Taxi Driver Online

“ The Law Commission’s project engages economic and regulatory theory. It will be fundamentally deregulatory, in the sense that it will seek to question the necessity for the various strands of the current regulatory regime, and seek to reformulate those that are necessary in the light of modern understandings of the most efficient and efficacious forms of regulation. ”

These are my thought, not necessarily my beliefs.

They could mean;

1. A one tier system, with all Hire and Reward vehicles being a TAXI.

This would certainly eliminate confusion for the passenger, and it is the public that are paramount when any legislation is drafted. It would also free PH drivers from the shackles of the slave-master PH operators, eliminate the need for plying for hire enforcement and generally simplify the system as a whole.

2. Abolish the need for taximeters and a fare table.

This would truly create a market forces system which is one of the goals of government and would be the ultimate market forces strategy. But is the Law Commission that brave?

3. Abolish age limits on Hire and Reward vehicle.

This creates an artificial barrier which is cosmetic and has little to do with the safety of a vehicle. Even the BPG states this, yet many licensing authorities continue to practice this fake form of restriction into the trades.

4. Allow a taxi to stand and ply anywhere on any street, provided that they are not causing an obstruction.

This would be the ultimate in a ‘fundamentally deregulatory’ approach and would go back to what appears to be hinted at in the TPC 1847, admittedly when roads were totally uncongested in those days. It would also create availability of service to the public in the places where a taxi service is required, quite often at differing times of day, without the need to apply for taxi ranks. But is the Law Commission brave enough to suggest that?

5. Abolish the need for a knowledge test in favour of the use of modern technology.

This would be a quite futuristic development in line with their ‘fundamentally deregulatory’ approach. At present modern technology would relate to the use of a SatNav, but who knows what inventions may be available to the cabbie or the passenger in only a few years’ time? For instance, a gadget that has very advanced voice recognition and allows the passenger to speak their destination into a voice activated SatNav-type devise and then choose whether they want to travel the fastest, shortest, the most Eco-friendly, or avoid motorways route, with the SatNav then directing the driver to the destination. This point and points 3 above and 7 below would both reduce unemployment figure; an objective for any government!

6. Introduce a limit on the number of hours that a taxi driver could work.

I believe this would be unlikely as it does not fit into the ‘fundamentally deregulatory’ approach which has been championed by the Law Commission. But who knows what they may come up with!!

7. Scrap any limitation on the numbers of Hire and Reward vehicles.

You would think that this is a stone-blind certainty considering the Law Commission’s ‘fundamentally deregulatory’ stance. But is it? In the first sentence of the extract from their publication at the beginning of this post they say, ‘The Law Commission’s project engages economic and regulatory theory.’ Are they truly going to look at the economics of the Taxi trade, vis-à-vis derestriction or restriction? Or will the government’s need to reduce unemployment figures, albeit however meaningless with cabbies claiming tax credits to a man, render a review of the economics of derestriction v restriction a non-starter?

8. Legislate for free access for taxis at any place of public resort regardless whether the area is public or private.

This would include railway forecourts, hotel driveways, shopping centre, etc. etc. Of all the rip-offs the taxi trade endures nationally, this is an area of legislation that needs to be addressed. But it would need changes in other legislation too. It would certainly fit into the ‘fundamentally deregulatory’ theory of the Law Commission, but are they prepared to suggest going that deeply into the fundamentally deregulatory’ approach?

9. Abolish the need for WAV taxis or conversely make all Hire and Reward vehicles WAVs.

There is currently a very strange anomaly with WAV Hire and reward vehicles. At present only HCs must/should be WAVs and that depends on the licensing authority and will further depend on the ‘proportions’ that the Minister will eventually set for WAVs as legislated for in the Equality Act 2010. Yet the vast majority of wheelchair users, telephone for their Hire and Reward vehicle as opposed to hiring a taxi at a rank or flagging one down in the street and phoning for a PHV is one legal way a PHV can be hired. And that’s the anomaly! Why are PHVs exempt from WAV regulation when they are precisely the vehicles that most wheelchair users would phone for? It does not make any logical sense!! But then if we are mandated with a one-tier system, that would sort itself out immediately and is another reason why a one-tier taxi system could be coming. Simplicity for legislators, enforcement, no ambiguity, the easy way out of the dilemma that is national.

