Taxi Driver Online

We have had a situation down here whereby drivers were parked all over the place in the early hours outside a night club (not a rank as such), however the drivers usually know who is first.

After waiting a while a punter comes up to one of the drivers (No1) who declines the fare because he/she is not going far enough, the rest of the drivers decline the fare saying that it is driver (No1) who should be taking the fare and they do not see why they should take basically a rubbish fare when it is not their turn!

In a nutshell it is cherry picking by driver (No1). In the event of the LO turning up is it a defense for the others to say it was not their turn, as it was not their fare they were turning down?

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

Personally I'd take the customer and report the 1st guy to the LO and have the customer leave me some details to back up a complaint.

Well I'd take the customer anyway


No wonder we have no business anymore is it.

Personally apart from not seeing the point of waiting for customers if you aren't going to take them it is my understanding that if a taxi isn't on a rank waiting for a fare they are illegally plying for hire by sitting at the roadside, especially outside venues. I would imagine, although I'm not sure, that if a customer approaches a taxi that has his 'for hire' lit and is refused the driver is indeed committing an offence same as they are when they don't stop having been flagged down. I appreciate that there is some case law that says a taxi doesn't have to stop for a flagger, but, I am of the opinion that if you don't want to be hired then switch your light off and go home.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

If your light is on and you are plying, then it is an offence to refuse a job without good reason.

Going around the corner is not a good reason.

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IDFIMH

It's because of drivers like this, that I earn decent money.

I just hope they keep it up in Brum.

Take every job & your wheels move more than other driver's.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
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When debating on the TDO Forum.

I was under the impression that a hack can only rank up (on a proper rank) or take a flagdown, waiting on a non-rank kind of wipes away all the rules, i certainly wouldnt expect to be told to take any particular car an a proper rank, let alone a nightclub layby, and if its a carpark is that a proper place/public highway?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

It didn't get to happen often before the PC days, when it was mainly a white male trade anyone cherry picking got told to get off the rank there and then, don't want the job go to the back of the rank, but today we find ourselves having to watch what we say, I've pulled a couple of foreign drivers up for jumping out of junctions in front of me, I've had to be polite about it and every time I've had the ok I'm sorry I didn't see you as the 1st excuse just like a kid in a cookie jar after it's been told not to touch, one did add he was fed up with it happening to him so he was just doing it back, then came up to me all excited a few days later cos he'd bollocked another driver for doing it to him

That's kind of right, ..... but as there is very little enforcement of the rules it is left to cabbies with bottle to stand outside night venues where illegal PHV stand & rank & even mix into their illegal rank to screw them up as much as possible.

Subway City in Brum is a classic.

Two cab rank right outside the venue ..... club puts 6 foot high mobile fencing at curb edge of pavement along the length of the taxi rank on the pretext of crowd control ..... club has direct line to PH ..... club encourages hot dog van outside to park as close to first turn rank as possible to obstruct the rank, effectively making it into a one & half cab rank ..... PH post the last 'ranked' PHV directly against the rear of the rank & leave it there until it is his turn to work, which blocks the rank from the back, making the taxi rank almost inaccessible ..... flare-ups all night between cabs & PH.

When I go there I enjoy myself ..... I position my cab so that when the rear rank blocking PH moves I pull in to his space immediately but leave about half a space so that cabs can get in & I usually stay there for about an hour for the hell of it, letting other cabs work around me. This blocks PH & the horns go off ..... out comes the club manager, because he is worried about local residents complaining & the club loosing their license. Last time he came out he asked me to move. I said, "Who are you?" He said, "I'm XYZ the manager of Subway City." I said, "Well f*ck off back inside Subway City & manage it." I just love winding him up.

Unfortunately, in big cities this is what the cab trade increasingly have to do if they are to push the pirates out of the way.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Agree. I'd report anyone in front of me who refused though, not just the point car.
"It was a sh*t hire" is no excuse, even if the guys before you should have taken it.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Now yer starting to see it, there's a taxi driver and someone who drives a taxi, the two are poles apart imo.

Without reading the majority of the replies.

You were all illegally ranked and could have possibly been done for touting.

CC

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

Ok just to bring the situation up to speed; this area is well away from any taxi ranks and closes very late. The drivers are parked every way which way, some with their lights on and some with their lights off

With regards to touting (rightly or wrongly) I have always thought that the "Definition" of "Touting" was more of a verbal "No no" i.e asking punters do you want a taxi as opposed to parking up and leaving it to the power of suggestion

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

If thats the case and you all ain't ranked, but merely waiting, then whats the issue with a customer not going in the first car?

http://taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2921&highlight=lake

CC

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

Basically when you look at it, it is a problem caused by the LA 450 hacks 3 years ago, today 850/900. The cake has become smaller due to deregulation and the recession has made it even smaller. The Hacks who have spent in excess of 25K and those who are renting £250+ per week are waiting for worthwhile fares just to pay their way, as opposed to £5 fares at 5.00am and then to the back of the ambiguous queue for maybe nothing and possibly going out of business. What does tend to happen is that the guy/guys at the back tend to take those short fares in hope that when the club empties out they can get back for the dregs as opposed to waiting for a long time and maybe getting one.................if that makes sense.

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

I sympathise with your problem, which seems to be a nationwide one.

CC

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