Taxi Driver Online

There is a bit of confusion here, the argument is not between Liverpool hackney trade and Peel Holdings it is between the Liverpool hackney trade and this PTM company who are acting as agents ...

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Peel holdings own and operate the airport. P T S is just a the rent collector. taking 10% of the permit charge . Who is actually talking to who ,i have no idea . The man doing all the spouting Mr Tudor, works for Peel holdings.

PTM or PTS what ever they are called only came into existence a couple of months ago, from what I have been told the T&G have now gone over their heads, and are trying to speak directly with the airport manager,, if nothing happens then the first blockade will be next Friday,
The impression I get is that the drivers would accept a barrier system, but this would mean that PTM were not part of the equation....

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

By Sam Lister Daily Post Staff





TAXI drivers will cause traffic chaos outside Liverpool John Lennon Airport by staging a "drive-slow" in a row over fees.

More than 500 cabs are expected to descend on roads around Speke on Friday after being told they will have to pay a new annual fee of £2,500 to pick up passengers flying to the city.

The airport has threatened to bring in private hire vehicles to run the service if they refuse to pay the fee, which would mean visitors to the city would be unable to flag a taxi once they get off their flight.

But JLA insists it is one of the only airports in the country that does not charge, and needed to find ways of plugging the losses it suffers.

Union leaders last night accused owner Peel Holdings of "greedy profiteering" and called the fees "arbitrary, unfair and unrealistic".

The drive-slow is being staged after negotiations broke down last week when drivers said they refused to accept a reduced offer of £1,920. They have been given until Friday to change their minds.

Tommy McIntyre, T&G convener for hackney cab drivers, said: "They have just plucked this figure out of thin air.

"They cannot give us a breakdown of what it covers. At Manchester Airport, the drivers pay a fee but it is only £260.

"They have threatened to bring in private-hire drivers but that means people will have to book them in advance. Also, they don't have the same wheelchair facilities.

"And they would only have to put up their fees to cover the charges so it would be the passengers losing out.

"There is no way we can recoup the money because our fares are fixed by the council. This will put a lot of people on the dole.

"In the run-up to 2008, this is the last thing the airport should be doing."





The charge works out to almost £7 a day on top of the cab drivers' licence and plate fees.

Airport officials have said they hope the move will "raise standards" for the thousands of passengers visiting the region through the airport.

Drivers will also be expected to participate in 08 Welcome and Welcome International short courses before Capital of Culture Year.

The extra money is linked to new driver facilities and a rest area.

The airport has appointed Passenger Transport Solutions Limited to implement the permit scheme.

A spokesman for JLA said: "We believe it is a realistic fee as the airport is growing and the business is there for drivers.

"We want to ensure high standards and will be introducing training."

samlister@dailypost.co.uk

What you mean the £20 odd deposit for the plate, over say 20 years.

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IDFIMH

Well why not give us a break down of the £40,000 plate cost, cos in London it's f*** all.

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IDFIMH

Goodwill

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 wonder if hackneys get locked out of the airport, a Liverpool plate, is still going to worth 50,000. ? 70 extra cabs on ranks. Must have some effect . regards streetcars

It mustn't have much, this thread has seen a £10K increase already

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 see the offer has already come down 580 pounds, thats quite a big drop. Considering these cabs are supposedly "double shifted", thats only 2.63 per day, per driver. Perhaps the double shifted propoganda is another slight of hand which is used to hoodwink ignorant politicians? When it doesn't suit these very same people discard the double shift theory and revert to single shifted such as is the case in Liverpool. It might be wise to keep ones mouth shut then they won't be tagged as hypocrits when something like this rebounds on them.

Regards

JD

If they dont like it surely organised industrial action will win it?

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The views expressed by this contributor do not neccesarily reflect the policys of The GMB Nationally or of the GMB London Region.

580 pounds you say is a big drop, it is 20 per cent, if they had wanted £5,000 and reduced it by 50 per cent I suppose you would be saying that was a massive drop. but they'd still be wanting £2,500 a year... which is totally ridiculous. as it is they're looking for £1,800 plus.. still totally ridiculous,, Manchester creates three to four times the work that Liverpool has and only pays under £300, you suggest that there is enough work for both day and night drivers , from what I have been told that is incorrect the work that is there is only days with some evening flights , Liverpool does have some singles shifted taxis and lots of double shifted. the trade wants to keep it so that all Liverpool taxis have access to the airport ,

It is obvious to see that somebody is trying to play Liverpool against Manchester to increase the chances, and they are trying to play the hackney trade against the private hire whilst this firm acts as an agent and takes their 20 per cent for issuing permits each year good money if you can get it

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

You must admit it's a substantial climb down by JLA. I suspect both the administrators of the permit scheme and JLA will be looking to make a profit so you could say, "Liverpool cabbies" have two mouths to feed?



I suppose anyone would be a fool not to recognise that 50% was a massive drop? After all if you decimate anything by 50% surely it's a massive drop regardless of the original total? If you cared to reduced your cab rents by 50% you would soon find out how massive it is?



I think most people would agree that the original figure was ridiculous so we are nearly all in agreement on that score?



I agree, the figure of £1800 is still ridiculous, in fact I think it's outrageous. Manchester has three times as many cabs working the Airport so they need three times as much work to sustain those numbers. Without looking it up I don't know the ratio of cabs to passengers but there might not be much difference between the two airports? I was under the impression Manchester is moving to pay per job system, if that be the case they could be paying as much if not more than Liverpool?



Did I say that? I don't believe I have ever suggested there is enough work for day and night drivers at any Airport in the UK?




I've never thought of JLA as being a hive of activity but then again the last time I was there was about 26 years ago, I suppose things have changed a little since then?




Yes I suspect all restricted areas have both single and double shifted cabs and likewise unrestricted areas but Liverpool and every other restricted area are telling their council that the cabs are operated on a double shift system which more or less guarantees 24 hour coverage. This amounts to a blatant lie.

No prize for who said this.

However, in areas with restricted numbers, the Local Authorities are able to take advantage of a “double shift” system to ensure better coverage during the night time hours.

I suppose JLA have taken into account that statement and others like it, from organisations such as the T&G, NTTG and NTA when they came up with their preposterous pricing figure of 2500 pounds.



In that case ask JLA to put a barrier up and pay per customer, that's probably the best solution.

I might add, if the permits were only a hundred pounds a year it wouldn't surprise me if those guys who work the Airport asked for the permits to be limited. The T&G and local taxi associations have a past history of restricting permits in practically every authority that has some form of permit scheme.

Regards

JD

The T&G have kindly sent TDO a press release.

http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/LiverpoolAirport.doc

Alex

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