Taxi Driver Online

Having read your interview by Liz Parks with Taxifast MD John Preece (March 25), I was amazed that you had not looked into the Office of Fair Trading Report yourselves. I have read the report, and the reply by the House of Commons Select Committee to that report. Their reply was that it was 'doctrinaire, partial and sloppily put together' (Paragraph 40) and only used the parts of the report which suited the OFT itself.

In all areas that have been de-limited - to the lay person, this means increasing the number of hackney carriage licences (black cabs) - waiting times have increased, and it has also increased fares, which is not in the public interest, as I am sure the public would agree.

As for Mr Preece wanting 30 licences to run 'black cabs', I am sure that the public was not aware that there is a waiting list and drivers have been waiting for their chance to be given a licence by Plymouth City Council. Mr Preece should join the list and wait, just like we hackney badge-holders must, not try to jump the queue. This would only increase the profit of Mr Preece and TF Value Cars, and not serve the public interest.

Plymouth City Council sets the fares of the hackney carriage fleet (black cabs) in Plymouth but does not set the fares for the private hire trade; this is why, if members of the public were to shop around, they would soon realise that some of the private hire companies in the Plymouth area are charging a lot more than the hackney carriage fleet.

AS HAWTONHackney Badge HolderPlymouth

He can't even get the quote from the TC's report right!

ISTR it was 'partial, doctrinaire and sloppily conducted'!

Like his letter?

So you have more cabs, but people wait longer.

Not a member of the T&G by any chance?

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IDFIMH

Jumping the queue. I wonder if he would mind if the queue jumper was buying his plate.

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IDFIMH