Taxi Driver Online

F*** the bus firms.

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IDFIMH

I just can't work out where they got that from.

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IDFIMH

public safety Why

stability providing confidence someone please enlighten me

increase in part-time drivers Based upon what evidence, so what if there is

business would be affected. hardly a cause of concern of the courts

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Dont confuse "The Knowledge" with "knowledge"

No edit button
that was cause FOR concern

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Dont confuse "The Knowledge" with "knowledge"

The return of number three member.

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IDFIMH

A moment of weakness

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Dont confuse "The Knowledge" with "knowledge"

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Y13623F9C

TAXI SURVEY CLAIM

12:00 - 10 February 2006
Students surveying taxis may not have kept themselves hidden, giving black cab drivers the chance to 'swamp' ranks, a legal challenge to Plymouth's Hackney limit has heard.

The fourth day of an appeal hearing at Plymouth Crown Court, brought by private hire firm Taxifast, was told that there could have been a "serious defect" in the way the taxi rank survey was carried out for Plymouth City Council.

Alan Newman QC, for Taxifast, claimed that a student, one of 12 employed by consultants Transport Planning (International) Ltd via a city recruitment agency, was not properly briefed before observing ranks and counting taxis.

As a result he did not realise the need to remain 'covert' Mr Newman said.

If observers were seen by black cab drivers, it was claimed they could have swamped ranks to make it look like there was an excess Hackney supply.

Mr Newman quizzed TPi consultant Paul McKee and asked that if the statement, supplied by a student recruited as an observer, was correct 'do you agree it would be an inadequate briefing?'

Mr McKee agreed it would be less than satisfactory if the man had not been shown a briefing document, but stressed he had filled in forms correctly.

But Mr Newman added: "If an observer was not told to be covert that would be a serious defect."

Mr McKee said: "It would help if they were covert."

He later added: "We asked them to be covert, but they are not invisible."

Taxifast is appealing against Plymouth City Council's decision to refuse 30 hackney licences in 2003.

It is doing this by challenging findings of a survey carried out by TPi for the council in January and February last year, which concluded there was 'no significant unmet demand' for black cabs in the city.

If Taxifast, run by John Preece, wins, the council is likely to have to scrap its 359-limit on Hackney carriages.

The appeal, being heard by Recorder Jonathan Fuller, QC, sitting with two magistrates, is due to continue today.

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doesn't help when the paper runs an article saying when and were the survey was going to take place

Stevie, how many hackney radio circuits are there in plymouth and have you any idea what percentage of hackneys have a radio installed?

Regards

JD

There are now 3 hackney circuits, and I would guess about half of drivers are on the radio.

So with half of driver's depending on radio work, makes you think that there are already too many black cabs out there...

Doesn't make me think, I know there is. As does every other driver in Plymouth.

I've no reason to doubt what you say, but it will be the judge that decides.

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IDFIMH

Obviously Drives.

Clear as day that 1950's working practices mean they struggle to make a living.

Now some of you are using 1970's practices to make it pay.

Just imagine it you caught up with what your customers actually want.

So what you might have noticed is that there are possibly the same number of cars on one private hire circuit as the total number of hackneys in town.

I see where Mr Preece is coming from. Open the hack market, he thinks you will all want to join his merry gang. However, might not quite work that way, might it?

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

Talk about leaving yourself wide open.

Who in their right mind would get folks from a recuitment agency? How does anyone know if they are independant? If that actually turned up? If they knew what they were doing? If their numbers were right?

Methinks TPI are 'lambs to the slaughter', and quite right too.

If Mr Preece wins, and the council loses, it should be TPI that foots the legal bill. Which I will be amazed if there's any change (for both sides) from half a million.

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IDFIMH

If they're properly briefed then I doubt if anything else is of much relevance.

After all, all professional firms rely on largely untrained staff to do box-ticking and other menial work - in this case it's probably more a case of whether the tests are adequately designed and whether the observers are properly briefed rather than where they came from.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

JD what do you think . Sorry to bore you with my obsession, Liverpool . What if Plymouth council lose this case . In the 2005 Jacob Liverpool survey ,the rank observations were carried out using a video camera, in fact it was actually vandalised, during the survey. Now if the Plymouth council loose this case. What would happen if some one applied for plates In Liverpool or indeed any area where observations were not carried out covertly . Would the council still be able to use the survey, to prove unmet demand streetcars

If the minimum wage of 4.85 for people over 22 was applied Taxi rank observation expenditure amounted to 3,758 pounds. However if the observers were students under 22 then the minimum wage of 4.10 may have applied amounting to 3,177?

January and February are commonly regarded as the two worst months of the year for trade so I wonder if the applicant's legal team will pick up on this? If they calculate the percentage of trade lost in those two months due to the post Christmas holiday season and add that percentage to the 85% of equilibrium then it would make for interesting reading? It would no doubt cast a shadow on the figure of 85% equilibrium especially if there was no adjustment made for the seasonal blip in the survey report.

I think when this trial resumes later this month that the applicant's legal team may well pick up on that?

Regards

JD