Taxi Driver Online

I've started this new thread because the original thread was being side-tracked.

It seams that Gateshead Angel cannot grasp the fact that the plate list for the 100 plus Authorities that still restrict numbers, is unique to just those Authorities.

The purpose of this list is to inform everyone in the trade of the current values attached to plates in those Authorities that the Government recognises as being restricted. I know it is asking a lot to assess all 123 Authorities accurately but 25% is already near enough done. If the truth were known that’s 25% that we didn't know about before I started this exercise, so it’s a start in the right direction.

With respect to something that cap said about recognition, I must say I have never been one to court publicity therefore everything I do, or try to do, is not for my own self esteem. I would rather credit the achievements of anything I do to this website and the collective members of this site who give their time and knowledge for free. So Gateshead Angel, instead of trying to make an issue out of what I am trying to achieve, you may wish to consider my brief, which for your information only includes those Authorities of which the Government recognise as being restricted.

I'm afraid Gateshead is not one of those Authorities on that list however much you would like them to be so.

"Restricted authorities" has always been my brief, everyone bar you has accepted that. At the end of the day any anomalies regarding multiple plate values will be addressed, however at this moment in time that is not one of my highest priorities.

Just for the record! My own views on plate values in those Authorities that have excluded saloon vehicles from being licensed are as follows.

I have it on record, that council's who in the past have licensed saloon and other types of vehicles as Hackney Carriages but now wish pursue a policy of delimitation based on quality control, then those vehicles mentioned will probably retain a small plate premium based on the initial price of quality entry.

The degree of any premium will more than likely be controlled by the cost of obtaining a license. If a new prospective applicant thinks that paying twenty five thousand pounds for a new WAV vehicle is too expensive then he may be of the opinion that the cheaper option of purchasing an existing license might be more preferable.

In my opinion the scenario offered above only applies where a saving of some sort can be achieved. In respect of a council who has no quality restrictions but will only licence WAV type vehicles then in my opinion the value is always going to be in the vehicle.

In respect of Gateshead it has been stated that the saloon vehicles carry a premium of ten thousand pounds. Personally I find this hard to believe because I can't see many people paying ten grand for something they can get for free. What's more important is that in Gateshead you do not have to submit a quality vehicle to get it.

The reason why we have premiums on plates is because of the scarcity value through control of numbers. Once the control on numbers is removed there is no value on plates whatsoever. Unless of course the Authority that you wish to work in, has high quality control restrictions.

Regardless of the type of vehicle whether it be Saloon or WAV, if there is a financial advantage to be had from purchasing these vehicles then it will always be the case but only up to the point where it is economically viable.

That’s my submission on plate values.

Best wishes

JD

Now will you carry on with the list please.

regards

Captain cab

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

This is a response to two posts from another thread.



It makes one wonder why the additional 215 new Gateshead owners didn't see the advantage of paying ten grand for one of those 85 saloon plates on offer? Perhaps those 215 new owners took a long look at their ten grand and realised it would look far more attractive in their own bank account, than it would in someone else's.

According to GA there are plenty of saloon plates up for sale but it would appear there aren't that many takers. I wonder why? Besides, if they were such an attractive proposition they wouldn't be up for sale in the first place.



I suppose you are referring to me. I also suppose you can show me where I called you a liar.

You say you reported facts. I say you made a statement. Which said, "Plates in Gateshead are changing hands for ten grand"? That is hardly a fact.

If you would care to look back through your posts, you will find it is quite evident that your facts are not always correct. Under those circumstances and the evidence that 215 of the new owners chose not to avail themselves of the opportunity to depart with ten grand for something they can get for free, is rather compelling evidence that your statement could be wrong or grossly misleading.

You say plates on saloon vehicles in Gateshead are being sold for ten grand, I say fine, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with plate values in restricted Authorities. The fact that I find it hard to believe that anyone in his right mind would part with ten grand in a de-restricted authority, which doesn't have quality control of vehicles, is hardly surprising.

