Taxi Driver Online

Of success?

In my view slim.

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/bu ... le-5275637

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IDFIMH

we have featured this driving miss daisy thing before in fact we used to have a franchise near us but not seen the vehicle for some time

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As per last time round, it's a national franchise which seems to have originated overseas.

Seems to be quite a difficult process to get one, what with the normal PHV licensing and the additional Daisy training, branding etc, and they probably don't come cheap, but I suspect the service doesn't come cheap either, so probably just for older people with a good bit of disposable income.

Of course, all looks good on the website etc, but whether anyone actually makes any money out of it isn't clear, obviously.

But presumably the franchise is doing OK, but no way of knowing how people who have taken out the franchise are doing - could be a good investment, could be money down the drain.

A bit of info here below from last time round, although the photos I linked to seem to have disappeared. But they were just to demonstrate that their cars were plated as PHVs, which wasn't obvious from the initial 'advertorial' in the press report from Edders' gaff.

(That's 'gaff' rather than 'gaffe', just to be clear )

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=34920&p=394381#p394403

Private hire company using own markings for disabled clients despite East Riding Council identification concerns

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hu ... gs-5452072

The committee heard the markings were needed to help customers identify the cars


Image: Hull Daily Mail

A private car hire company has been exempted from some East Riding Council rules on taxi markings after a committee heard they would help elderly and disabled customers identify them.

East Riding Council's Licensing Committee decided to waive some rules on markings and colours for taxis for Driving Miss Daisy at a meeting on Monday.

Applicant Joanne Spivey, owner of the company's East Yorkshire franchise, told councillors its blue and yellow livery matched with Alzheimer's Society colours to help customers identify cars.

But councillors also heard from licensing officers who said they were concerned that allowing the company not to display standard identification plates could make monitoring it harder.

Councillors decided to allow the company to use its own livery and to display its heart and daisy branding on the side of their vehicles. But they will also have to display an identity plate on the back of them as well as standard ovals on the driver and passenger doors.

The council's policy states all private hire cars have to use mandated markings except companies operating for business and commercial clients or those councillors decide merit exemptions.

Mrs Spivey, of Westfield Road, Raywell, told the committee some of the company's clients had Alzheimer's and dementia, meaning they relied on seeing their marked cars to identify their driver.

She added from the outset that she would be willing to have a plate on the back but said it was "important" that the company could use its own colours and markings.

The applicant said: "Our clients have a wide range of needs including physical and mental disabilities, the livery gives them the reassurance that they're getting in a safe car.

"The colours are blue, yellow and neon black which were also chosen to help clients with visual impairments.

"Those with disabilities or impairments often recognise the car before they recognise the driver.

"Since we've launched our Facebook page we've had so many people with elderly parents who've gotten in touch, there's a real need for this.

"Lots of people don't have the confidence to go out on their own anymore, especially after the last year.

"I've had a couple of people ring just to book a taxi, but we don't take those, our drivers take clients to the shops, help them with load and unload shopping, and also to doctors appointments or for days out.

As you get older one of the hardest things is slowly losing your independence and for some people they've never had it."

Officers told councillors their concerns about the exemption were largely around public safety, including that it would be hard to identify a vehicle in an urgent situation.

They added that as private hire companies can operate anywhere in England and Wales except London, it would be difficult to identify a non-marked car outside the East Riding.

Committee chair Cllr Paul West said: "The displaying of the markers is where the safeguarding issue is.

"Also if the taxis could just pull up and take clients other operators would feel the rules were being changed by the back door."

that stock photo must have been the ones that were operating round this way as I recognise the passenger in the back and the woman in the uniform looks familiar

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Good luck with that one.

If only vehicles had some other way of identifying them, maybe a set of letters and numbers on the front and the back of their motors which could be recorded by the DVLA.

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Officers told councillors their concerns about the exemption were largely around public safety, including that it would be hard to identify a vehicle in an urgent situation.

FFS, it stands out like <insert simile here>. Are these people blind as well as stupid?? As long as the cars and drivers are licenced, does it really matter what colour they are?

According to the newspaper's website the woman in the uniform is the Joanne Spivey from Hull who is the subject of the article.

Maybe she just gets around a bit

And according to the previous article, this is her husband Andrew Spivey:

Is it a profit making PH business? or some sort of "not for profit" Charity?, or some sort of weird Hybrid PH/Pseudo charity service that makes a profit for it's directors whilst pretending it's a charity like many other Community Transport Scammers do.?

or they've moved to Kingston upon 'ull

The passenger sat in the back used to be one of our regulars (on short runs) but she sadly died a couple of years ago (or it's a very good look alike)

mind you on the Driving miss daisy website it says Cheltenham which is nowhere near us

the franchise previously discussed was based in Stamford but seem to have dropped off the radar xmas 2019 so possibly the photo is off their website but maybe been recaptioned to make it sound as if they take people to cheltenham races

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Haven't really seen anything to suggest it's other than a bog standard PH operation, except that there's a franchise involved, and the clientele and work is slightly different, obviously.

So as far as the franchise in concerned, nothing to stop anyone opening a similar service locally, as indeed some do, to a degree at least.

And, of course, most UK PH drivers pay for a franchise of sorts, only difference is that it's normally local, while this is national. But, of course, Uber is essentially a global PH franchise, I suppose.

As far as the work is concerned, again we've all done broadly similar stuff on occasion, to a degree at least.

So it's essentially a specialist PH operation, just like those who specialise in tours or airport transfers, broadly speaking.

there is an updated news article but only says they have been given permission

They advertise online for "driver companions" and the drivers stay with the passengers so I can only assume they charge by the hours not by distance

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