Taxi Driver Online

Regarding the company in question changing the way they operate from a set wage to 60/40, what is the problem here? Why should it be a concern of anyones except the company involved and the drivers, if the drivers have a problem, they can vote with their feet.

The point I am making above is that the P/H drivers will be no better off than they are today.
All you will do is remove one set of owners (Hackney) with another (Corporate) and the drivers will be no better off.
The drivers cannot vote with their feet as they will be forced to accept the jobs on offer.
In Germany women are being forced to accept jobs in Brothels or their benefits will be withheld.
How long before that happens here ?
The Govt encouraged people to go on the ''incapacity'' register and they now want to reduce that number ?


Its strange how your argument made here is the opposite of what the NTTG claims but result in the same answer. They claim less operator control leading to a worse service from PH. Where you claim more operator control will lead to a worse service.

No, the service will be good but the drivers will lose control and will be forced to work for a lot less as the ''corporate'' owners will control the main areas like Airports and Train Stations.

With the greatest respect, that is a load of old cobblers, your twisting the point and making unfounded claims about brown envelopes.

Am I really ? Okay then let me tell you............. TESCOs who are set to announce profits of £ 2 BILLIONs have just built a new superstore in Stockport.
Now then, they just happened to build 18,000 Sq ft MORe than their planning allowed them.
What does the local council do ?
It just tut tutted and asked tesco the apply for ''retrospective'' planning and everything would be ok.
ON THE OTHER HAND.............IKEA have been trying to open a store in the same Stockport and inspite of two public inquiries have failed to get the required planning.
Reason ? There are too many furniture stores in the locality.
Oh, by the way there are 9 supermarkets within 3 miles of the new tesco.
You can draw your own conclusions.
As regards the taxi/ph trade I can see someone with a ''BUS'' licence running a TAXI business.
Could you do that ?................just try and see....



And if this was nothing more than standard business practice, as stated by Homebase, the business in question, why have the OFT refused to investigate?

The OFT refused because Homebase has less than 25% of the market share.

As for the suppliers, are these the same suppliers who threaten to get and make their products from countries that pay a pittence?

Just the point I am making about ''corporate'' owners making us work for them for a ''pittance''

I dont think the big corporates will take over. They could have done so with PH but it hasnt happened. I know some big PH firms have a lot of ownwed cars but i would be surprised if it was more than 5% of the national trade.
As for HC too many drivers are happy plodding along. And they dont like bossses.

How blind you are C Gull, you are getting as cushy as Scanner, sat there in cartell city.

the big companies are swallowing the small ones right now just like in the grocery decade of the 70s, then the super companies will take over, with government help of course, tax and the like moving against small firms

its happening, and happening now, everything is in place, and yes the big corporates play the tune.

and little scanner cushily laughts that he gets big showcases for nothing.

tiny minds.

Okay then.
Sometime in 2000/2001 the Hackney Trade were ''informed''.........not asked or consulted........ but ''informed'' by none other than a director of the Airport (Manchester) that a certain Mr ****** would be starting operations at Manchester Airport from ''next monday'' with 50 Ford Galaxies.
The trade protested that he couldnt.
Why not ? asked the Director........
Because its against the law.
''Well then, the LAW will be changed. was the reply.
This is minuted so cannot be denied !!
Okay, so where is the question of competition or tendering ?
Its a matter of MONEY and CONNECTIONS .
On the other hand.
A local firm with 250+ vehicles wanted to tender but was not allowed to...........
I wonder why ?

God knows how or why were now talking about superstores, but lets carry on.

In terms of the HC industry, why do you think a large evil empire will take over?

Fares charged by HC are regulated by the LA and not by the evil empire.

Even if a evil empire came along and bought you out, you could go straight back down to your LA and get another plate.

The evil empire is dependant upon workers, the entire industry throughout the country seems to suffer from a lack of workers.

In my opinion, the only way to get more workers is to either employ them on a higher wage, which will invariably mean higher fares. OR get cheaper labour from abroad.

