Taxi Driver Online

Jim I'm not really sure of your point.

If you are saying that because the London knowledge is too hard, it should be diluted thus allowing more into the London cab trade, you may have a point. If not many friends in the London cab trade.

The point I believe we were addressing, was that you can have quality standards without having to have quantity controls.

In the area I work in, and in 12 of the 13 councils in Sussex, both the HC and the PH trade have to adhere to the same vehicle and driver standards.
As there is no limit on the number of PH vehicles, that to me is clear evidence that you don't need quantity controls.

What you do need is quality enforcement.

As Wharfy said, there's no obligation on any LA to restrict license numbers, but if they do then they can only do so if there is no significant unmet demand.

Anyway, even if the council were 'duty bound', it's a closed market, thus the description 'cartel' isn't inappropriate.

Dusty

Well, both you and Mr Guest used the term 'banger' to refer to taxis in Edinburgh further up the thread.

Dusty

I don't think there's any proven link between license quotas and raised quality Jim, the bottom line is that if any measure of standard is thought desirable then it has to be regulated for by the appropriate authority.

As I said further up, the market is fundamentally uncompetitive, so there's no incentive to raise standards, particularly in big cities where there's enough street work to be able to depend on it.

Compare New York and London, for example, the former infamous for a poor quality taxi service, while the latter is claimed to be home to the best taxi service in the world.

Yet plates in NY are worth over $200,000, while plates in London are worth nothing. The difference in quality is simply because it's specified differently in the two cities.

All the restrictions in NY do is suck money out of the trade, perhaps the best part of a billion dollars a year, towards the many outsiders who use taxi plates as an investment.

Thus the driver pays maybe $100 (?) of his daily take just to lease the plate, and the wages for drivers is still awful, and it's not hard to see why.

The whole quality issue is a red herring, as you yourself say there are bangers in Edinburgh, and there were presumably scruffy drivers which led to the need for a dress code.

Thus I don't agree with your view of the college course as being voluntary, as we all probably know those who could benefit from these things won't do it voluntarily, and those who would would probably see little point.

Although I take your word about your particular course being crap, I agree with these kinds of things per se.

The bottom line is that most of the quality evident in the Edinburgh trade, as elswehere, is specified by the council - if it wasn't, you would be providing the kind of service which you claim the PH trade in Edinburgh is providing, with or without license quotas.

As Andy said, the Dublin experience does not really support your case, but it does provide a good argument for qualitative standards, rather than quantitative restrictions.

Dublin is like letting your PH take over the HC sector.

Dusty

Precisely Jim, that's the point, you won't get anything unless it's regulated for, thus the wide gulf between the London PH and HC sectors.

If we were all deregulated on the (former) London minicab model, then we'd all have a trade similar to 'dodgy minicabs'.

It's as simple as that!

By the way, I forgot to say, it's obvious that the benefits of quotas don't necessarily contribute to quality - otherwise plates wouldn't be worth £20k. That's where the excess profits go, and in inflated rentals paid by drivers.

Some of the excess profits earned by plateholders may go to running a better cab or whatever, but obviously not all, considering that plates have a value.

It would be quite easy to have all running better cabs, by merely upping the standard specified.

Dusty

so off we set to follow our work,
rehersing what wed say to the licensing clerk,
we arrived in edingburg at dinner time,
refreshed ourselves with larger and lime,

we looked and hunted for the licensing office,
till news came it had been found by our boris,
We are from Halifax, we said to the licensing clerk,
We are taxi drivers from Halifax looking for some work,

She threw the forms out of her hole,
till youve past your tests youl have to claim dole,
Weve got Gps in our cars,
thats no help and you smell of the bars,

We have heard, your short of drivers the owners claim,
if you dont let us work from passengers youl get the blame,
We can start this very day,
we cannot wait to earn our pay.

off you go to study for the test,
and please return looking your best,
but we need money for our keep,
we followed halifax jobs like sheep,

we slept at nights in our tent,
to pass this test we were hell bent,
we asked an owner to loan his car,
to pass our tests, from Halifax is far,

we came prepared for our test
as instructed looking our best,
We had the borrowed car,
while our mates waited outside a bar.

After an hour around the city,
money paid from the kitty,
paddington Bill you look so pail,
make no wonder the test I fail,

So back home to my adopted town,
on my face a big frown,
the scots dont want me they are so hard,
so will you put me back on your card?

Paddington Bill.

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

Hmmmmmmm, now that's an idea.