Taxi Driver Online

Are you saying you are paying £1.60 to get into the feeder park "NOW". My understanding is that the scheme doesn't start until 1st April 2008 when the permits run out.

Where do you top up the card?



So from what you are saying is that the card only takes 40p and not £1.60 every time you go into the feeder park. One therefore assumes that the 40p is for a separate charge and that separate charge is more than likely to pay for the Marshals. Would that be right?



From this statement your saying you do pay £1.60 on top of the permit fee but something doesn't sit right or your not explaining the situation very well.



As yet you haven't presented us with any contract details so how would we know what was in the contract?

Regards

JD

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Are you saying you are paying £1.60 to get into the feeder park "NOW". My understanding is that the scheme doesn't start until 1st April 2008 when the permits run out.

No, at the moment we pay 40p per entry into the feeder park.
For those of you not familiar with the operations at Manchester Airport...the ''feeder park'' is a parking area off the terminals where taxis park before they go on to the ranks
The £1.60 comes in on 1st April and will be like Piccadilly station where drivers will have only a swipe card and there will be no ''permits''

Where do you top up the card?
At the pay stations used for ''car parks''
Quote:

So from what you are saying is that the card only takes 40p and not £1.60 every time you go into the feeder park. One therefore assumes that the 40p is for a separate charge and that separate charge is more than likely to pay for the Marshals. Would that be right?

No, the 40p was agreed by a minority of drivers on the basis that the council would allow the drivers 20p on the meter as an extra and 20p would be out of the drivers pocket.
\The Marshalls at the moment are volunteers (retired drivers) and/or trainee taxi drivers who wish to become hackney drivers.

Quote:
Now, my question is....Is this legal ?...to charge a levy of 40p on top of £270 we have already paid which was supposed to be for the full year.


From this statement your saying you do pay £1.60 on top of the permit fee but something doesn't sit right or your not explaining the situation very well.

No, the £1.60 is due to come in from 1st April 2008

As yet you haven't presented us with any contract details so how would we know what was in the contract?

I will try and dig something out from my files.

I hope this explains all and is now clear but please ask if anything remains unclear.

Thanks

J D

I dont know if you are aware or not........(I just recently found out myself)...but in the fare structure of Manchester Hackneys, there was an element of £300 per annum incorporated to pay for permits at the Airport.
This £300 has now been removed and been replaced with a 40p charge for pick-ups at the Airport to pay for Marshalls.
This means that we are actually getting a fare ''decrease'' inspite of the fact that the charge at the Airport is going up drastically.
I along with others am objecting to this fare decrease.
We have till 20th February to put in objections.
Is there any element here that may come under ''human rights laws'' ??
Effectively we are getting a pay cut in the face of rising costs such as fuel etc.

There is a sign just by the doorway of T1 stating something like, "the public do not have any right of way", I will try to have a closer look next time I am down there for an hour or so.

Yes, this sign and others are there but I dont think they have much legal bearing as they have not followed the ''procedures'' correctly.
As I understand it the road traffic act requires that procedures are followed before any road markings are inserted.

I challenged a 'traffic 'warden'' at the Airport who said he would book me...
He went away threatening to report me to the ''inspector''....and I am still waiting some three years on....

If you object then a little while later councillors will have to decide on the issues you are objecting to. That's when you can ask councillors why they think you deserve a fare decrease.

I also mentioned a few posts back that you can charge what you like if you are outside of your area, is the airport outside of your area?

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IDFIMH

BAA seam to be doing this all over the UK.
In Aberdeen they will have 3 charges.


permit fee's £16 a week. going up to £32.
and they are bringing in a "Pay as you go system". ON TOP
Green plates will have to pay £1 per lift, Yellow plates £2. Start planned for around July/August.
therefore double charging

This is a draft of a letter I am going to send to the Council on monday......any comments would help.......

