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PostPosted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:45 pm 
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steveo wrote:
Taxi mogul John Preece, has launched a court battle against Plymouth City Council which could result in the city's black cab limit being scrapped - hitting existing Hackney drivers and bus firms.

F*** the bus firms. :shock:

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PostPosted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:46 pm 
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steveo wrote:
The council is one of only 30 per cent of local authorities still employing controls.

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

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:21 am 
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steveo wrote:

removing the limit would be 'detrimental' for reasons including 'public safety', 'stability providing confidence', increase in part-time drivers and because business would be affected.




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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PostPosted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:29 am 
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No edit button :roll:
that was cause FOR concern

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 8:19 am 
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jiffy wrote:
steveo wrote:

removing the limit would be 'detrimental' for reasons including 'public safety', 'stability providing confidence', increase in part-time drivers and because business would be affected.




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

The return of number three member. Image

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 3:45 pm 
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The return of number three member. Image


A moment of weakness \:D/

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:14 pm 
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Location: Plymouth, i think, i'll just check the A to Z!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

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.

..................................................

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


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:43 pm 
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Stevie, how many hackney radio circuits are there in plymouth and have you any idea what percentage of hackneys have a radio installed?

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JD


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 3:05 pm 
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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.


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 7:49 pm 
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Drives wrote:
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. :wink:

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 8:03 pm 
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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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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 9:42 am 
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steveo wrote:
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.

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. :shock:

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 12:31 pm 
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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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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 2:24 pm 
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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


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 4:44 pm 
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steveo wrote:
Mr McKee, questioned by the council's barrister James Findlay, outlined how TPi was paid £20,000 to carry out its survey in January and February last year, with observation of 44 Hackney ranks, for a total of 775 hours. Observers noted vehicles, customers, and waiting times.


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


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