Taxi Driver Online

LTI supports Government response to OFT’s taxi report

LTI (London Taxis International) says it supports last week’s Government response to the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT) recent report into the UK market for taxis and private hire vehicles.

The Government’s response calls for local decisions to restrict taxi numbers to be made with consumer interests in mind, and the decisions on quality controls for the type of taxi which can be used to stay with local licensing authorities.

Peter Shillcock, Managing Director of LTI, the UK’s principal black cab manufacturer, said, "By leaving licensing restrictions in place and letting local councils have the power to issue licences is the best way forward. In common with the Transport and General Workers Union who represent licensed taxi drivers, we believe the best course of action is the managed growth of our industry as it becomes integrated within the Government plan for an integrated public transport system.

"We believe the current Metropolitan Conditions of Fitness which control the construction and use of purpose built hackney carriages are best practice for our industry. The Conditions of Fitness represent the blueprint for the production of a taxi that is fit for purpose and that includes facilities specifically for the use of disabled passengers".

Shillcock continued, "LTI have no wish to have a monopoly in building hackney carriages. We welcome competition but we want standards reinforced not reduced, so allowing more non-recognisable car-type minicabs or non-achieving van conversions into the market place. This increases the danger of such vehicles becoming available to non-licensed drivers"

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IDFIMH

They believe in managed growth, aka mandatory growth, more like managed monopoly.

Since when has this been their industry?

It's our industry they have the opportunity to offer us their goods.

Regards

Captain Cab

I just can't work out the bit when he says;

"We believe the current Metropolitan Conditions of Fitness which control the construction and use of purpose built hackney carriages are best practice for our industry. The Conditions of Fitness represent the blueprint for the production of a taxi that is fit for purpose and that includes facilities specifically for the use of disabled passengers".

Now someone just remind me, how many firms can currently adhere to the MCoF?

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IDFIMH

LTI's position might be a bit more credible if they kept the issues of restricted numbers and conditions of fitness seperate, but to be fair to them they do perhaps keep them further apart than the T&G et al.

You'd think they'd support de-restriction since this would clearly increase taxi numbers and LTI sales in areas adopting it, but clearly they think that maintaining the status quo on restricted numbers makes it more likely that the MCoF status quo will prevail as well.

be fair to them? come come they shaft us daily!

I was thinking of recommending them for 'Business of the year'.

I mean, why would they want the government to accept the OFT report, when that report suggested that 15,000 extra taxis would be licensed?

This from the largest manufacture of WAVs in the country?

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IDFIMH

its the oldest trick in the book,

its something they can do nothing about, it puts there name forward, and it increases the goodwill element when they want a favour.

it also fools the gulable licensing staff that they are an aythority on taxis.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

And what happens when they are to old to be licensed? Do they disintegrate, or change shape?

Alex

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Simply the best taxi forum in the whole wide world. www.taxi-driver.co.uk

if you read the book carefully Alexander, they are never too old to be licensed

They may be the case in theory, but alas hardly ever in practice.

But the point Alex is making is that there are thousands of ex-black cabs driving around the streets now.

So the LTI idiot is joining the scare-monger brigade by saying 'if it doesn't look like a black cab, it isn't safe'.

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IDFIMH

Just face it it's over and done with. Crying won't bring it back. The OFT F***ED up big time and they got slated for it just like they did when they did the Chemist survey. We can all go about our jobs now.

Nige,
you dont even begin to understand!

we are seing a new beggining not back to status quo

indeed that was the case with the chemist report!

I can't believe you said that.

When the Gov said what they want, or what they will do if they don't get it, clearly you just read the headline, not the following paragraphs

As for the Chemist study, they said that if customers required more Chemists, then they would get them.

And that will happen with taxis, no-matter what CTN say about it.

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IDFIMH

Nigel perhaps you should take note of the reaction to the OFT decision by the lads in Reading.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/story.asp?intid=9184

In particular the sentence 'While welcoming the decision as a small victory, Reading drivers admitted it was too early to make a “song and dance”.

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IDFIMH

A lot of the lads have been upping the pricesx of the plates. And some idiots are paying the new higher prices.
Wots that they say about fools and their money?