Taxi Driver Online

Just what the trade needs.

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/4080483 ... price_war/

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IDFIMH

Drivers footing the bill yet again

If the A to B drivers are that p!ssed off they could always start witholding their office dues en masse.


I'm sure the owner would then start listening.

Why that's revolution young man!.....it would need a backbone which is particularly a difficult concept to the jellyfish within our trade.

CC

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

Emergency peace talks to end taxi price war


EMERGENCY peace talks are being organised between Basildon’s warring taxi firms.

David Abrahall, head of licensing on Basildon Council, is organising a summit meeting between A and B Taxis and Value Cars.

A series of fare cuts, introduced by both firms in recent weeks, have caused mounting tension between the companies’ owners.

Drivers worried the falling fares will leave them impoverished, also held up traffic with a go-slow protest through the streets of Basildon.

Mr Abrahall, councillor for Pitsea South East, said: “This can’t go on. We can’t as a licensing authority force private hire taxi firms to stick to a set rate, but we can get both groups around the table to sort out their differences.

“The protests have got to stop. If the taxis bring traffic to a standstill, they could hold up an ambulance or fire engine, which could be disastrous.”

Representatives from the private hire and hackney carriage taxi associations will also be invited to the summit, at the Basildon Centre, in St Martin’s Square.

Value Cars lowered its start rate for fares from £1.70 to £1.20 on Tuesday.

The move prompted A and B Taxis, which lowered its start rate to £1.50 earlier this month, to guarantee customers any journey with them would cost 20p less than with any other firm in Basildon.

Gary Brand, 40, co-owner of A and B Taxis, said: “I’m happy to go along, but it is hard to see what it will achieve.

“We didn’t start this price war. It was Value Cars who made a point about being the cheapest in town, when they set up four years ago.”

Mia Walker, owner of Value Cars, added: “I’ll be happy to go along.

“We didn’t start the price war. We had been running perfectly happily for four years catering for the cheaper end of the market, which other taxi firms weren’t interested in.

“It was A and B who suddenly started causing problems. They’re trying to drive us out of business.”

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