Cabby John 1 wrote:
I cannot believe that you guys are debating this!
The customer has the right to choose whatever service they are buying. A taxi rank is basically there to let customers know as to where they can find a taxi on a regular basis, and to giver the drivers somewhere to stop legally in order to obtain business, to also rank/queue in an orderly fashion. The fact that a person/passenger goes to the front of the queue is an orderly/courtesy issue
Imo no Bye Laws are going to supercede the rights of a person to lawfully choose any product/service. The Bye Laws apply to taxi drivers v taxi drivers i.e I could not as a fellow taxi driver steal your work or stop you from working by threatening/bullying "I know that I am number 3 on the rank - but I am taking the next fare". If a member of the public stopped you/I from working i.e by say deliberately keeping your cab door open, and refusing to let you leave - then that would come under civil law.
Find me any law that says (You do not have the right to choose).
Considering every cab in an area, will have the same rates, and that everyone has paid for a licence, it should become law that persons requiring a cab from any rank should go to the front, thereby giving all drivers a chance to earn