Nigel in good faith reported Nottingham plate values as being around 30 grand. When Nottingham was researched it turns out current plate values are 8 to 10 grand so you can understand why one is sceptical of unsubstantiated statements. Nottingham restricts numbers so it is rather odd that plate values in Gateshead are on a par with Nottingham, especially when you consider that the earnings potential in Gateshead may be inferior to that of Nottingham.

It may be desirable for those saloon plate holders in Gateshead to want ten grand for their saloon plate but desire does not always reflect reality.

Best wishes

JD

What a complete load of [edited by admin].

Not all of the new drivers have entered the trade by buying a WAV, you assume that new drivers only take new plates, you are wrong.

The 215 new owners chose to avail themselves of a new plate by buying a WAV, some new drivers chose to buy a saloon plate. Sussex may say that the current situation is, by allowing drivers the choice, fairer and that may well be the case on that point. The problem I have is that councils are allowing unlimited entry to a trade where current drivers are struggling to make ends meet, ours claims unmet demand is being demonstrated because of a demand for plates. This is because we have proved there is no more unmet demand from consumers in Gateshead and they wish to increase the revenue of the department while continually reducing the administration.

Gateshead has very minimal standards, I would like to see that changed, but as a representative I inherited low standards and am currently pushing the council to review its policy to allow the current drivers the opportunity to meet them without going bankrupt.

I'm sorry if that isn't important to you.

B. Lucky

I never said all new owners entered the trade by buying a wav did I? You should read what I said then perhaps you wouldn't have cause to misrepresent me.

Just for your information, I said 215 of the new owners saw fit not to purchase one of your ten grand saloon plates. You did say you had 85 saloon plates didn't you? You also said you have around 300 Hackneys, so to my calculation that's 215 owners who don't share your opinion about ten grand plates. Now that's a sizeable amount of owners and considering you state there are an abundance of saloon plates for sale on yell for ten grand then it would seem there are a sizeable amount of prospective owners in Gateshead who don't share your enthusiasm for the price of plates.



Well like you said so eloquently "the world owes no one a living" so what's your problem? Have you told your Drivers in Gateshead that the council doesn't owe them a living, or was that just hot air for the benefit of Sussex?

You want to say what you mean mate, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Besides, what's happened to your eloquent statement that "numbers control should ultimately be left to the local Council" I suppose that was just hot air too, was it?



So now you blame the councils decision to lift numbers on the fact they wish to increase revenue. Did Gateshead Council take you into their confidence and tell you this personally? You stated you had got the council to re restrict numbers was that another rush of blood to the head?



What your saying is that you want new entrants to the trade to put on new wavs. That would make buying a saloon even more attractive wouldn't it? Can a new wav perform a function that an old wav can't perform? Will these new found standards apply right across the board and why is it that you need the council to implement these new standards, why can't the owners implement these new standards themselves, why wait for the council? Lead from the front mate tell existing owners to up their standards if you think they are that bad, then sit back see what kind of reception you get.

I suppose it has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that most of your members probably run old vehicles and they want to keep it that way. While at the same time making new entrants pay through the nose, just so present owners can enjoy some sort of plate premium.

JD

That report came from a Hack driver in Nottingham who last year purchased a plate for £31,000. It's no use asking Jim Mortell at Notts City Council he's about as much use as 2 left shoes. Ask the drivers not the pen pushers.

Yes it would seem some drivers and some licensing officials are way off the mark when it comes down to plate values. Good job there is someone around to substantiate their claims.

Best wishes

JD

Plates for sale on yell, what on earth are you on about. www.yell.com is the url for yellow pages website where you can obtain the telephone numbers of others in the industry operating in Gateshead where you could have the facts I have reported confirmed.

I have no enthusiasm when it comes to plate values, if they were abolished tonight it wouldn't effect me or my members one iota, the concern is the lack of rank work, now its OK saying well if there isn't the work go and look for it but you cannot then claim unmet demand, and if the council is still issuing plates because of unmet demand then they are wrong to do so.
Its simply a case of thanks for your money but we're not going to provide you with anywhere to work so you have to go into a PH office and operate a vehicle signifigantly more expensive than the PH drivers are using.

