Taxi Driver Online

No not really, I suspect I pick up more wheel chair customers in a week, than are picked up from our ranks each year.

I was just elabourating on the issue that we are getting people to pay for something that they never use.

To me that is just plain daft, especially when some in the trade don't have to.

O dear !!!!

There are many of them, but I have only driven the Caravelle and Jubilee Fiat.

Both fine to drive, but 5 miles hardly makes me informed. If I were you I would go to the Donnington show next year, and test the lot of them.

Or if Edinburgh do have a re-nag, arrange for all of them to go up to you.

No, you didn't. Your apology is accepted on this point. But why did you then go on and appear to question my status a London Cabbie? Have I questioned yours, as I haven't as yet, read anything that says this about you?

What would you like to satisfy your unwarranted remark - my badge number, my cab number, or some other form of identification? And do you wish to run off and check the veracity of any such reply with the PCO?

I sincerely hope that you are not trying to impugn my integrity with such statements when I thought this list was to discuss topics.

In any event, who are you to question?

Let's not get silly about this.

I hope to continue putting my views in postings on here from time to time as I see fit, and if you or any other contributor disagree with them you are at liberty to do so. We all reserve this right - it's what makes these discussion lists so good. No censorship (moderated if necessary) - freedom of speech - the right of reply - the opportunity to air one's views where it may not get published elsewhere - No control by vested interests. Just what the cab trade needs - to exchange information and learn from one another - and we should cherish what this form of technology has brought us.

I hope you reconsider your remarks and hope it was one of those things that just came out wrong. If you needed to know if I was a London Cab driver, and I am, then you only needed to ask, I would have given you an honest answer. Simple.

Regards,

Cruisin' Cabby

Yes, Mr Cruisin' Cabby, 'let's not get silly about this'.

I'm not really sure what it is that I'm supposed to have done wrong, but it all stems back to the fact that in your initial post (again I'm assuming that you'd only posted once at that stage, since since you've not registered it's difficult to look back over your posting history without looking at every post on the forum, even assuming (another assumption) any posts you had made previous to this had been made under the same pseudonym) you didn't explicity state that you were a London black cab driver, but the evidence was strongly in favour of that conclusion, although not wanting to be presumptious I noted the fact that my conclusion was only an assumption, but of course failed to express this with adequate clarity.

I was certainly not trying to 'impugn your integrity' Mr Cruisin' Cabby, and for my contribution to any misunderstanding I most humbly apologise.

As for asking you outright if you were a London cab driver, again the question was implied in my original comment. Indeed, I thought that to have asked you outright might have sounded more like I was questioning your integrity, thus the attempt at the more diplomatic approach, which turned out to be anything but.

Dusty

Yes, Mr Cruisin' Cabby, well said.

Anyone posting is free to disclose as much or as little about themselves as they feel comfortable with.

In that spirit I try not to ask people things that I think they might not want to disclose, but of course judgements like this can often go awry.

To that extent I do not feel that I have the right to question anyone.

Just to clarify.

Dusty

The edges can only be blurred by the trades if the law is inadequate in this regard.

And it clearly is.

Dusty

Didn't I read recently that Edinburgh slavishly follow the PCO Conditions of Fitness??

If London falls then presumably Edinburgh will follow anyway.

Dusty

And there was me thinking that the Scottish lads wanted to run their own country.

Instead they have to follow what Red Ken thinks is best for them.

Some PH operators, particularly here in London, want to have WA vehicles, and I suspect some don't. There is a huge market (over £6,000,000 annually) for Special Needs people and disabled people requiring taxi type transport, through their local Authorities such as Westminster City Council.

Some PH companies want to tender for this kind of work which is virtually all covered by London's largest radio circuits, who, currently, are the only ones capable of meeting the huge demand in the mornings and in the late afternoons.

For PH to achieve this they need large PBVs that are not taxis, so this is likely to be another area where huge disagreement between the two trades may occur. I hope that taxis are able to retain this work as it is they who fostered it and made it grow. They give an excellent service to these Special Needs and disabled (often elderly) people.

For my part I would not wish PH to have PBVs or even MPVs but retain their original type of vehicle, the saloon car, leaving MPVs and PBVs to the taxi trade. This way there could be no possible identity crisis would there?

It is rather unfortunate that in London PH don't really want to be PH they seem to want to be taxis via the back door and are demanding that they be allowed to pick up off the street and do virtually everything that taxis do.

There is a simple remedy for those who wish this to be so - apply for a taxi licence - the door is open, they don't have to try and circumvent the rules and do it through the back door. It seems they want the status but don't want to do what it takes to be a taxi driver in London - The 'Knowledge.'

Cruisin' Cabby

Regards,

Cruisin' Cabby

Nonesense utter balderdash

which law give right of counciils to insist on tests for private hire drivers?
which law gives the right of councils to put stickers on them,?
which law allows councils to fix private hire fares?

there are regulations which forbid restriction by age of vehicles!
there are laws that forbid roof signs.

I could go on and on

suffice to say councils are in the thick of this conspiracy to break laws

cruisin Cabbie

welcome to taxi driver

Wharfie

Well Mr Cabby welcome.

So the big circuits have developed this special needs markets have they?

Ask a council and they will tell you they are desperate for an alternative supplier to overcome the 'surcharges' of the big circuits.

Private Hire should be allowed to meet 'customer demand' and if that includes MPV's or wheelchair accessible vehicles then so be it.

The hackney trade is London is responsible for the current state of London Private Hire industry, it was your lobbying that stopped it being licenced and legitimised with the rest of the country. 25 years later the right decision has been made, what you were frightened of then is now going to happen.

The Knowledge. Isn't it great. A ridiculously high barrier to the trade. It is unnecessary for pre booked jobs.

Once the PH trade settles down in London and some large, quality outfits emerge and start to eat into the corporate market the big circuits are going to find themselves under huge pressure to change.

Cox has done that, Rice wants to but is held back by his members (though I hear rumours they have 'partnerships' with PH outfits).

Interesting times ahead no doubt.

_________________
A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

are helping disabled people below your dignity?

peg leg annie>[/quote]

No not really, I suspect I pick up more wheel chair customers in a week, than are picked up from our ranks each year.

-----------------

In London where cabs have to be WA most cabs, on average pick up less than one wheelchair passenger per year. The vast majority of the needs of these less able in our community are met by the radio circuits with willing drivers who have opted in for this work and are not those who would do these jobs with a certain reluctance or fear of making a mistake whilst helping someone, in a wheelchair, for example. Taxi drivers, unlike ambulance drivers, have had no training in handling the disabled or someone in a wheelchair.

And, further to my earlier posting, may I add that the Special Needs and disabled groups' needs are more than catered for by the taxi trade so it seems unnecessary to duplicate the service by the PH.

What useful purpose would be served? In this respect I believe that Dusty Bin's point, as I understand it, is quite fair.

Regards,

Cruisin' Cabby

Real world calling London Cabby.

'The taxi trade meet the needs of the special needs in London, so why involve the PH Trade?

Cooey Cooey.COMPETITION

Trains take people to Heathrow from London, but you still want to do it!

1) The 1976 act gives councils carte blanch, and unless challenged, do what they want and get away with it.
2) See 1.
3) No law.
4) Without a doubt.