Taxi Driver Online

I would less not very good.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/biz/Taxis-r ... 6335523.jp

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IDFIMH

I wonder if they'll let me have one of these plates......I could then remove it from the bike and put it on a vehicle and sell it on for a huge profit.

CC

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

I sent a FoI request asking if these things are licensed.

Surprise surprise they are not.

In response to the query the licensing service would respond as follows:

1. Portsmouth Pedicabs are not licensed as hackney carriages as they are not plying for hire in the street. However, if they were to be plying for hire on the highway we would regard them to be hackney carriage vehicles and would need licensing. However, we have an existing quantity control policy for hackney carriage vehicles. As far as I am aware this vehicles are not motorised and therefore do not meet the definition of a motor vehicle as prescribed by the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

2. For the reason explained above, the drivers are not accordingly licensed as hackney carriage drivers.

Alex

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ʎɐqǝ uo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq ı ǝɯıʇ ʇsɐן ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ

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

Surely to god in this safety obsessed nation of ours there is some form of road test, suitability examination or licence you must require in order to allow you to transport cash paying customers and ensure their safety and in event of an incident to ensure they are suitably covered for injury or even death!!!!...A pedicab running out of control downhill will be just as dangerous if not more dangerous than a badly driven motorised vehicle.

The article says that the things have electric motors, yet the council says they don't. Maybe the council's licensing department haven't got off their bums and looked.

Clearly this is something the council think would be a good tourist attraction, and it appears they are prepared to simply ignore the law.

Be nice if the Portsmouth trade stepped up to the mark and said NO!.

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IDFIMH

No they wont....they can see the green tinge of an environmentalists vote at stake here...and screw safety or the law if there is an extra green vote in it for any would be councillor.

They should be eligible to be licensed under the 1847 act regardless of the fact that they are/not motorised. The vehicle in question may be regarded as motorised due to the electric motor assist, but it should be regarded as eligible for plating. I would not personally plate this vehicle. I wonder how much insurance they would pay if any? I believe they are unsuitable and would attract a high payout in the event of an accident.

FROM the 1847 act: 38 What vehicles to be deemed hackney carriages Every wheeled carriage, whatever
may be its form or construction, used in standing or plying for hire in any street within
the prescribed distance, and every carriage standing upon any street within the prescribed
distance, having thereon any numbered plate required by this or the special Act to be
fixed upon a hackney carriage, or having thereon any plate resembling or intended to
resemble any such plate as aforesaid, shall be deemed to be a hackney carriage within the
meaning of this Act; and in all proceedings at law or otherwise the term "hackney
carriage" shall be sufficient to describe any such carriage: Provided always, that no stage
coach used for the purpose of standing or plying for passengers to be carried for hire at
separate fares, and duly licensed for that purpose, and having thereon the proper
numbered plates required by law to be placed on such stage coaches, shall be deemed to
be a hackney carriage within the meaning of this Act.

Had a very nice e-mail from the Portsmouth LO.

Dear Alex

Thank you for bringing this to my attention in respect of the vehicles being electrically assisted. I agree that this does have implications in respect of the Act and is something that I will be acting on immediately.

As regards your second enquiry, my understanding, when I understood that the vehicles were non-motorised, was that the pedicabs would not be waiting on the street for bookings (as this would quite clearly be plying/standing for hire).

Alex

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ʎɐqǝ uo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq ı ǝɯıʇ ʇsɐן ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ

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

As the biggest hater of all things bike/tuk tuk/limo in the UK, I welcome the review of these licensed death traps.

Bikes are for carrot crunchers, not for punters.

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IDFIMH

Well done Alex

As the LO was being nice, I will be nice.

How does anyone think these things will get work other than by waiting on the street and plying for hire?

Tourist will not ring for a ride.

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IDFIMH

You can see how dangerous these things are likely to be...just look at ginger rogers hanging out of the contraption in the Press photo....A recipe for disaster, half P*ssed and unrestrained DOH!!!

http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/new ... g_to_city/



ONLY FOR THE FLATTER PARTS OF THE CITY......
I'm not surprised, the hills round Winchester would just about kill him Not unless he's superman and consumes about 20,000 calories a day.... can't wait to see a 25 stoner getting in or will he refuse on the grounds of not enough fuel....

That's one of the newspaper's columnists!!!

She has a Column like stature right enuff...If that rolled out they'ed need a crane to hoist it back in!!!