Taxi Driver Online

I work in South Tyneside and have been driving a taxi for just over 2 years, not of course all in one go. Someone said to me that they are trying to make all Hackney and Private hire the same, ie anyone can pick up off the street and at ranks, excuse me for being thick but is this what you are all talking about here, how can this be so.

We have two busy nights, the rest is scrapping for work, during the day the taxi queue is only beaten in length by the great wall of China.

We have approx 250 hacks and probably three times that amount in private hire, are we really going to unleash 4 times the amount of taxis on the ranks etc during the day when it takes now up to an hour to get a job. Mmmm one job every 4 hours does not sound good to me.

Can somone explain to me whats going on. I admit now to only working the taxi part time but am planning on going full time again.

Derek

Dereck,
first of all dont go full time, a bloke not far from you works part time has two cars on his drive and is building an extension.

If you work full time you will be too knackered to work.

What you have been told is wishfull thinking, some of us believe there should only be one code, this would not stop you from getting top up work from an agency.

alas its not to be, and private hire cannot pick up off the srtreets or off the rank and thats not the proposal the proposal is to have all Hackney .

now sleep tight and plan for the wealth thats comming your way.

Do I know you???

Then surely anyone would be a fool to buy a £30,000 motor just to join that queue.

However the number of motors is not really the issue, it's the number of drivers that count.

Having 100 cabs and 300 drivers, is a lot worse than having 150 cabs and 150 drivers.

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IDFIMH

Either way, the way i see it is if they plan to get rid of private hire, they have to increase the numbers of hackney carriages, yes there would be car sharing but that does not put enough cars on the road at the busy times. This does not make much sense to me at all. Derek

Dereck,
First of all we are not talking about what makes sence to the individual, you think in terms of what makes sense to you, remember one thing, we may believe that we are only here to make money, but the punter does not see it as thier role to give it us.

you have hit the mail on the head if they do away with private hire the taxi fleet will have to increase, now why didnt I think of that?

but imagine it, a punter gets up in a morning and wants a taxi quickly what does he do? he goes to his garden gate and flags one of the many down

those who want to work from agencies can do, those who want to follow the people supermarket sitting train sitting or outside prominent buildings can do.

now that does not make sense to the thousands of taxi drivers whos only aim in life is not to make real cash, but to protect the value of thier premiums

this trade is tacky and stale and needs a kick up the backside, now we know in your parts that somethings you look at dont seem sensible. but try looking at things from all sides not just your own.

only then can you become a leader in an area devoid of such talent

What a complete load of self indulgant, individualistic, pompous, annoying and completely incorrect statements.

The vast majority of taxidrivers, whether they be HC or PH work hard to make their money and look to undertake as many jobs as they possibly can every shift they work. Unfortunatly the more and more vehicles we have joining the trade (both HC and PH) only benefit the local authorities and the large operators bank balances.

A suggestion from the writer that we should refer to PH operators as agencies should sound the alarm bells ringing in every taxidriver in the land, unfortunatly it won't.

The most regular posters on this site are intent on achieving what is best for them, nothing at all wrong with that but surely opposing opinion and allowing that person to voice such an opinion without being berated for presenting a differing viewpoint.

The suggestions made and the level of imagination required to foresee the possibilities is astonishing "but imagine it, a punter gets up in a morning and wants a taxi quickly what does he do? he goes to his garden gate and flags one of the many down ". Where does this person live ? Surely he doesn't suggest that everyone should have a taxi waiting at their front door just in case its needed. I live on a housing estate, he must therefore be expecting taxidrivers to drive around such estates as mine looking for work!!! The real problem here is that that kind of "job" was historically undertaken by the local PH firm but as these have developed and been taken over by people looking to corner the local market the level of service has dropped.

This is the reason I FEEL we need two codes, its also the reason I believe that HC should NOT be permitted to work through PH operations.

The best thing to do is what you think is best for you.

I personally dont mind how many codes we have.
Its just that all of those codes should be open to all.

are you the bloke who works part time whilst flogging spray on tan?

the leader devoid of talent?

probably.

I can't understand how that would work though.

Generally people who talk single code are large operators looking to weaken a side of the trade not reliant on working from their offices and paying them £250 a week to work.

Having both HC and PH delivers the services the public demand, having all licenses the same would reduce the availability of either or probably both.

