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Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
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Author:  captain cab [ Sat Jan 11, 2014 11:39 am ]
Post subject:  Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
Alleged drug dealing and rudeness amongst Highland taxis complaints


Alleged drug dealing, rudeness and fare disputes were among the 100 complaints made against Highland taxi drivers in the last four years, it has emerged.

Figures released by Highland Council show that a wide range of allegations were made by the public between 2009 and last year.

Among the grievances made to trading standards inspectors was that drugs were being sold from the boot of a private hire cab in Inverness last year

There were also claims about verbal abuse to pedestrians, smoking in the street and overcharging.

One irate passenger also complained that the driver had got to the destination too quickly.

The customer alleged that he had taken the fastest route instead of the shortest and the driver was forced to repay the fare difference. Taxi meters run on the distance travelled, not on the time taken.

Seventy complaints were made in Inverness but there were also unhappy passengers in Ross-shire, Caithness, Sutherland and Fort William but only one grievance in Badenoch and Strathspey.

Almost half of the complaints - 44 – were referred to the police but the council said it did not keep a record of what happened afterwards.

There are currently 786 licensed taxi drivers in the region.

Highland Licensing Committee chairwoman Maxine Smith said the average number of complaints per year was relatively low but establishing corroboration was often difficult.

Vic Rawlings, the chairman of the 80-member Inverness Taxi Alliance, said most Highland drivers were well-behaved and made an effort to treat passengers with respect.

"I think that the majority of taxi drivers, with the odd one or two unnamed exceptions, the general perception is that we give a good service but there is always room for improvement," said Mr Rawlings.

"We are all out there to earn a living. We have to give the best possible service to our customers even if we are having a bad day. I always put a smile on it.

"If a driver gets into trouble with the police, whether it is speeding or crashing [through] a red light, or a fracas between two drivers, I tend to leave it to the police to sort it out."

Highland councillor and experienced taxi driver Norrie Donald said it was a small number of complaints when thousands of journeys were undertaken in the region but he was unhappy with the "sloppy" dress standards of some colleagues.

"I find the majority of drivers are good but I have a big problem with the sloppy dressing," said Councillor Donald, who has held a licence for 30 years. "There is supposed to be a dress code of a shirt and tie which I always wear but you see some of them in jeans and they are dreadfully sloppy."

Councillor Donald also called for a clampdown on drivers using foul language or smoking in their cabs.

"People like that should not be allowed to hold a licence," he added. "There are certain standards which should be adhered too but there are not enough trading standards inspectors about. If they have a complaint I would encourage people to lodge them and it can be done confidentiality."

Councillor Smith, who has been the committee chairwoman since 2012, said the police played a key role in dealing with complaints. "The police can, if they choose, submit an objection to a licence holder continuing to hold a licence," she said.

"In my time as chairwoman I have only heard one taxi complaint which was referred to the committee by the police and this was held in private due to sensitive information. Any other complaints were either dealt with by trading standards, the police, or were unable to be taken further for whatever reason."

Figures breakdown

2009: A total of 15 complaints.Inverness (10); Dingwall (3); one each in Alness and Wick.

2010: 22 complaints. Inverness (13); Invergordon (2); one each in Dingwall, Alness, Thurso, Fort William and Nairn.

2011: 18 complaints. Inverness (17) and one in Sutherland.

2012: 25 complaints. Inverness (16); Fort William (2); Invergordon (2); Nairn (2); one complaint in Badenoch, Dingwall and Wick.

2013 (up to 1st November): A total of 20 complaints. Inverness (14); Wick (3) and one each in Dingwall, Invergordon and Sutherland.

source: http://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/News ... 012014.htm
Author:  Skull [ Sat Jan 11, 2014 5:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
Quote:
Almost half of the complaints - 44 – were referred to the police but the council said it did not keep a record of what happened afterwards.


:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:


Highland Licensing Committee chairwoman Maxine Smith said the average number of complaints per year was relatively low but establishing corroboration was often difficult.


:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Fu*k me, they actually try to establish corroboration of a complaint before acting on it. :shock: :shock: :shock:

:badgrin: :badgrin: :badgrin: Not often you hear of that ... :badgrin: :badgrin: :badgrin:
Author:  Mobile1 [ Sat Jan 11, 2014 6:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
One irate passenger also complained that the driver had got to the destination too quickly.

