captain cab wrote:
Sub Contracting of work across local authority borders
In the last couple of years three companies have gone to the wall and in the process they have cost the ‘taxi’ trade many millions of pounds. The companies involves, Fraser Eagle, Connect Point (who appear to have been a phoenix company of Fraser eagle) and Elite Cars, were arguably operating illegally by sub contracting the work they received across local authority borders.
This sub contracting was specifically shown to be illegal in the case of Shanks vs. North Tyneside Council, nevertheless, through reasons such as train operating companies giving local taxi firms no choice, the law was ignored, and again, it cost the trade millions.
For those of you currently thinking, I’ve gone ‘whacko’, he’s writing in riddles, I’ll give you the SP.
Well, the station master at the local rail station suddenly realises a number of passengers have got off the train and due to the usual errors the train didn’t arrive on time and the passengers, through no fault of their own, missed their various connections.
In the old days, the station master would call a local cab company and get the passengers delivered to their destinations. The cab drivers either as individuals or as co-operatives would invoice the rail company for the fares.
Now, with train companies trying to streamline, and them not wanting different invoices from cab companies the length of the UK, they sub contract the job to a company which is effectively a broker. A kind of one stop shop that will get them a cab and deliver them a single invoice. This means one invoice to check at the end of each month instead of hundreds and presumably satisfies all those bullshit things such as service standards.
Hmmm service standards, to any right minded person that means a company that will supply a driver who is decent and clean and a fairly good cab......in reality to the broker it is the price the mug will do the job for. I digress.
As you will be aware, the Private Hire sector are very proud of being private hire, so much so, in many areas they call themselves taxi companies. I’m sure there is a good reason for doing this, and I’m sure it has nothing to do with misleading the public, but again I digress.
So basically, what seems to happen, a company that has ‘won’ the rights to a particular rail companies work, will seek a local operator to cover the rail replacement work.
Being extremely attentive, they seem to concentrate on the price as opposed to the type of vehicles actually carrying out the job on the ground.
Therefore Private Hire companies and vehicles are often the ones doing sub contracted rail replacement work, which is via the booking being placed in an area many miles away from where the vehicle is actually licensed.
For reasons known only to rail companies, the DFT and whoever else, this, in my view, illegal (well according to the judge in the Shanks case) is conveniently ignored.
Cabline screwed us over last month for £7,000
Login
Register
FAQ
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
