Taxi Driver Online

This has got to be the best one yet.

My girlfriend lives next door to Addison-Lee's office in Stanhope Street NW1. Yesterday, we needed a taxi down to Denmark St for 4.50 prompt and she booked it with the neighbour Addison-Lee.

5 o'clock and no taxi. She phones them up and eventually gets the reason that 'the driver can't find the address'

Once in the MPV they sent 10 yards down the road, the driver starts driving round and round the block as he s-l-o-w-l-y types in the word D-e-n-m-a-r-k into his superduper navigation system and we quickly realise that all (and the driver) is lost.

To add insult to injury he charges £7.40 for this short journey. On the return we flag down a black cab. No nonsense, straight to the door £4.

Any Addison-Lee representatives out there like to comment on this one? This little episode raises a lot of issues particularly one of the oldest nuts around - i.e. hack vs. PH. So much is said on this forum about life from the driver's seat but here's a story from a punter in the back.

_________________
Having a picnic

That's PH for you robbing B****RDS

Ah now. Let's ask Claude.

Claude if we rang your esteemed offices (very posh, you should all visit), and pre-booked the above fare what would the charge be?

The booking fee, the run-in (up to £3 isn't it) and then the mileage.

I guess it would be about the same as Addi Lee.

And Ivor you should get in and see Adi Lee's system. It stinks, the most amazingly unproductive system ever. ROCS is its name and bolROCS is what it is.

_________________
A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

Sorry what was that again Nigel?


Crackdown on rip-off taxi drivers

Southampton taxi drivers want to crackdown on the "tiny minority" of cabbies who rip-off passengers.

TAXI bosses in Southampton have launched a crackdown on drivers who try to rip-off passengers in the city.

The clampdown is being spearheaded by members of the Southampton Taxi Consultative Council after it was revealed that a small minority of drivers charged double the legal rate for journeys over the Christmas period.

Drivers are allowed to charge double normal rates for journeys over the festive season including Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

But a "tiny minority" of the city's 663 taxi drivers take advantage of the public uncertainty about the rules by charging up to four times what they should.

Now, drivers will be forced to display a clear notice in their cabs telling passengers what their rights are alongside the fares structure.

The notice will advise passengers that they should only pay the price that is clearly displayed on cab metres.

Chairman of the Taxi Consultative Council Clive Johnson said: "It is certainly not a major problem but we are worried about members of the public being charged more than they should be. Our concerns are to make sure the public is protected and know what their rights are with regards to fares."

The crackdown was revealed as drivers agreed a new set of tariffs with city licensing bosses on Wednesday.

_________________
IDFIMH

It came from a paper Suspect so they might mean PH drivers. You know how these reporters get us mixed up. PH/ HC 2 different things.

Same as one last year in Nottingham when is said Taxi Driver rapes a lone woman passenger. It ended up he was a PH driver.

The think is Tom, Addison Lee claim to be cheaper than the Hackney Carriage trade! This proves that they are not, in fact in certain circumstances they are very much more expensive. I have a list of prices for their account customers that is about a year old and their prices have gone up since then. They quote W1 - SE9 £49.00 + VAT a black cab will cost about £35.00 for the same journey

Jesus. I wish we could charge those prices in our rural area and get away with it. Trouble is, we mostly carry the same passengers everyday whereas in London they dont.

no, it must be hackneys Nige,

the give away is the reference to the legal rate, only hacks have a legal rate!

you realy need to compare like with like.

comparing a telephone booking with a flag down is unfair.

now compare Addison lee with say com cab phoned booking.

the cabs are obviously the best, quality is the true test of cheepness, the boss of addys always gets a taxi!

No way am I defending Addi Lee as a company, I think they are really missing the opportunity to turn it into a huge company by bad management and short term greed. They need to invest more in their drivers and do more training.

You comparison falls down again though because I presume Addi will quote a fixed price whilst Com Cab, DAC, Radio Cabs will all insist on meter + surcharge+ booking fee.

Then the chance to spent an hour in an air conditioned People carrier or the back of a TX11, no comparison.

_________________
A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

I would hope the Chairman of the Taxi Consultation Council, knows the difference.

_________________
IDFIMH

I havent been in the biz as long as some but i dont think anyone was has a monopolie on honerstly.
Some of the things i see are bad and some are very bad.
Both from the lads with the big lights and the lads with the little ones.
We even have drivers going to court this month for fighting each other.
Oh workers united.

So whats this all about, hope your not tarring all ph drivers with the same brush.

I'm totally against ripping punters off, unlike some

who won?