Lots of talk on here about the queues at rasnks when the clubs kick out but not much talk of offices being fully booked and not able to accept bookings at the same times. What is the differance between waiting half an hour at a rank for a HC or half an hour outside a pub for a PH, would we really become a more demand responsive public transport service by all working the same code.

Pride in the services we offer should be paramount, anyone who believes they are inferior as a PH shouldn't and anyone who believes HC are superior should climb out of their own backsides.
I have never heard HGV drivers discussing what class of vehicle they drive, I'm not saying it doesn't go on but the one's I have met just consider themselves HGV drivers, maybe its time we just did the same.

Big difference between waiting at the rank and waiting at a pub. the public are lazy, simple as that. Especially now its getting colder and wet.

in one busy street in plymouth there is a HC Rank for 6 or so cabs, less than 100 yards down the road there are 3 pubs next to each other, where do you think the HC lads rank up? you guessed it right outside the pubs. sometimes on a friday night this illegal rank can be 12+ cabs deep blocking the inside lane.

Same goes for other areas of town. often i pick up booked fares from outside the covered entry to a club where theres HC's in the rank just a minutes walk up the road.

i'm sure this gets repeated every weekend all over the UK.

maybe it was different years ago, but we are in the age of the mobile phone and text/call back and punters can book on their phone and have a car outside the door without having to walk to a rank and put up with the [edited by admin] up queue jumpers causing agro or a young girl getting unwanted attention and hassle from the group of lads waiting behind her.

If all the cars were working to the same code then there would be no cabs at 2am cos they would all be pre booked!

A valid point, but wouldn't we be treated better, and maybe get a little more repect, from those waiting, if they had no other choice?

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IDFIMH

What a very odd way of looking at things?

have you ever studied the industry in other countries?

there was only intended to be a single code, I am glad you are not suggesting that I am a large opperator, I am an opperator but I own the fleet, so I dont set prices that impinge on anyones profitability but my own.

3 other taxis that are not mine currently work from my office they pay me nothing and will be given notice very soon.

I can see though that a level playing field is needed in my authority private hire already do more jobs off the street than taxis.

we have to be creative here, private hire cannot be creative if the agency fixes the fares and can afford to let taxis roam empty, the system will never work.

in this age of environmental concerns, every taxi must be used to its maximum potential.

so you are without imagination, you dont know how it will work?

visit London and watch.

that comparison with heavy vehicles was far off beem, all that industry is on the same rules.

as per my argument.

What a very odd way of looking at things?

have you ever studied the industry in other countries?

there was only intended to be a single code, I am glad you are not suggesting that I am a large opperator, I am an opperator but I own the fleet, so I dont set prices that impinge on anyones profitability but my own.

3 other taxis that are not mine currently work from my office they pay me nothing and will be given notice very soon.

I can see though that a level playing field is needed in my authority private hire already do more jobs off the street than taxis.

we have to be creative here, private hire cannot be creative if the agency fixes the fares and can afford to let taxis roam empty, the system will never work.

in this age of environmental concerns, every taxi must be used to its maximum potential.

so you are without imagination, you dont know how it will work?

visit London and watch.

that comparison with heavy vehicles was far off beem, all that industry is on the same rules.

as per my argument.

A few points have been picked up the wrong way here so I'll start by putting them right.
Firstly when I mentioned waiting I was refering to passengers NOT vehicles, so if I was a member of the public waiting at a rank for a taxi or waiting outside a pub for a pre-booked PH and I had to wait for half an hour for either I would have to wait. This example is more commonplace with PH customers particularly at weekends. compared with HC where customers are only kept waiting on weekend nights. after 11pm and 2am for no more than an hour.

Secondly to the poster of the previous message who considers every written word on here to be against or about him, I have no need to study the industry in other countries as I have studied through my years driving a cab in my local area the requirements of my local community providing the services they want NOT the services I want to give them.


I find it appauling that certain cartels are allowed to be formed in a industry where the majority of people involved are self employed. In the previous posters company where drivers are employed I guess their salaries are NMW at best.

What I can't understand is why PH drivers consider themselves as being discriminated against, if I'm busy throughout my shift I'm happy, picking people up I have come to know, something I would much prefer than sitting on ranks or driving around looking for strangers.

This site must appeal to people who care more about others and what they've got than the much better things they have themselves.