Taxi Driver Online

As a Boro hack, this is only the tip of the very large iceberg.

I own a new shape E7, and have found a good market taking wheelchairs, indeed if they were 2 customers where one is in a chair and the other not and I had the choice of when 1 I take it would be the wheelchair every time. Mainly because of repeat bookings that I get, I do a good job, treat all customers with total respect and even knock of the meter fare if its a pensioner or someone who is regular, that's business and because of it I am still doing OK.

Now take this guy, he works on what we all affectionately call the "Bollywood rank" I am sure you all can work out why!

I and other drivers will sometimes rank up with them mainly just to upset them, they think its their rank and they get up to all sorts of tricks, like when your in front of the rank pick up at the back or 2nd/3rd car etc, they excuse is there are regular customers! Now forgetting rank etiquette, we all know the customer is king and can get in any car in the rank, and they use that excuse all the time. Most of these guys drive a saloon or the much hated Fiat doblos, Saloons are restricted in our town to 90, wheelchair cabs are unrestricted! That's why some drive the doblo's

Anyway its very common knowledge that these doblo drivers will not take a wheelchair, I have watched them refuse and send them down the line to me or another E7 car, usually because the fare isn't going far, so one day I was sat about 4th or 5th and along came a wheelchair, he went to the front of the rank where one of these doblo drivers was, after he had a chat for a few seconds, the wheelchair passed 2 other doblo's and came to me, I never asked him where he was going, I simply told him to go back to the front of the rank and take the top wheelchair taxi, he told me that they sent him to me. Of course I get out and challenged them, I told them that this guy wanted a taxi and as there was cars able to take him before me, its their fare and I would personally report them if they never took him. So eventually the front car decided to take him, how I laughed when I watched 5 or so, so called professional taxi drivers attempted to get this guy into one of their taxi's, about 20 mins later, I give up and pulled up and took him!

The guy has been a regular customer of mine ever since, I even took him to Dover last year when he went on a cruise, and believe me that's some trip from Middlesbrough

These guys should not have a badge, its the council's fault that they have!

If you can't load a car that your driving then you shouldn't be driving it.

The wheelchair course is a joke, 15 mins with one car and one wheelchair, we have about 5 or 6 different wheelchair cars in our town and many more different wheelchair designs. The council simply want the £35 for the course, I know many that paid for the course and simply never went, but picked up the cert the next day no questions asked.

Saying all that, its suits me just fine, I am still making a living thanks to them.

Point taken but it doesn't make the bus unsafe does it? I've been on trains were not all the doors open and they are still moving around on the tracks



No, it's not the same thing. If the wheel is missing, flat, punctured the vehicle is not usable until said wheel is repaired or replaced.



Oh please even I don't believe in faries Well apart from my cleaning fairy but that's a completely different thing



It was just a comment. I wasn't suggesting that we should pick and choose anything. If it was only for one or two days then it wouldn't really matter but what if you can't get it fixed for a week or more, that's all I was concerned about.

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

Sorry for trimming the quotes.

You have been copying me Mr Thelodger - I work days because from the day I left the Royal Navy and drove my Hack I looked after people who are my bread and butter after all. I do not have to do the nights with the drunks, the junkies, the "riff raff".
The drivers who previously had "no ramps", "broken ramps", "bad leg", "bad back" or just a "bad attitude" and would not take wheelchairs changed their minds when the recession came. But the disabled call me, or come to me when I'm not at the front of the rank and take a delight in letting the "suddenly well or ramp equipped" drivers know that they will wait until I am available.

I will admit that my Navy Pension and War Pension help, but my income has not dropped - dealing with wheelchairs from day one is the difference. My outgoings have gone up but I am doing OK.

One of my regulars went to Great Yarmouth from Plymouth - 356 miles, paid for my Hotel room and meals then return the next day to Plymouth.

I am happy to deal with the disabled.

I actually prefer the wheelchair users in the same way you do. I did not start thinking I was feathering my nest - it just turned out I was.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

Sorry Toots, it is the same thing - either you have to have wheel/ramps* (delete as appropriate) or not. If the vehicle conditions state "Thou shalt have ramps" then thou damn well should have them or not be on the road.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

I think that every driver in the country should apply for a exemption certificate... which would mean you could not be prosecuted... it doesn't mean that if you chose to do a wheelchair job you couldn't....

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

As you can't get the NHS to provide the certificate for free, GP's applaud you and your plan.

What does your Doctor charge?

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

A lot less than £1,000 fine and the criminal conviction

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

True enough.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

I'm not disagreeing with this but I just think it's a bit harsh that's all

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

Do you think it harsh to get a fine and three points for a bald tyre?

Is it harsh to get a driving ban for getting 12 points accrued?

As a result of conviction he could, theoretically, be considered "not fit and proper" and lose his livelihood. In my opinion that would be harsh - but if this was the last of string of "offences" it might not be harsh. To make an informed decision, if you were actually sitting in judgement as a Councillor, you would have to have a full picture.

Given ALL the facts, I would trust the Licensing Committee to reach a fair decision. I am also happy that the agrieved can appeal and continue to work until the appeal is heard. In this particular case a member of the (disabled) public was inconvenienced and upset. The incident did not put anyone at risk so, quite rightly until the case came to the Magistrates the driver continued to work.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

No, cos it's dangerous



No, not if they are accrued for dangerous driving e.g speeding, jumping lights etc etc



I agree with what you are saying. All I was thinking was that if a WAV driver checked his vehicle that morning/evening before they started work (as we all do) and realised his ramp had a fault, they would phone to make an appointment to have it looked and repaired. The people doing this say 'bring it in on Friday and we'll look at it'. It's only Tuesday so it's only 3 days at home earning nothing. Come Friday they look at it and it needs a part or something fixing but that can't be done til Monday cos they have to order whatever is needed. Ok no problem off the driver goes home and waits til Monday to use the WAV. It's only a week without work, no problem

I'm not saying drivers should be allowed to abuse this explanation and for those that do they deserve what is dealt to them, but, for genuine cases that can be proven I think it's a bit harsh, that's all.

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

Faults on things like ramps don't just appear. They have to be caused. The driver must know if something has happened that would render the ramps unsafe/unuseable.

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Grandad,

does "the act" (or regs) insist a driver do any more than provide the ramps for use? (i.e. place them down for use)?

im required to carry a fire extinguisher and first aid kit but not a phone to ring for a fire engine or ambulance....

Come on we all know it wsn't broken. Drivers are like that all over the UK. He should have been stripped of his badge for discriminating against the disabled.

the same thing happened to me, I was no5 on rank one day when driver at no1 come running up to me saying he's ramps were broken and could not do wheelchair job (more like because it was raining and takes him time to get wheelchair into doblo, i done job in my tx it went £6.10, 3 weeks later i took wheelchair job although i was no3 and he was no2, when he found out later that the job went 54.60 he came up to me and said why did you take that job in front of me i was before you, i pointed out that 3 weeks earlier you were quick enough to tell me your ramps were broken but you have not once since then come and told me you have had them repaired.