Taxi Driver Online

TfL “investigating complaints” over Hailo’s minimum Taxi fares



Transport for London has warned Taxi drivers that they risk enforcement action if caught charging passengers more than the metered fare.

The warning comes after Taxi booking app Hailo announced a minimum fare policy of £10 between 6am-10pm and £15 between 10pm-6am.

The app allows passengers to pre-book Taxis from their smartphone and tablet.

In a blog post announcing the new minimum fare, Hailo said: Let’s look at this from a driver’s perspective. Understandably, they want to spend as much time as possible with a passenger on board.

“When they’re offered a Hailo job, they are happy to drive to the pickup location and wait a couple of minutes, but all that time is non-earning time. They may pass people with their hand out on the way to picking you up. So it can be quite disappointing if the resulting job is 200 yards down the road to the shop.

“In order to give you the most chance of getting a cab when you want one, we need every driver to know that the job is worth accepting – and that means guaranteeing them a reasonable minimum fare.”

London Taxis are licensed by TfL and are subject to a fares policy fixed by the Mayor. The official TfL fares structure includes a minimum fare of £2.40.

Commenting on Hailo’s announcement, Helen Chapman, TfL’s General Manager for Taxi and Private Hire, said: “We are investigating complaints about Hailo introducing a minimum fare policy.

“It is against the licensing regulations for any taxi driver to charge a customer more than the metered fare. Action will be taken against any driver found to be doing so.”

TfL says passengers wishing to book a licensed taxi or minicab can download its free app, Cabwise, at www.tfl.gov.uk/cabwise.

Hailo have been asked to respond to TfL’s comment.

http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/tfl-investi ... /201328049

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

Love to see that response.

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IDFIMH

The customer agrees to the terms and conditions before ordering a cab. It's all very clear from the minute you download the app, through to ordering a taxi.

Radio circuits have set minimum fares for years, tfl even have fixed prices for Wimbledon every year over and above the metered rate, plus Hailo and Get Taxi have employed a minimum £5 fare for the last two years.

I'd say tfl haven't got a leg to stand on.

However, Hailos had a Gerald Ratner moment with this increase , bottom line is that punters decide and lots are not happy bunnies.

On a personal note, I'm on neither, nor any radio circuits.

I'd say you were wrong tbh

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

Seems to me the only business it will lose is the short runs the drivers don't want anyway

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There's no excuse for animal abuse. If you ain't vegan you are an animal abuser.

It's been an established practice for over two years, it was even 'bigged up' by TFLs own top staff.

I'm no fan of failo, but I'd say the millionaires (who couldn't give a sh.it about the trade) will have some decent QCs who'll argue their case pretty well.

Perhaps if they stopped talking to drivers like they're a commodity , they wouldn't need a £10/15 minimum to get the work covered?

But this is what happens when cab drivers try to become businessmen in the big world.

£5 jobs are tomorrows £30 jobs IMHO.

Gerald Ratner comes to mind in all of this.

Not fare! Taxi app in £10 minimum charge


British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman today attacked the decision by online taxi-booking service Hailo to increase its minimum fare to £10.

The free smartphone app, which can be used to book a black cab in just two clicks, has become popular with Londoners.

It has always charged at least £5 per journey and since February the £10 minimum has applied at weekends.

But the news that this has been extended to weekdays was today met with outrage online.

Some vowed to switch to companies such as Get Taxi or Kabbee or return to the traditional method of flagging down a taxi.

Others questioned the legality of the move when Transport for London’s minimum price is £2.40.

Shulman said she was shocked by the “ludicrous” change. “I think Hailo is one of the great inventions, but a minimum price completely ruins it — after all you often need a ride somewhere near,” she said. “I won’t use Hailo for any local rides now. I copied Boris Johnson in on my tweet as the cabbie told me he was against the rise. It’s also not spelt out clearly on the app. My driver said most of the cabbies were against it — and at night it would be a nightmare with people seeing six quid on the clock and being charged £15.”

Another user of the service, David Searle, wrote on Twitter: “I hail a cab with hailo, paying cash, fare on meter is £7 — Can driver legally force me to pay more?”

Hailo said it had brought in the measure to “boost availability” in the context of “unprecedented demand” and insisted the change would not affect the 85 per cent of customers who already pay more than £16.

“Enforcing a minimum charge allows you to still make those short journeys, but also makes your hail worthwhile for the drivers too,” said a spokesman.

Helen Chapman, TfL’s general manager for taxi and private hire, said: “We are investigating complaints about Hailo introducing a minimum fare policy. It is against the licensing regulations for any taxi driver to charge a customer more than the metered fare.”

Hailo will now charge a minimum of £10 between 6am and 10pm, rising to £15 overnight.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transpor ... 15596.html

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

Against regulations? It's against the LAW to charge more than the metered fare. (isn't it?)

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Former taxi driver

It's against the law to charge more than the set tariff, if indeed one is set.

Looking at their tariff they can charge up to £2 booking fee, and/or 12.5% of the fare extra for credit/debit cards.

However that means, IMO, the £10 minimum fee is 100% illegal.

Best in the world?

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IDFIMH

Busiest in the world then?

With names like Virgin behind them, do you seriously believe their legal people haven't checked out the small print? Depends on how your going to view an app booking, is it a public or private hire? As far as I'm aware, there's been no test cases around the app booking world including minicabs using it as an instant hail.

Understand this much, TFLs briefs don't exactly fill me with confidence, a bit like the CPS ones did. In my opinion they treat the drivers like a commodity and this is why, now street work has increased, drivers weren't covering the work, but regardless of mine, and other drivers views, I suspect they're in it for the long term, and no one can deny their success rate in nicking old Griffins 'traditional' work.

Time, and a few lawyers will tell, either way I suspect I'm gonna get a few more folks in the street after 10 pm going under £15.

I not only believe it, I'm certain of it.

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IDFIMH

Well our hackney carriage handbook says that for all journeys within the borough, the meter must be used and we can't charge more that the fare shown on the meter.

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Grandad,

Do you have a fouling charge?

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IDFIMH

A Hailo fare is not a Flag/rank job therefore it is a "private Hire" which just happens to be being done by a taxi therefore if the punter has entered a contract to pay £10 then that is legal surely ?

I think this is more about hailo trying to hang onto the drivers on the system than profiteering after all if your App is being abused by silly punters trying to get a taxi to take them round the corner to the shop because it is raining the drivers will quit the system in droves when they realise they are getting rubbish fares from it and without the drivers on board hailo can't operate

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector