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[color=red][/color]why when a phv must return to base after dropping off fair . are phv allowed to apply for hire in my supermarket .even though it is classed as a private rank, i am a ph driver and disagree with this why do they get a way with it

1) I didn't know they did. Although some councils pretend it's the law, it's not. Makes no sense at all. Can you imagine a firm with 500 PH's parked outside there office. It may have had it place when you didn't have radios, but it doesn't now.
2) No.

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IDFIMH

for about the first time i can remember I have to disagree with sussex! even though its only slightly

I was always under the impression that private hire cars could not park in a public place when empty, therefore they had to return to their booking office.

This was never done, virtually anywhere (I know I was a private hire driver once, but then god loces a reformed sinner)

The problem arises over the murky issue of private land, to which i understand supermarket car parks are included.

However, this works two ways, you cannot go playing gran turismo in supermarket car parks, even though in one breath they say its private land and in the next its not.

Confused, welcome to the 1976 act!

Regards (and probably gonna get dogged for it)

Captain Cab

One other thing Mr Up North, exactly how far up north are you?

I would guess you are about 20 yards from a station. Am I right?

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IDFIMH

Well Captain if you didn't agree with me now and again, then people would talk.

There is no provision in the 1976 act saying that PHs should return anywhere. Some councils put conditions on, but only one or two enforce them.

To me it makes no sense a car going back to base, only to be sent back to where he came from. Can you imagine some of the big PH firms in London?

Having 750 cars parked outside of Addison Lee's office in central London, would really help traffic flow.

As for the private land issue, it basically falls into two catorgies.

If the private land is next too, or very near too to a public highway, then PH's 'ranked up' would more than likely be classed as being illegal.

If however they ranked up out of sight of the general public, then it's very grey.

Take the PH boys and girls at the airports. As the general public (not the airport customers) cannot see them from the highway, and be attracted to them, then this isn't classed as a public place in the act.

In my un-professional opinion.

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IDFIMH

sorry sussex nearest station approx 8 miles away , the rank in question is on a asda carpark where 6 phv's can stand and apply for hire at a time

I am a cabbie.

if you study the laws and case laws you will find that as supermarkets and car parks are on private land (that is unadopted by the council)

its outside the jurisdiction of licensing officials.

as for going back to the office every trip that is stupid, if the office has more advance bookings it will aid fuel conservation to go to the next job

thats what radios and phones are for

I might hate private hire but I have a modicum of common sense.

though that will set off a row with Sussex

so what happens when a private hire car has no advanced booking, and sits on the highway 100 yards from a cab rank?

as for the supermarkets, they are aiding and abetting.

theres no real quarrel sussex, i think you should have a hack, thus stopping any problem. Its only when hacks are limited that theres a problem anyway.

I know its not feasible for PH to return to their base, but if they did it would certainly make planning applications from large PH firms interesting to say the least.

If you only have facilities for 50 cars, you can only operate 50 cars from that premisis would be an option, or a question on an operators licesing asking very much the same.

As for the grey areas, a cab and Ph act should be sorted to sort out the 76act. Because basically theres a balls up when you think that supermarket land is private, but the public obviously can have access to it and see any ph cars that may be ranked.

The major problem with the hack trade is that we (and I believe I can say we), seem to think that private hire will remove radios and work the streets, when all private hire will actually do is work the streets when their radios are quiet. The peaktime period is usually covered by illegal private hire anyway, so whats the problem, let them eat cake!

But to accept this will see peoples license fees plumment in a value they should never have attained.

Perhaps the government should come out and tell the hackney trade the truth, post 1985 buying a plate was a gamble and a business risk, therefore only compensating those still licensed prior to 1985.

Hornets nest well and truly kicked

regards

Captain Cab

if a private hire sits on a highway without a booking its plying for hire.

the one about supermarkets aiding and a betting, what exactly?

they atr doing no such thing

No not really.

The law is crystal clear.

If the Joe Public (or the chap on the Clapham Omnibus) can see the 'rank' from the public highway, and freely gain access to that 'rank', then it's deemed a public place, and no PH rank is permitted.

If the 'rank' is out of sight, or a barrier stopping Joe getting to the rank from the street, in other words the only people using the PHs are those coming from the private land, not to it, then that is ok more times than not.

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IDFIMH

It's all down to the perception of the public, the licensing officers, and the courts.

But the Eastbourne judgment does give quite a bit of weight to the side of the local HC trade.

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IDFIMH

I know what you mean, but that's a little bit sweeping.

Cos at this time there are over 100,000 vehicles contravening your view of the act.

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IDFIMH

Funny you keep on about the Eastbourne judgement.

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

Now im quite mide mannered.
But if I see ph ranking anywhere., I just go and sit at the front and take the first lot of punters.
They really love me.

ahh, I remember private hire,dont have that problem anymore cgull, all our private hire are now hackneys, no illegal plying for hire, plenty of taxis on demand.