Regarding the alleged brown envelopes, again, and I apologise, we may be talking at crossed terms. So I'll go to supermarkets then back to your lovely airport at Manchester.

Regarding supermarkets, I think we'll have to agree to disagree, it will save a lot of valuable webspace Although I think very often the planning departments are scared to take evil empires to court as they know they are playing with tax payers money and the tax payers want supermarkets (this is why they go there).

Concerning the airport, I understand from previous threads that your LA is a shareholder? If this is so then why as a shareholder is your LA, who you pay tax to, and who is effectively the people that allow you to operate, not concerned with a potential form of income from the airport being made for the benefit of its tax payers.

regards

Captain cab

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

Exactly.

If it was so easy for the big boys to buy up all the small HC boys, then why hasn't it happened yet in the two thirds of the country that doesn't restrict.

The reason is the power lies with the driver's license. That is his/hers to keep, and no big boss can own that. They may try to dictate what you can and can't do, and some drivers may well like being bossed around, by the good bosses. But the bad bosses will end up with many vehicles, but no drivers.

As happens all over in the PH trade.

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IDFIMH

Captain,
I think your question answers itself. Manchester is the biggest shareholder in the airport, but dividends are not always paid out because of the massive reinvestment that is taking place and has taken place. The airport when it became a Plc was no longer answerable in policy decisions to the shareholders per se, it was now answerable to the Market in general.
Once upon a time the board was packed out with local councillors but now we have the situation where each section of the airport was hived off into smaller parcels, each with its own board. These are made up of management pro's. The first casualties in this were the baggage handlers, they were jettisonned and now we have the farcical situation of short term employees doing seasonal work. I ask anybody to tell me in this day and age of high security how this scandal was allowed to happen. How can temporary staff ever demonstrate committment that was present in the past.
In one of my posts I did ask how could a so called socialist council allow a company based in the south trade in Manchester and any subsequent profit make its way south.
I do not necessarily see big business as evil but you do have to question motives of bureaucrats that will blithely hound an indivual but sit on their hands when corporations are involved. I refer you to the debacle in Nottingham with the non licenced company trading without any interference as yet from the town hall.
Cheshire check your private messages.
Ged

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taxi driver @manchester airport

Sussex,

you old fool you!

If you limit the market and workers have no choice but to work for crap wages, crap conditions and crap bosses.

Better still, you could pay an inflated rental for a sub standard vehicle, even though you can go to Mann and Overton and pay £99 per week for a brand new one, why pay £99 when you can pay £200 - £300 for a shed?

Even better still, why not fool a once proud union that fought for workers rights into thinking the current system is in their interests?

Regards

Captain cab

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

I think the reason that the firm with 50 Galaxies was preferred over the firm with 250 cars, was more money could be made out of the 50 firm.

How you ask?

When Gatwick was being tendered for, the firms bidding didn't just have to quote for the 'rank' spaces, but they had to offer a certain % of each fare. And is wasn't a small %.

Maybe a similar tender happened at Manchester.

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IDFIMH

Or perhaps the director had worked with them elsewhere.
Ged

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taxi driver @manchester airport

there is a definate hint of corruption going along with this thread

Captain cab

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

Captain Cab, you should re-read my posting re arrival of Galaxies at Manchester Airport.
Its NOT corruption but brown envelopes.

Ged, the answer is yes, say hi to RW (the bitch!).lol

Cheshire
money and connections do count no doubt about that, but not in the way you mean.

the official that made that statement was stupid and let go when he shouldnt he should in fact lose his job to that stupidity.

seriously a local firm do it?

you must be rather ..............................its not possible!

Just a little point here, Local Authorities were instructed by the Thatcher government to sell the airport.

I am afraid the airport was in theory passed to private enterprise via the PLC

the councillors cannot be as involved as you like as it will compromise thier position.

did you know councillors on the airport board have to declare an interest and cannot speak or vote on airport issues in thier councils? what a mockery.

its called arms length