The remainder of your post is your own opinion, to which you are entitled, but as your not furnished with either knowledge or experience of the trade in Gateshead currently or historically then your opinion is only that.

Your jumping all over like a scalded cat, the only reason for this is because I pointed out some truths about what I considered to be a misleading list you were trying to publish on my behalf as a member of this website, at no point were any of the points I raised about you personally, in fact quite the opposite, I wonder why you try to undermine my opinions so personally.

I have learned so much about what happens in other areas from websites such as this, the differing viewpoints ofeered make be constantly reconsider my own feelings on certain subjects, the only thing I have maintained is my position on derestriction, and we all know what that is.
You on the other hand claim to know everything about everywhere, you know the law inside out, I can't argue with that, appart from the fact that you know to much about it to be a taxi driver and you have mountains of case law within your hard-drive, but thats because you write books on this subject isn't it Mr Button.

B. Lucky

Ahhh, so he plays football for Mansfield too?

hehe

Captain cab

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Out wide on the left wing they recon.

I know exactly what Yell is but you can't get it into your head what this list is actually all about. There could be a 100 Gateshead's but if they are all unrestricted like Gateshead they won't fit the criteria of this list now that's not hard to understand.



Well you should have thought of that before you made the comments that "councils know best" and "the world owes no one a living". You can't have it both ways. Things you say sometimes have a habit of coming back to haunt you, ask MR Kavanagh.



At no point have I made a personal attack on you, you imply that reminding you of what you have said in the past is a personal attack? Those are your words not mine. If they come back to haunt you that is hardly my fault, if you didn't believe them to be true perhaps you shouldn't have said them in the first place.

With regard to the list, I've told you, time and time again, what the list is about and you keep going on about plate values in Gateshead as if they had some relevance. You are right about one thing, I know very little about Gateshead. However, it wasn't me who brought the subject of Gateshead into the public eye in the first place, it was you. To me it doesn't matter if plates in Gateshead are selling for ten grand or one hundred and ten grand, Gateshead still wouldn't fit the criteria for the list. So why the persistence?

JD

Because your list is intended to suggest that only areas with a restrictive policy have plate premiums. Write it, but do not publish it in my name.

I would also like to clarify one point. When I say the local authorities remain best placed to form local policies I mean as opposed to the only other group than can impose policies and thats central government. Discussion and argument should be presented to the local councils for their consideration, no applications to change local policies should be heard by national government.

Councils are therefore best placed, you suggest by your comments that I think that the councils should do what they want, and that is not democratic, however they should be the ones who finally decide upon the policy they wish to adopt. This should be done following consultation and debate as its only after hearing both sides of an argument can you make a decision.

B. Lucky

Competition Law is european law not parish pump stuff.

Mick waken up you are seriously loosing your grip, issues are not declared by you, as to whether they are local or not.

the world is a different place than 10 years ago many things have changed

you and the taxi trade have not, and you must.

I think we may soon be out of Europe.

I wonder what these lefties will do when a British Court can decide on British issues without intervention from Europe.

I hope the Tory's get in, I hope they introduce their immigration policies, I hope Europe tries to intervene, I hope we tell Europe to mind their own business and [edited by admin] off.

I have lost as much of my grip as you have of yours Yorkie mate, I know the trade has changed, I have changed more than in the last 2 years than in the previous 8. I have called for change, I have called for a legal update for a new Taxi Act, I have called to improve services.
The differance between us is how we would like these changes implimented and to what extent they should go.

Remember I'm only fighting as hard as you are.

B. Lucky

GA I try my best to agree, then you come out with this



I think your referring to Newcastle United

theres no way, even the tories know where their breads buttered (no pun)



And coming from you a T&G man!

What the [edited by admin] has immigration got to do with taxis?

Captain cab

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin