Taxi Driver Online

When a survey is done as to how many licences should be in force, do they include a risk assessment as to the wellbeing of existing drivers?

By that,I am thinking of the hours that a driver might have to work 70/80 to now meet his/her commitments. This also becomes a danger to the driver and mr & mrs joe public, so whilst the L.Os may not consider our wellbeing, perhaps they should think of the public safety issue.

Also what constitutes unmet demand?

Cardiff appears to have issued in excess of 200 hackney licences in the last 15 months and no sign of it stopping.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

All of your answers are somewhere on the DFT website.

I dont believe the well being of the driver is taken into account.....the survey is to help a local authority decide if there is a significant unmet demand of passengers....or any latent demand.

Its been more or less certain since the 1985 transport act that a local authority can only restrict numbers of hackney carriages if it is satisfied there is no SUD.....if it isnt satisfied then it shouldnt restrict.

The best practice document issued during October last year considers it best practice not to restrict numbers.

The unfortunate fact has been written by yourself in your post....I suspect the way your LA will consider it is that they have issued 200 licenses in 15 months....they will say there must be a demand.

The only thing that your LA may listen to is either a united taxi trade or a number of passenger deaths because drivers have fallen asleep doing 80 hour weeks.

Its pants isnt it.

CC

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

Thanks C.C

Re the wellbeing of drivers - do the L.As have to have a duty of care towards drivers?

It strikes me as odd that it is only one way (public safety) and as I am part of the general public off duty, and I also use taxis. Could the safety issue be raised regarding lack of safety from any of us - as we are members of the public!

Basically I am thinking of another angle to come in from.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

Sorry post went through twice.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

I'd be careful, because I would envisage your local authority being really interested, you'll all be faced with safe driving courses (saFED), risk assessment courses, disability courses, DSA tests...need I go on?

After all, your local authority wouldnt want unsafe drivers on its hands

regards

CC

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

We (Cardiff) already have to resit the driving test and do the disabilty course -neither should worry you. But! the constant issuing of licenses is a big worry, as I have stated before in Newport Gwent 70/80 hrs plus per week is quite the norm. That L.A is still issuing, just where do they stop - or dont they!

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

If it hadn't been for Mr Cummings greed, you wouldn't have this situation, would you? You should push for higher quality controls, limiting numbers by quantity control is dying practice.

Regards

JD

You are right re Mr C - it would seem although your suggestion re higher Quality control is sound, without L.A enforcement it would still mean nothing. I mean if you have still got the "brothers" passing the badge around!

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

No. But in all fairness the survey folk didn't write the law.

But from my experience if drivers are working crazy hours and there is still SUD, then the fares are far too low.

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IDFIMH

ISUD = APD x PF x GID x SSP x SF


Where:

APD = Average Passenger Delay calculated across the entire week.

PF = Peaking Factor. If passenger demand is highly peaked at night the factor takes the value of 0.5. If it is not peaked the value is 1. Following case law this provides dispensation for the effects of peaked demand on the ability of the Trade to meet that demand. To identify high peaking we are generally looking for demand at night (at weekends) to be substantially higher than demand at other times.

GID = General Incidence of Delay. This is measured as the proportion of passengers who travel in hours where the delay exceeds one minute.

SSP = Steady State Performance. The corollary of providing dispensation during the peaks in demand is that it is necessary to focus on performance during “normal” hours. This is measured by the proportion of hours during weekday daytimes when the market exhibits excess demand conditions (i.e. passenger queues form at ranks).

SF = Seasonality factor. Due to the nature of these surveys it is not possible to collect information throughout an entire year to assess the effects of seasonality. Experience has suggested that hackney demand does exhibit a degree of seasonality and this is allowed for by the inclusion of a seasonality factor. The factor is set at a level to ensure that a marginal decision either way obtained in an “untypical” month will be reversed. This factor takes a value of 1 for surveys conducted in September to November and March to June, i.e. “typical” months. It takes a value of 1.2 for surveys conducted in January and February and the longer school holidays, where low demand the absence of contract work will bias the results in favour of the hackney trade, and a value of 0.8 for surveys conducted in December during the pre Christmas rush of activity. Generally, surveys in these atypical months, and in school holidays, should be avoided.

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IDFIMH

Following on from the above, it should be noted that now the equation should allow for more night-time and weekend SUD to be taken into account, following the recent DfT 'Best Practise Guidance'.

In other words the peaking factor will be skewed towards allowing more plates to be issued, if a council still wishes to remain restricted.

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IDFIMH

Besides saying thank you, what else can I say I do not suppose that they meant for it to be to simple. So the hypocrisy of it all would be that the council would use that format for us, but buses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well, again what can I say. I suppose double standards might cover it.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

I once tried to actually fathom out the maths equation. Done my head in.

Came to the conclusion if a council wants to de-limit, a pro de-limit survey will be submitted, if not then a anti de-limit survey will be submitted.

If the council want to add a few cabs, a few cabs will be added. If they want a load but don't want to de-limit, then more times than not that will be the outcome.

Do you get the picture I'm painting?

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IDFIMH

As clear as mud In other words they do as they want

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

What exactly are quality controls please Mr JD.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.