't have to work on Sundays?

I suspect it's the latter, but if you're relating that back to the poverty of other sections of the trade that you outline earlier then this begs the question, why aren't they out on Sunday making a mint?

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Caledonian Cabbie

Well I'll repeat this for the last time, surely if there's a shortage of taxis on some shifts and thus the public can't get one, then there's more money to be made at the..er..busy times, so why aren't drivers knocking down the door to do these shifts where there's a shortage of cabs?

Any driver I know would be cock-a-hoop to know of a shift when the public couldn't get taxis. I know this seems like stating the obvious, but I've been doing that for days, to little effect.



Who is 'we'? Who called you out? The council? Do they arrange driver shifts? (Of course, I must apologise for all the questions, but unless you make these things clear then I'm afraid people will ask)

Well, I assume not, thus I assume you are talking about some sort of circuit. Which I can't really link to the question of restrictions or otherwise. For example, you don't say how many cabs the circut has in total (it could be a handful, in which case the numbers you quote are hardly surprising) and the link between circuit coverage and restricted numbers seems tenuous at best.

And recall that Toots thinks one of the downsides of derestriction is taxis joining circuits, yet you're using the position of a circuit to argue for restricted numbers

And didn't swannee say that circuit work was irrelevant for the demand surveys?

You can't have it both ways.



Well I've never seen it argued that a council has rerestricted because people can't get a taxi at certain times.



Can't find it, but if there are all these taxis and PH both on the ranks and on circuits then I find it hard to credit that they're sitting around doing nothing when people can't get a car.

If you mean that there are still times when demand outstrips supply and cars won't rank in certain areas because there's no rank demand or won't be hiked to certain areas because they'd be out of pocket, then that would happen irrespective of the restriction policy. Derestriction won't bring a perfect service to the public, as is the case with any other service.



Well it got rid of plate profiteering and increased supply from the public's perspective, although I accept that the latter will always want more.





Again, this comes back to the point about impoverished drivers sitting at home during shifts when the public can't get a taxi, and coming out when there's an oversupply.

Sorry, but that just doesn't ring true.

You, Toots and Tone must be making a fortune on Mon/Tues/Wed nights - which as I recall Toots said was when there was a shortage of cabs - so I can't see what you're all complaining about.

The Wirral and Carlisle are a bit far from me, but I daresay I could do a few shifts in Dundee - what's it like on those nights, Tone?

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Caledonian Cabbie