Taxi Driver Online

Got this this morning from the OFT

Dear Mr bloggs

Thank you for your email to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) taxi team.
It is my understanding that the OFT licensed taxi report will be
published in the Autumn and you will be able to download it from our
website at www.oft.gov.uk

So there you have it, cant wait!!!

ps is this not the beggining of autumn?

funnily enough I have got the same message signed by Matt Lacowara
we will see!

Wharfie

First it was summer, then late summer, now its autumn!!

CC

_________________
Caledonian Cabbie

One wonders what they are holding back for?

I bet it was those PH boys being added that done it, eh Wharfy?

well it was unneccesary, and rather a stupid addition!
nobody is accusing private hire of running cartels and running restrictions in the market or am I wrong?

too many private hire drivers are bloody terrified of being left out.

Wharfie

Answer 1 I would say that such activity is rife !!!!
Answer 2 No.
Answer 3 Yes, including nosey.andy.

you are a laugh a minute, I didnt say they did not run cartels, merely that nobody had accused them of it!

by the way sussex, Andy from Brighton is not pleased with me, hes jacked the other channell, hes probably on his way here! ( hes terrified of the truth)

Wharfie

Hello Geoff.

The point is perhaps that if there weren't quotas or other restrictions placed on operating a taxi then there probably wouldn't be any PH in many areas, particularly the urban ones.

PH and taxis are therefore a single market, split only by regulation, therefore the OFT have to consider both sectors to properly evaluate the market.

As for AndyP coming on here, if he doesn't like it on Mick and Nidge's forum, then I don't think he'll like it on here!

Dusty

But of course he'd be very welcome, since there are too many de-limiters on here, I like a bit of balance!

Dusty

yes dusty I am well aware of the point you make, and the point is not lost, in Skipton In North Yorkshire, a largely rural area is a point in example where the only private hire are 8 seat bus types.

if you have the same test both private hire and taxi then they take a taxi (please do not start me on about whether its legal to have tests for private hire drivers, its not a road I want to go down in this argument, just it happens)

my point is this, like it or not there is two trades and its the restrictive nature they are supposed to be looking at.

they have thrown out the baby with the bathwater.

Wharfie

I couldn't agree more, unless such issues as the quotas are debated nationally by all, the trade will never even start to come together.

If OFT do decide on the ending of the quotas, as one of their measures, then the trade could come together a bit more, hopefully helped by all that extra money that will stay in our trade.

Just think, only having full time drivers owning HC vehicles, instead of accountants, bank managers, ambulance men, firemen, dead people and uncle Joe Cobbley and all.

The next few years are going to be a nightmare for some in this trade, but hopefully in time we will be able to look forward, not back to the 1840's.

I see your point Geoff, but if they're studying the market in an economic sense then they have to look at the whole lot to find out how the market works.

For example, if you keep the number of taxis down then you automatically get more PH, so they can't ignore PH as far as the total market is concerned. Look at places with a high number of people per taxis - they always have a huge PH sector to take up the slack. So if they're studying taxis in some places like my manor they're effectively looking at the whole of the local market, but if they just look at taxis in Reading (say) then they're just looking at 10% or so of the local market.

Fares are another example - many PH charge the council set fares, so effectively the council set PH fares, whether this is legal or not is another matter, but it does happen. By the same token, PH that don't charge the same fares are usually influenced by them, as Bryan Rowland often points out!

Dusty

Am I not right in thinking Sheffield removed limits some time ago if so how are they doing, I seem to remember glowing reports?

sorry dusty to disagree, but the delimiters on here are genned up, and he loses his rag, if we must have opposition which is fine lets have those that are clued up!

Wharfie

They are so afraid of the truth that they censor and ban from the site at the drop of a hat. No b&^ger will be left on it soon.

Claude