The customer alleged that he had taken the fastest route instead of the shortest and the driver was forced to repay the fare difference. Taxi meters run on the distance travelled, not on the time taken. :-k #-o


*Extra Charges
•Waiting time for first 2 minutes .10p
•For each additional period of 20 seconds or part thereafter .10p

http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/ ... -25-00.htm

As far as I am aware isn't it the same all over if you have a meter? And how do you "force the driver" what kind of force do they use?
Author:  cabby john [ Sun Jan 12, 2014 12:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
Quote:
As far as I am aware isn't it the same all over if you have a meter? And how do you "force the driver" what kind of force do they use?



It is an offence in England & Wales to take the longest route (I assume that it is the same in Scotland). As such you are legally bound to always take the shortest route, unless the passenger or the roads dictate otherwise. To force a driver to pay for his/her misdemeanour, would generally be made, by a threat of suspension.
Author:  Skull [ Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
cabby john wrote:
Quote:
As far as I am aware isn't it the same all over if you have a meter? And how do you "force the driver" what kind of force do they use?



It is an offence in England & Wales to take the longest route (I assume that it is the same in Scotland). As such you are legally bound to always take the shortest route, unless the passenger or the roads dictate otherwise. To force a driver to pay for his/her misdemeanour, would generally be made, by a threat of suspension.


Correct, but you are not telling me the passenger never knew the difference between the fastest and shortest route. He obviously did, and was looking forward to making the complaint. The time to speak up was at the start of the journey, if had he a preference.

Nah this is just some small-minded pri*k wanting to make a point, so he can tell all his chums what a clever guy he is. :-|
Author:  cabby john [ Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
Quote:
Correct, but you are not telling me the passenger never knew the difference between the fastest and shortest route.


Hmmmm......regardless, the driver should have taken him the shortest route. If there are more than two ways of getting from A to B - I tend to ask the passenger do they have a preferred route. For the aggravation it can cause it is not worth the hassle to take the pizz.
Author:  Skull [ Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
cabby john wrote:
Quote:
Correct, but you are not telling me the passenger never knew the difference between the fastest and shortest route.


Hmmmm......regardless, the driver should have taken him the shortest route. If there are more than two ways of getting from A to B - I tend to ask the passenger do they have a preferred route. For the aggravation it can cause it is not worth the hassle to take the pizz.


Well, I know I wouldn't sit in traffic just to save a few quid, but then again, I wouldn't let the driver take the fastest route, if I knew the shortest route was the way I wanted to go, and then report him for it.

Now supposing the driver in this case took the shortest route, I wonder what the nature of the complaint would have been then?

I'm thinking this person is an as*hole looking for somewhere to happen.

You often find that people who look forward to complaining about trivial matters do it all the time. :-|
Author:  captain cab [ Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
Skull wrote:

Nah this is just some small-minded pri*k wanting to make a point, so he can tell all his chums what a clever guy he is. :-|


pmsl :lol:

Happy New Year mate ;)
Author:  cabby john [ Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
Quote:
Correct, but you are not telling me the passenger never knew the difference between the fastest and shortest route. He obviously did, and was looking forward to making the complaint. The time to speak up was at the start of the journey, if had he a preference.


I guess we could debate this one all day and you may very well be right.

Two scenarios come to mind ;

1. He/she knows the address but not the area - gets to the address and pays the fare say £15.......the occupant of the house asks upon arrival how much the fare is, and says it should not have been more than a tenner! That does happen.

2. Looking at my manor there are numerous roundabouts. If I turn left it immediately takes me onto a by-pass or a motorway section, the longer but quicker route, by which time it is too late as you cannot turn back. If I had carried on then it would take me through estates to get to the same destination, the shorter route.

If the driver had been notified that he was taking the long route (and yes he would have known), then he should have taken it on the chin and charged the cheaper fare.
Author:  Mobile1 [ Mon Jan 13, 2014 8:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Alleged drug dealing and rudeness
I don't think you can comment to much on individual cases but that statement is factually incorrect they are not charged only on distance travelled and that's that and as far as I am aware the taxi meter has operated on this principle for the last 123 years since Friedrich Wilhelm Gustav Bruhn invented it, well done Friedrich. =D>

As for the shortest route being a legal requirement in England it appears once in our license conditions but is open to interpretation by the addition of the word practicable after it so it reads "shall drive to the destination by the shortest practicable route unless otherwise instructed by the hirer".
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