Taxi Driver Online

Another rather confusing story from Notts.....


Easier pick-ups for private hire "cabs?"


PLANS to make private hire taxis easier to book in the city centre late at night are on the cards for Nottingham.

The Nottingham Leisure Partnership, which represents 260 bars and restaurants, wants to improve transport out of the city centre.

Hackney cabs can pick people up from the street, but private hire taxis cannot – they must be pre-booked.

But the Nottingham Leisure Partnership believes better promotion of private hire firms and designated pick- up points could make private hire taxis a more attractive option for people at the end of a night out.

Sylvia Manser, chief executive of the partnership, said: "We are looking at an initiative which creates areas where people will be sign posted to private hire.


"It is illegal for private hire to pick people up on the street, but the initiative could include text messaging or phone calls.

"We are looking at vacant doorways to advertise information.

"People could text the company and receive a text back on the cost of the journey and the registration of the car that is coming. It would pick up at a designated point."

Ms Manser was speaking at a meeting of the City Centre Area Committee. She recognised there could be concern – and Hackney carriage drivers say they are worried about the plans .

Mohammad Khalil, a committee member of Fastlane drivers' association in the city, said: "Private hire drivers already pick up at busy spots. The police do the best they can but they can't be everywhere. It causes a problem.

"If private hire cars are given a green light so they can go anywhere it would be out of control. You would not know who is on a pre-booked job and who is not."

However, private hire companies feel they are currently disadvantaged by rules which prevent them using certain city centre roads.

A Trent Cars spokeswoman gave the proposals a cautious welcome.

She said: "The only reason private hire is not more accessible to the public is because there are certain parts of the town where we can't go. Our prices are a lot cheaper than Hackneys.

"The scheme sounds good in principle but it depends on where the pick-up points are."

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/Plan-promote-private-hire-cabs-city/article-1781367-detail/article.html

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

As we have seen with fat sams central private hire pick up points cause the taxis a lot of grieve and operate illegally.

Imo PH don't need special pick up points they just need the same access to streets etc as the HC. Then let public either book their ride home or flag down a cab

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Yeah,your prices are a lot cheaper and your bloody cars are as well!
Jeez!
And as for pick up points,yeah,yeah they'll all be legally booked!
Derby County 1 nottm florist 0

I have to agree with Toots, or do the hacks have a monopoly in that area.
Don't they have tanks ranks? It’s like saying certain city centre roads are a taxi rank.

It’s the first i heard a City with no access to city centre roads for ph.’s. Well here it’s only pickups inside Brighton Station, which is private land

In Leicester they have one area for taxis to rank and another for private hire to pick up. No vehicles are allowed in certain parts.

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Grandad,

No vehicle access is a bit different to some vehicle access. What if a customer rings for a PH but they can't go there, where's the customers choice then

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!