Taxi Driver Online

This is tragic on one level, utterly hilarious on another

'We need to ban fixed fares and meter all journeys' - taxi driver starts petition

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/tees ... s-15759744

Redcar driver Adam Graham says Teesside's taxi fares are the cheapest in the country and the industry needs a shake-up

A Redcar taxi driver has called for a ban on fixed fares and all journeys to be metered - claiming Teesside taxis are the cheapest in the country.

Hackney cab driver Adam Graham, who works in the Redcar and Cleveland area, says "something has to change" in the industry as rising costs and dirt cheap fares can often mean working long hours for less than minimum wage.

He has started a petition to get drivers onside and claims he knows of between 30 and 40 drivers who are planning to leave the industry if things don't improve.

It comes after one taxi driver in Middlesbrough revealed how he is forced to work 41 hours before making a penny for himself, after paying out car rent, badge and fuel costs.

The anonymous driver's calls for a cap on the private hire cars he says are flooding Teesside's roads have been backed by other taxi workers.

Adam said: "I've been told that, in the late 70s early 80s, Redcar fares were £4. They are £4.70 now.

"You could buy a house for six grand back then."

"It's all fixed rate now, everywhere else apart from Teesside seems to be metered.

"We know from going on courses and meeting taxi firms from other areas.

"Everywhere else, taxis are more expensive and people pay it.

"People from out of the area can't believe how cheap it is.

I know of about 30 or 40 drivers that are talking about leaving.

"The council gets money for badges, they will start losing revenue.

Adam started his own taxi company AMG last year but was forced to quit within a few weeks after he struggled to find enough drivers to meet the massive demand for taxis.

He said: "I'll be getting out of it myself if nothing changes.

"We are running about for peanuts still paying the same for fuel and car costs, it's ridiculous."

Redcar Council currently has 297 private hire vehicles and 96 hackney carriages but says its licensing authority has no powers to set fares for private hire vehicles.

Although customers would mostly end up paying more than they do now for taxis, some shorter journeys would work out cheaper Adam added.

"If you are only going a mile or two in Redcar, the meter starts at £3 then it's £1.50 a mile," he said.

"But a fixed rate would be £5.10.

And taxi firms would not have to invest much to make the switch either, he says.

"The apps we use for the jobs have integrated meters. Autocab is probably the most used throughout the industry.

"All they would have to do is switch it on.

"Even if it isn't through the meter they need to do something with the fares."

A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Council said: "Hackney carriage vehicles must have a taximeter fitted with a table of fares set by the Council which calculates each fare based on the number of miles for each journey.

"Hackney carriage proprietors can request a review of the table of fares in writing to the council. All requests are subject to approval by the regulatory committee.

“Licensing authorities do not have powers to set fares for private hire vehicles.

"Private hire fares are agreed between the customer and the operator on a case by case basis when booking the journey.”

Dark ages.

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IDFIMH

Wishful thinking, I suspect



Aye, right



Never heard that one before



Oh *him* - it's all starting to become clear now



So he was getting hundreds of jobs a night, yet he's earning nothing



Not really clear what he's saying here - that HCs are charging more than the metered fare because it's fixed. Or wot?



Thought he was an HCD - presumably his car has, like, a taximeter?

But all just confirms what was pretty obvious last time round. Wet behind the ears guy who thinks he'll be making bundles as a cab driver, but doesn't take long to find out that he's maybe not making much at all. Despite having so many people phoning him he can't cope with the work

Now I remember, 649 missed calls in one night!!

but despite all that demand the business didn't take off like a rocket

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