Taxi Driver Online

I was looking around the Internet to see which UK Taxi sites South of the Border had a wide range of up to date news. I wasn’t surprised when I couldn’t find any. Which leads me on to the following question.

"What do you think is the best online Taxi site for up to date news and why"

Having kept a close eye on most Taxi websites for some time now, I have to confess that for its up to date news and comments none can compare with TDO.

I suppose the reason for that is the active participation of its members, subscribers and of course the site owners.

The National Taxi Association web site is lamentable, the recently formed National Taxi Trades Group doesn’t even have a website. The wealthiest Taxi association outside of London with a full time paid Official and a secretary to boot, haven’t got one either, no prizes for guessing who that is.

So why should a site such as this be so dedicated on a daily basis in "highlighting" and debating accurately the latest news topics that effect our trade? Or is it the case that News and debate on this site is not at the high level which I have suggested?

I have come across many sites that are biased to a particular point of view and many that offer opinion not based on fact.

I suggest it is the satisfaction of knowing that one can get an informative and varied view on a wide range of Taxi related subjects that sets this site apart from many others.

There are many individual sites out there where a great deal of effort has gone in to building the website but sadly these sites are not kept up to date. I know some that subscribe to this forum maintain their own websites and fair play to them.

As a last thought I would just like to ask TDO if they are happy with the way the site is set up and have they in the past ever harboured thoughts of enlarging the site to include other items of interest beside the forum?

Best wishes

JD

Thanks for the kind words John, but the answer to your latter question is very definitely a negative.

Indeed, it is intended that our current homepage format will be discontinued and a more static page will be introduced which will feature a selection of our opinion columns from the last year, since with radical change unlikely in the near future, these pieces are likely to be as relevant in a few years time as they have been in the last year.

As the 'About Us' page on the site says, we originally just intended to set up a forum in place of another one that was removed, since that was the only one that allowed unfettered access and posting.

We then decided to add the frontpage news and opinion pieces in the hope that this would generate some interest, and also allow us to get some of our views across to a wider audience.

However, as mentioned on the current frontpage, at the end of the year we decided that the time spent on the frontpage simply wasn't worth the effort, particularly since the readership figures are pretty poor, and the forum hasn't really advanced much from what we were doing on other forums two or three years ago.

Of course, we didn't set up the site to win any popularity contests, but we did hope to perhaps to generate a bit more interest, debate and feedback.

That's not to say that the site hasn't had some impact, because to some extent we're possibly a victim of our own success - many of the conventional interests in the trade clearly prefer to ignore us rather than debate the issues.

So since we've at least managed feature our views on some of the major issues, and the site didn't look as if it was going to go much further, it was decided that the time and effort required on the site just wasn't worth it.

The forum will continue in its present form though, with any future news and opinion posted on there.

TDO

you would have thought LTI or Metrocab would have had an owners forum on their websites.
perhaps they are afraid that all the negitive comments and breakdown questions would make potenion new customers shy away from the cab.

Exactly, the likes of LTI have suffered most at the hands of taxi forums, both past and present.

Giving drivers the option of freely expressing their views on crap motors, or crap data systems is a bloody good thing.

Sharing council good practise, and no so good practise is also a bloody good thing.

But putting up a post telling all when a council has ended quotas, is simply the best.

_________________
IDFIMH

I think those behind TDO spend too much time on the status quo, than trying to do more.

I wish there were more taxi sites available, especially one that attempts to defend taxi restrictions, via debate, rather than incoherent rants in the press.

Perhaps you could devise a new setup yourself John, with this forum attached.

_________________
IDFIMH

giving people the right to comment on crap data systems is a good thing indeed regretfully TDO is tainted on this.

they were guilty of scrubbing postings.

this is a thread about forums not that man,

no wonder this site has so many registered users who just do not bother to post, and so many guests who do.

So are you saying that anon libellous posts should stay up?

Maybe that's why most taxi forums fold, because the admin/owners of the site have to bend over backwards to please the idiots.

And eventually they realise that it isn't worth it.

_________________
IDFIMH

Your libellous post's stayed up on old Fozzy The Tan man's site, well at least till old Tan Man's bottle went then he pulled the lot down.

And you were and are still anonomous.

You couldn't make it up.

they were not liabelous they were true

And your point is?

_________________
IDFIMH

The point is that this anonomous site is pointless.

It is a nothing. Just like the anonomous you, a nobody.

another excuse for your succesfull failure Mick?

Welcome back to the 'must have full details of everyone' stupidity.

Anyone who is more interested in the personalities of a poster, rather than the content of the post, is a buffoon.

A guest buffoon at that.

_________________
IDFIMH

Your the buffoon and a poltroon to boot. I'm not interested in your personality, as I know that already.

But the person is something different and when the person hides he has something to hide and has no courage and is a country poltroon