Taxi Driver Online

I've been stopped a few times late at night - once I was given a 'producer', which I viewed as 'punishment by inconvenience' as I had to take my documents in to the station, which was extremely irritating as I had done nothing wrong - basically just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Since then I've carried my docos, thus ignoring police advice not to carry them.

I also tend to keep my roofsign on more - I take it off every night, and used to take it off when returning home after a long trip, but not any more.

No doubt practices vary, but I think they tend not to stop taxis, and when I take the sign off as a saloon my car looks much like any other and only the plate and my name on the door give the game away, but obviously this is only visible once they stop you.

To that extent when I got my producer you'd think that once they'd stopped me they'd give me the benefit of the doubt, but I understand that they are given quotas of these producers to hand out to satisfy the needs of HM Inspector of Constabulary.

No doubt this could be challengeable under the Human Rights Act, but the inconvenience of this would be a lot greater than the inconvenience that it might prevent.

Dusty

PS - Message to criminals driving late at night - get a taxi roofsign.

Well it must have been a weird Sight,
to the police out at night,
To note that driving a local taxi,
was a bin full to the maxi.

so you did nothing wrong?
perhaps the police were after thier gong,
so is it any suprise, you got a slip,
even though to you its such a blip.

can you imagine at the desk,
a dustbin with doccuments to check,
could the copper keep a straight face,
as he looked to see if he could make a case,

so you take off the roof sighn
something to keep all mine,
but then its not a taxi
fun to the maxi.

Paddington Bill

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Come and go as you will,
but Do so with Paddington Bill

Dusty

Well I must be lucky, cos I can't remember ever being stopped whilst working by the police.

But why would they want to stop us honest PH boys and girls?

Why would ph be cruising around at 4.15am. shouldnt you have returned to base if you were empty or were you looking for a hire

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I am right, and I will give you your opinion when you ask for it

I think the assumption was that he was returning to base, going for a pick up, or going home?

Dusty

Actually officer I had been to the all-night garage situated at the southern end of our town for some petrol, I checked my family's car sales business at the north end of our town, (approx 1 mile between the two) and was returning to base which is situated somewhere in the middle. As for looking for a hire, if you see anyone out after midnight on a weekday night it is a rarity. Also there is no law against driving along a public road in a vehicle which is your own and is taxed insured and tested so long as you are not committing any other offences. I feel it is fair to say that in almost 12 years of tax (oops) private hire driving, I have only been stopped twice.

That's why we have radios, so we don't have to return to base.

Can you imagine all 500 Glasgow Private Hire (GPH) vehicles parked outside their base?

Or for that matter, the thousands of Com Cab vehicles parked outside their operating base, which is in another country.

I was only fishing.

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I am right, and I will give you your opinion when you ask for it

My involvement with this firm is/was purely as a driver, they asked me to sort a website out for them which I did (well someone we all know well did the actual hard work www.squarebanana.com), and I think the results very much speak for themselves. (Isn't my little Volvo nice)

The firm involved does have a mixed fleet and under current legislation is allowed to operate and advertise as a "TAXI" company but is not allowed to display the work taxi on any vehicle which is not a taxi.

Of couse this leads to public confusion and it is on this point that I have expressed a need for offices to refect in their name their core business as defined on their license to operate.


Cheers

I think if the taxi and PH trade used the same amount of energy and passion, fighting for a better trade, that they use debating what a taxi or PH should be called, then we would be flying.

Instead of fighting and crying.

Alex

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ʎɐqǝ uo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq ı ǝɯıʇ ʇsɐן ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ

Simply the best taxi forum in the whole wide world. www.taxi-driver.co.uk

lost that argument Alex, and by a lot and pray since when have private hire fought for a better trade?

they should concentrate realy on other things granted instead of playing at taxis!

Alex is beccoming a scottie sussex man.

Wharfie

Oh those blinkers again Wharfie.

I full heartedly agree with Alex.

We are all trying to do the same thing, move folks from from a 2 b, and make a living doing it.

ok then, why the opposition of all having the same rules then?
this argument is constant, boring and tedious, public hire are taxis private hire are not that simple.

come on now,tom its time for fairness.

Wharfie

Well I don't have any problems with fairness and having the same rules.

However I would say that many PH operators put HC operators to shame, but alas not them all. Same for drivers and vehicles.

It's a mixed bag we have out here, thus I don't think anyone has the high moral ground.

Not even me.

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IDFIMH