10. Removing the requirement of many licensing authorities to check drivers’ CRB records.

This again is another step on the ‘fundamentally deregulatory’ ladder that the Law Commission appear to want to climb. But are they likely to go that far? The CRB have already refused to provide enhanced CRB checks for Hire and Reward drivers because they are overwhelmed by the number of requests. So this too could well be a result of the planned reforms and would fall into the ethos of the government’s ‘Red Tape Challenge’!!

11. Create a national standard licensing regime or structure.

This would theoretically remove the chasm of anomalies between licensing authority criteria throughout the country and would help standardise licensing quality on a national basis, with vehicle testing and perhaps driver standards having equilibrium nationally. But is this too much to hope for? And I don’t think it quite fits the ‘fundamentally deregulatory’ approach.

Those are just some of my thoughts!!

What do YOU think might happen with the 'fundamentally deregulatory' approach that the Law Commission is about to undertake?

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

I don't know why you started this thread......perhaps to provoke thought I guess.

The following is stated by the Law Commission;

2.73 The first level of reform would be to reduce the sheer bulk, complexity and inconsistency of the regulatory systems. Central concepts like “plying for hire” have caused considerable problems in the past. There are pointless geographical inconsistencies on such matters as whether a taxi-cab driver needs a separate private hire licence, and whether the vehicle can be used for leisure purposes by its owner/driver. Secondly, there is a need to modernise to reflect technological change – private hire licensing, for instance, is posited on a geographically fixed operator with premises where bookings are made. Finally, the fundamental features of the regulatory system are in need of reconsideration – the separate systems for taxi-cabs and private hire vehicles, the identity of the licensing authorities, the number and nature of licenses and whether all forms of regulation are still necessary.

I think you are correct in many of your thoughts, in respect of the BPG being against age limits, you're right, but the same piece of toilet roll is in favour of age policies via emissions strategy.

I think the country has been taken over by liberal fascists tbh I'm growing very skeptical of all of this.

The transcript of the law commissions presentation to the NTA will be available, hopefully, by this coming Tuesday, this should answer many of your questions. It will however also show, if you read the minutes of the NTA directors meeting, how duplicitous they appear to be.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I think I have just scratched the surface of what is likeley to happen.

The new legislation will be 'public awareness' slanted, or should I say very inclined.

The trade won't really get a look in as to what we might or might not want. The new legislation will be driven by what the consummer requires or wants.

And that's where Ms comes in.

And God help us all then!!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

I think these people could best be described as 'progressives', the taxi trade appears to be a barrier to their own ambitions, certainly in respect of the possible winners of change, which would be PH operators.

The fact appears to be that both the 1847 and 1976 acts are perfectly workable, yes there are minor faults, but it seems to me, the change that is coming is change for changes sake.

The major concern to the public is that the driver is of good character and knows where he's going.

The vehicle should be additionally fit for purpose.

The PH operator should be reliable and not give details of whose going on holiday, and for how long, to the local burglar.

The above three things, the major concerns, will not change in new legislation, because it can't.

What bothers me, if there's going to be change, is two things.

Why? why change?

And what will be the result? Not the result in three or four years, but the result in 10 or 20 years.

One failing of the current system is that basically the public.......or so we are led to believe......don't know the difference between PH & HC..........which begs the question of how much each year is spent 'educating' the same public about the dangers of drink driving.......a fraction of that amount educating the public about the dangers of not pre-booking PH would have been nice........yet when there are campaigns, they are usually little local efforts not on the scale of the drink driving campaigns.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Sec 16 of the 1985 Transport Act.

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IDFIMH

hello 3 tiers

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I suspect if that were to happen then there would be bucket loads of the other kind of tears.