15th February 2008
Licensing Unit Manager
Licensing Unit
Room 1012
Town Hall Extension.
Manchester
M60 2LA

Dear M/s H Proposed Fare Increase

I hereby wish to object to the proposed variation to the charges in respect of the hire of Hackney Carriages in the City of Manchester.
In particular I have concerns with regard to fares from Manchester Airport where I work from.
Under the ‘’old structure’’ or existing fare structure there was an element of £300 built in to pay for ‘’permits’’ at the Airport.
This has now been removed in favour of a 40p chargeable for payment of Marshalls.
Effectively this means that in the face of rising costs for drivers working at the Airport our fares are being reduced.
This is unjustified, unacceptable and most importantly unaffordable.
We have had no explanation as to why we were allowed an amount in respect of permit fees and no we are being refused permission to charge the levy imposed on us by the Airport. (which is replacing the permit fee)
The end result from all this is that my income will fall from what is already a very low level.
Furthermore it will lead to me having to work longer hours in order to make ends meet.
This will in turn result in unsafe drivers on the road endangering not only the drivers and passengers but other road users as well.
I would point out that I am going on record as having informed you of this fact should any of the above arise and the fact that the Licensing unit have been warned of the possible consequences of health and safety.
This anomaly (where drivers have to pay an irrecoverable charge) will lead to clashes between drivers and also drivers against passengers who wish to go somewhere very local. E.g. a fare going to Wythenshawe amounting to say £5 or £6....
After a driver has paid the proposed fee of £1.60 the result will be that the driver will be paying 30% of his taking to the Airport and still have to pay for other costs like fuel insurance and rent for his cab etc.
How is a driver supposed to earn a living out of this ?
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the Council through the fare structure to ensure a smooth running of Hackney Carriages to the satisfaction of both the provider of the service and the user.
I believe that this has matter has not been carefully thought out by the Airport and/or the Licensing unit and needs careful and very urgent review to find common sense and acceptable conditions for drivers to work in whereby drivers are justly and fairly rewarded and not have to resort to illegal and other practices that we have seen in the past where ‘’jobs’’ will be refused and/or passengers being taken on ‘’scenic’’ routes rather than direct ones as being the only way in which drivers can meet the rising costs being imposed on them.
It is alright that the Airport want and are demanding more money but the question ‘’where is it supposed to come from’’ remains to be answered.

It is for reasons stated above that I am objecting to the proposed ‘’new’’ fare structure.

Thanking You

Sincerely

Sussex,

No the Airport is inside the boundary.....so not valid.

Thanks anyway[/quote]

I would also email the letter as well you know what the post is like, if its emailed it will remain on there system

Yes, thanks for that....I will e mail a copy as well and in any case the original will be hand delivered.
One more thing that I am thinking of......If I was to head the letter of objection and then get say a 100 or so drivers and make it a joint rejection of the fare structure it would be far better......any comments ?

Thanks

I don't think I would have put the bit in that says that you will have to work longer hours and this may make you an unsafe driver. That could be seen by your LA as making you "not fit and proper"

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Grandad,

I would add, if you wish to, that reduced fares often lead to a lowering of vehicle standards. Now I'm not saying I believe that, but from my experience it often helps.

I would also request that you are allowed to speak to the licensing councillors at the time your objection is being considered. A petition also helps.

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IDFIMH

I think you will find that the GMB led by Pat have been fighting the increase, I am led to believe that the T&G Manchester Group are the people responsible for accepting the new conditions, I do know that the drivers that do work Liverpool airport charge the passengers the extra amount....... legally on the meter.. I think it is something in the 1981 Transport Act..... I might be wrong............. relating to barriers and charges... I'm sure JD will be able to find the relevant section.. if not contact Damien at Liverpool Taxi licensing....... I am sure it will still be fresh in his mind from formulating Liverpool's new tariff sheets... PS does not the stand by Piccadilly charge 20 p extra.

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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!

Yes, but I would be only pointing out where they are pushing the drivers by their policy of not paying adequately enough for us to recover costs which we have no control over. If ever there was some mishap resulting from drivers working too long we can point out that the Licensing unit had been warned.

BAA seam to be doing this all over the UK.
In Aberdeen they will have 3 charges.

Yes, but the point here is that Manchester City Council are the majority (55%) shareholders of the Airport and they are also our Licensing Authority.

I would add, if you wish to, that reduced fares often lead to a lowering of vehicle standards. Now I'm not saying I believe that, but from my experience it often helps.

Yes, that will be useful as well, thanks.

Once again many thanks for all the input.I will keep the forum informed although I am not too optimistic of the outcome and I know I will get a lot of stick for objecting to the fare increase and if upheld for holding things up.
Some drivers believe its okay to work for peanuts and be grateful for the scraps they throw at us...
Not me.... Its time we got paid a fair weeks wage for a fair days work !! (Joke)

Very nearly!!