Sussex wrote:
Doom wrote:
Looks like everyone except you and Mr Button has it all wrong then? so many misguided folks in this world all in one place eh?
And me.
Of course we wont know who's got it wrong until the Law Commission report.
However I see you are now on the side on the PH spivs.

Listen here Mark, I'll back you all the way in removing the baron's and those that take advantage of drivers both homegrown and foreign, what I won't do is watch my investment go south and the trade still be plagued by these types, which is what will happen if you try it the way you currently think.
I know the trade seems to have some sort of voice in Brighton and that is a good thing, but here even if you put in all the rules about whose suitable etc an envelope will get dropped and nothing will change, the same people taking advantage will do so, the job is massively over subscribed right now and until things improve on the employment front people will still flock to be a cabby under the illusion there is good money to be made.
If what you want is to happen you need to plug for one man one plate, with possible graces for a company owner who needs company cars, but this can still be abused so it needs fine tuning, what is also required is that any PH office must be able to prove it has the work for it's cars, this will need a 10% buffer zone for peaks and troughs, and the only way this will happen effectively is if the enforcement teams are able to put PH pirates off sitting about where they have no right to, this is why I think the fixed penalty bit is a good idea, keep getting enough £60 fines on £30 nights and you'll soon work it out that it's better to concentrate on earning from the radio like they are supposed to.
We're in a period right now where there has been 10 years of abuse of systems and nobody is following the rule book in any field, this is why we have the banking crisis, too much bonus temptation to say no to loans they just knew wouldn't be paid back, the same back door trading is going on all over and this doorman tout routine has to stop or I think it will be prudent of affected area cab drivers to stand outside the club and advise customers not to go in and tell them where would be better for a good night out, of course we all know ole skinhead and his black crombie will come wading in within minutes if they do and public disorder will ensue, which is another example of how some (mainly self appointed important's) think it's ok for them to muscle in but don't like it when it's them being leeched off.
Now, like I said, lets remove the bad element, but not so it costs the rest of the us our investment and livelyhood due to oversupply.
This is what PH needs to do
1 - Cut radio charges to sensible levels
2 - Raise fares to council rates
3 - Fit meters
4 - Issue guidlines to all new drivers of what their role is
5 - Complaints number for the council not the firm
This alone will remove the need for training camps in Hungary and Latvia because British drivers will return to the fold, and probably with their own cars as well, the only thing that stops me joining a circuit is the stupidly low fares they charge and the high radio charges, until these type of measures are introduced nothing will change, PH steals because it has to, it's the over supply and low fare scale that means the driver is faced with sink or swim, lets see the big PH operator's start being held accountable for their drivers actions, soon sort a lot out that way.