Taxi Driver Online

I don't know what's trying to be proven here. Authorities that have de restricted numbers in the past have always had less Private hire vehicles than hackney carriages. The opposite is the case where restriction exists. That is a proven fact, so what is the problem?

Everyone knows this to be the case even the inept Transport select comittee along with Mr Kavanagh of the TGWU. So unless I've got this debate all wrong there really shouldn't be any missundertstanding.

Best wishes.

John Davies.

Gateshead have more PH than HC. Gateshead have deregulated.

B. Lucky

Gateshead have more PH than HC. Gateshead have dregulated.

B. Lucky

Is it not the case in Gateshead that Saloon vehicles cannot be licensed. From what I understand New applicants have to put on a Wheelchair converted vehicle under a certain age. This is the new approach being adopted by an ever increasing number of councils.

For the purpose of those Authorities that have de restricted numbers in the past and where Saloon cars are the norm as Hackney carriages I think you will probably find that in most cases Hackney licences far surpassed private hire licences.

The Case of Gateshead and I pressume every other Authority that is adopting the Qaulity of vehicle approach is very interesting.

If Gateshead allowed Saloon cars to be licensed as Hackneys I think you would no doubt agree that private hire licensed vehicles would probably be in the minority.

Best Wishes

JD

But that's because all new taxis need to be WAVs. So some drivers choose to buy shed saloons instead of shed WAVs.

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IDFIMH

Mr GKS, it's like asking me to prove the Pope is Catholic. There are some things that are so bleeding obvious that really don't need indepth stats.

However if you tell me you area, then I will gladly ring up your local LO and ask him why.

But as a guess, there must be a good reason you have more PHs than taxis other than your PH trade is as thick as pigs s***.

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IDFIMH

If indeed any council licensed anything presented then of course no-one would buy a WAV and most would licence HC, I don't believe anyone would be so stupid to consider anything else.

The question really is, how many councils are going to deregulate their HC numbers policy without introducing manditory WAV's. Gateshead is not "new" when it comes to deregulation.

There is no age limit either in Gateshead, nor would we wish to see one. What we would like to see are only safe WAV's, so backstreet conversions would have to go, we are pushing for European Whole Body M1 specification as the ideal standard, but the lack of vehicles manufactured to this standard would mean only vehicles professionally converted by approved converters should be used.

Back to the main issue though, soon the government will start to put pressure on councils to make all form of public transport fully accessible to all users.

I may be accused of scare mongering but I would think anyone licensing a HC should be aware of the DDA.

B. Lucky

Maybe gks lives in an area where people value the service provided by their PH drivers and can rely on punctuality when making a pre booking. Maybe the drivers prefer offering that service than sitting on ranks or picking up flaggers that they will rarely see again.

Maybe they just have a different outlook, not of greed or envy but most certainly they neither consider themselves or are considered by others to be inferior.

It is therefore a clear indication that in some areas drivers prefer driving PH and to refer to them in the derogative manner you have just done reinforces your ignorance.

B. Lucky

If you look at the gov guidance letter, and McNulty's statement in the house, it seems pretty clear they want all new taxis to be WAVs.

However at the end of the debate McNulty seems to imply that not all those new taxis should be the LTI variety.

Sense at last it would appear.

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IDFIMH

I haven't met, I haven't seen and I haven't heard anyone say that PH should be got rid of. Well apart from the odd idiot.

If those drivers, many of whom don't do a knowledge in the first place, wish to stay PH and deliver a different, sometimes better service, then good luck to them.

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IDFIMH

Do you not think that the only reason why Authorities such as Gateshead are having to implement such mandatory rules is because they have failed to address the WAV situation in the past. Those councils that have dragged their feet in supplying wheel chair accessible vehicles now find themselves playing catch up to those Authorities who have for years applied these mandatory rules.



I don't know how much back street conversions apply these days but Since 1987 every cab ever made has been wheel chair accessible. Perhaps back street conversions nowadays would only apply to saloon cars?

Best wishes

JD

I think GA must mean the euro cab and the like.
We have them all and some lads like them and some dont. I like the Merc and the new VW.
But not the prices.

Sussex's statement should be qualified to the extent that his 'law' applies primarily in more urban areas - in more rural areas where there is less hack work then there is less justfication to incur the extra expenditure associated with running a taxi as compared to a PHV.

But if you look at towns and cities of any size (say 30,000 plus) then if taxi numbers are unrestricted and taxi/PHV conditions are largely similar then PHVs are very much in the minority, and even then may not be operating in the mainstream 'cab' market and to that extent do not really count for these purposes.

I certainly know a few towns with a population of less than 20,000 where PHVs are effectively non-existant.

The problem with the bigger cities is that few are unrestricted AND have similar taxi/PHV conditions, so there are not really a lot of stats in the DfT stats that prove the point.

Most of the stats for smaller towns are included in the figures which include large rural areas, so without breaking down the DfT figures they can't really be used to prove the point.

Mr Cgull we have vehicles licensed in Gateshead that have been converted by the vehicles owner.

There are more proffessional converters than specialist vehicle manufacturers who's vehicles are safe for public use. Some however produce vehicles which I don't believe are. For example I don't believe that a wheelchair user should be pushed onto the road to gain entry to a vehicle and I believe that every passenger should have an immediate point of exit, some conversions don't allow this basic safety feature.

Your last point about prices is the major point, the fewer vehicles that are considered safe for public use the more each converter can charge for supplying you with one, increasing prices will therefore exclude potential HC drivers on financial grounds, but some people don't want to accept that.

B. Lucky

" For example I don't believe that a wheelchair user should be pushed onto the road to gain entry to a vehicle and I believe that every passenger should have an immediate point of exit, some conversions don't allow this basic safety feature.



Repy.
Why is it that the majority of WAV purchased by disabled people for private use are all rear entry. Ask any supplier they all want rear entry. I have both side and rear entry vehicles and the rears are by far the most popular and most requested. The times I have to push anyone into the road are very rare. With rear entry you can pull into peoples drives and load which is often impossible with side entry. Places frequently visited by wheelchair users, day centres, hospitals etc are all designed for rear entry. A lot of hotel entrances are designed so that access is on the drivers side so side entry WAV have to go against the traffic to unload. Rear entry is more flexible and more popular with users and drivers.
Direct access to an exit for every passenger WHY ! Do they have this on buses, coaches, trains, planes no, you why is it necessary in a taxi. If 1 door and 2 emergency exit is ok for 70+ passengers on a bus why does a taxi need an exit for every passenger, is the person in the middle seat in the back in danger, he has no direct access.
Try and think through what you want to say before posting then you may not sound such an idiot.