Taxi Driver Online

Ellesmere Port taxi drivers urge public to book ahead


TAXI drivers have called on the public to book their vehicles properly as

problems at a nightclub persist.

The New Ellesmere Port & Neston Private Hire Association 2007 are frustrated by the failure of the council to reach an agreeable solution to problems at Destiny and Elite.

Drivers boycotted the club on February 5 and 19, because they say they cannot risk picking people up with no booking - which voids their insurance - and it is almost impossible to find a client amongst the crowd at the club.

If a solution is not agreed by March 19th, the council warn enforcement action could be taken from April 1. But the Association says without a resolution, there is a risk of serious public safety issues.

They added: " All bookings should be made directly through a licensed operator. The booking must be made by the customer, in advance,by phone, not with or through the driver, and the details of the booking must be recorded before the journey starts.

They said drivers are being threatened by members of the public for refusing to book taxis.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused by our actions, but we feel we have no other option left".


http://www.ellesmereportpioneer.co.uk/

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

A rather confusing post that one...Is it Private hire thats advocating being pre booked or Taxis advocating being pre booked private hire fashion..or is it a Private hire company making out its a Taxi company or is the press getting it wrong again??

The press always get it wrong, the public don't give a poo as they can't tell what is and what isn't.....

It wasn't that confusing. It's PH drivers saying that bookings must be made to the office and not via the driver. We get it all the time at busy periods and we just say 'you got to ring the number on the side and they'll send one' and if you give them a quick smile rather than an outburst of laughter that usually goes down quite well

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

simples just get the hackney boys around there picking up ,no booking needed hop in and go ,private hire loss hackney gain

Absolutely right.....bad journo's..........the people calling for action are PH....not Taxi!

CC

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

Are they not private hire taxis any more then?

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IDFIMH

Right F***ing mess...... period!!
There is Hackney taxi's and anything other is let's pretend.......

This statement confuses me, it seems that the council are going to use enforcement to make PH attend the clubs to pick up customers. Surely if they don't want to they don't have to so long as the office don't take the bookings.

Apart from that a good operator would advise customers of an easier pick up point rather than directly outside the clubs or is that too much like commonsense

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

Don't start trying to put common sense and drunk punters in the same sentance.

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Grandad,

It works tho. We do it all the time at weekends when we have pick ups in Liverpool. We don't try to get to the pubs and clubs we have pick up points and direct our drunk customers there If they're that drunk they can't get there we don't want them in our vehicles anyway

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

The problem is that historically, private hire cars have been ranking up outside Destiny and Elite and the clubbers just walked out and got in the first car whether it was booked or not.
Now however the Licensing Team for the new Cheshire West and Chester Council are being more dogmatic in the enforcement and trying to ensure all journeys are pre booked. This has upset the PH drivers who say it is impossible to find the right customer when the club kicks out.

Toots Wrote


Wouldn't, don't want and don't take drunken a*******s in my cab period!!

Grandad wrote


Ditto

If that is the case it would appear that the PH want a 'legal' rank outside the clubs. If that is what they want they need to change their attitude, their licence and their vehicle and became a taxi driver instead, simples

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

I'll second that one Toots.....