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IDFIMH

I suspect it would get more abused than cross border.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

"I think the country has been taken over by liberal fascists tbh I'm growing very skeptical of all of this."


I've been to that conclusion for a long time now myself.

"Ref section 16"

It may well be replaced by a new clearer version that goes something like......Unless you like long lines of polluting engines running in town centre's all day and night by all means issue to anyone who wants one.

Ref 3 Tier system?


Can you explain what that is Wayne?


I think I know what the bottom line of motive is for this act, it's to make it easier for the vultures to swoop, the vultures who can't exploit the job fully as things stand right now, and the thing I'm finding really hard to understand is how anyone can call this a road to anywhere is beyond me, the world over everywhere it's been tinkered with it's been ruined, Ireland being a prime example, lemme educate some of you, over supply = poor quality, and that goes for any field you care to mention, locally we have Asain's ranking on a rank that cannot supply all of them a job, I spoke to security the other day and they were still on the rank 90 minutes after the doors were closed, the reason they sit there is to make sure only Asian's get a job from there, like a security detail if you like, some get a job and the rest pack it out so it's not worth ranking, eventually this will lead to a full on war, not us British drivers, but with the Eastern European's, they will decide they are getting the short straw and unlike weaky little brit of today they will muscle back in on it.

So far looking at the panel I don't see one person on it who I could honestly say has a clue about the taxi trade or who has ever had to wonder how they are going to pay a bill next week that they haven't got the cash to pay with, or in other words totally unsuitable, still this should open a door for me to sit and judge the future of the NHS or maybe I will be able to put others who won't like being scrutinised under the microscope to the blade, one thing for sure if they mess it up I'll have plenty of time on my hands to see how best to rip large chunks out of their income won't I.


Going back to the quote at the top of my post which Wayne posted, isn't it funny how pubs are closing and nobody is doing anything to save them, not the brewery who could reduce rents or beer prices or the government for that matter, the LF Wayne mentions has seen to that, he doesn't want pubs because he doesn't go to pubs and thinks nobody else should either, a boring cant in other words.

I dare this country to ask me to fight for it, or any of my family, as far as I'm concerned those that ask us to gear up and fight are my enemy, they are the enemy of the British way of life and the enemy of freedom, and if that sounds like sheet wait on another 30 years when you have to have an ID barcode tattoo'd on your arm.

So do these vultures operate in the 76% of the country that isn't restricted?

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IDFIMH

I think you posted what a lot of people think.

Ref 3 tier system......it's Mr Buttons 1 tier system which comprises of 3 inner tiers.

1 tier can rank and ply

1 tier can ply but not rank

1 tier can do neither of the above.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

If that does happen then we go back to as it was in 1847!!

And that is surely NOT what you mean.

Having thought about it a great deal, my top wish now is a one-tier system of TAXI only vehicles.

You may think I'm mad, but if a one-tier system came about who would be madder; me or the boss of Addison Lee?

Would the boss of Addison Lee be able to control his fleet?

Or would his fleet of cars be picking-up flag-downs on the way to dispatched bookings and throw the dispatched job back into the office in favour of the 'bird-in-the-hand'?

Multiply that up by 2,000, 4,000, 6,000 jobs a day and Addison Lee becomes unreliable overnight!!!

Think about it!!!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

And in New York about now they are bringing in a kind of one and a half tier system!!

Yellow cabs can be hailed and stand in Manhattan and soon livery cabs will be able to be hailed [or a proportion of these livery cabs will be able to be hailed] in the other four boroughs of New York, The Bromx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

So the livery cabs will be a kind of half hail, half book in advance cab.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

The 'greater good' dictates that alcohol is bad for you.

The 'greater good' dictates we need CCTV for our own good.

The 'greater good' dictates we need a smoking ban.

The 'greater good' dictates we need people telling what we should eat.

I could go on.....for the greater good.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Look at the type of language used (I'll highlight for some );



CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin