Taxi Driver Online

Yeah can we have our age limits....3 on 5 off?

Can we have our colour policy?

Can we have 3 tests per year?

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
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That would be reasonable if they provide enough true rank space pro rata to car numbers, I think something that should be looked at is the LO must provide at least 3x as many rank spaces as there are licensed venue's in the area, even if it's temporary time limited ranks, so 9 bars = 27 spaces where possible.


Can I point out that in many areas of the country the provision of Rank spaces is by the County Council's highways dept not the district council which is the licensing authority so this means that such things as taxi numbers, Licensed premises etc etc have little bearing on it because the provision of parking spaces is always top of the agenda


Another point I picked up from the law commission "evidence" is that it is all opinion based there is little factual evidence ot statistics being looked at hence statements saying that there is a lack of night time taxi provision well in many parts of the country there is far more overcapacity at night time than in the day time it might be interesting if they actually did some sort of survey district by district

My apologies if this point has already been made but I haven't waded through all of this thread yet had a lot of probs getting onto TDO over the last week

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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I would say that in the vast majority of areas demand not being met, if it exists at all, is late at night.

Happy to be proved, or suggested, wrong, but other than maybe your manor I doubt there are many.

However I suspect the proposal to allow PH to pick up legally from the streets at night will not happen. If for no other reason than in many areas they will re-license as taxis when restrictions are removed.

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IDFIMH

Now that's as insightful a comment as just about anything said at the recent advisory group meeting (for example).

Problem is that that seems to be par for the course for this kind of thing - OFT, Transport Committee, Councils - but hopefully the Law Commission will try to ascertain a bit more of the facts and proper evidence before coming up with anything more concrete.

Not holding my breath though.

In my LA there is no specific colour for hc's or ph's. I now hold a "dual" badge so can drive a hackney or a PH. Now, the PH I drive is a Citroen Xsara Picasso. It has the name of the taxi firm on a sticker on the rear passenger doors as required by the LA along with the text "Advance Booking Only". Our circuit also has HC's on it. A HC has a sticker on the front 2 doors saying licensed taxi, the company name but without the script Advance Booking Only and of course a roof light. There are quote a few Xsara Picasso's licensed as hackneys.

Put a PH Xsara next to a HC Xsara, would a punter spot the subtle visual differences between the 2? I think not, especially a side on view after a gallon of Stella.

Moving on, the main arguments within the trade seem to eminate from just 2 factors:

1) Restricted HC plate numbers - actually less than 1/3rd of LA's
2) Friday and Saturday nights

Should the "new" legislation be more focused on the license the driver holds rather than the nature of the plate attached to the vehicle? I don't know much about the London HC trade but as I understand it the green and yellow badges the driver holds determine what he can do. Is there grrounds for this being the approach? Can a London punter know if he is getting into a cab with a green or yellow driver?

Now this is probably a daft idea but might be a basis of approach. I undertstand most taxi roof signs are magnetic? Could there be a system where the driver has their own magnetic roof sign with his badge number on. The colour of the roof sign determines what he can do. For example, white sign 24/7 license, can rank anywhere, pick up when hailed in street, do radio work. Yellow sign, pre booked work only. Green sign any pre booked work, able to use designated ranks at certain times i.e. Friday and saturday nights between 23.00 and 06.00am the following morning. Not able to be "hailed". Signs on the roof would make it much easier for enforcement officers and plod to see whether someone is doing something they shouldn't and would identify the driver immediately.

The maintenance standards of all vehicle should be identical whether hackney or PH and surely for the disability rules it makes sense a %age of the whole fleet is WAV, not just HC's.

This solution would mean the driver with the appropriate badge and roof sign can be flexible on what vehicle he uses during a shift. The vehicle on this basis would just be plated as a "taxi".

The thing i haven't figured out yet is how to deal with the "premium" that currently attaches to restricted issue hackney plates but I'm sure there is a work around on that one.

Discuss!

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Nobody told me to use my initiative. To err is human to arr is pirate.

The premium is an unofficial amount of money that no one can quantify, only guess at.

Will the gov give what limited money we have left in the pot in compensation?

Maybe they should ask Northern Rock shareholders.

That said I think I'm not in a big gang that supports that line of thinking.

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IDFIMH