Taxi Driver Online

A similar scenario is happening in Derby as will in York,with the Download Festival where 100,000 plus are expected to attend.The kids have been arriving since Wednesday morning,but our gripe is not with other taxis/private hire etc,who do not have permission to pick up unless booked,but it is with Midland Mainline who are allowing Trent buses to run special services to the festival at Donnington racetrack.
We pay £320 a year to operate from Derby station,this is paid on 1st of April and was opened up to any Hackney driver three years ago,but whats the point ,when you cant compete with the bus fare of £3,meter rate is betweeen £18 and £20.There is anger with the Association as well,who have proved ineffective at getting any answers from Midland Mainline,but what really [edited by admin] me off is some of the drivers who talk a good fight but when it comes down to taking some real action shrink into the background.

I think with that amount of folk turning up you shouldn't miss out that much. In fact they might do you a favour by taking the riff raff you don't want, or the ones who want to spend a week trying to bid you down.

But I bet you will kop the lot when the festival finishes.

_________________
IDFIMH

Just got back home and i feel a right kn**head now,13 hour shift,423 quid,and the two main days still to come.I still think Midland Mainline are bar stewards though.
While i was dropping off at Donnington i spoke to a copper about picking up there,as the area is in North West Leicestershire and we are Derby City Council.He basically said get on with it,cos if we wait for the local lads to clear it up people would still be there on Bonfire night.Iasked about their enforcement officers and ours showing up,and he said they knew the score,then he told me to have a good night and wandered off.Can the police actually authorise this,or do they just turn a blind eye,as seems to be the case this weekend?

£423? is that all, gosh slave labour.

No, I would say the Police have no powers to authorise you to pick up from the street outside your License area.

A constable in uniform can direct you to to many things on the road, but not the above !

The problem I would forsee with that, if one of the local Taxi's, even if they are struggling to cope, would be perfectly justified in making a complaint. Even if the PC told you 'they knew the score', sure you could use that in your defence, but the bottom line would be your outside your area.

Its worth checking out what form of Police Officer gives you advice nowadays, is it a Special ? or a pretend cop, a PCSO? their interpretation of Taxi laws is'nt as polished as it should be.

Still enjoy the festival.

I think they can ask you to do anything, but that doesn't mean you have to do it.

What you could do is to ask the punters to book you though your mobile, and as you don't need an ops license, I can't see any problems.

_________________
IDFIMH

T he general concensus is,from talking to other lads from Derby,Notts and Leicester that we are picking up on private property,and the owners have okayed it,so as long as your top light is off on the way up there,your'e ok.

Maybe JD will give chapter and verse, but it all depends on whether customers can see you from the streets and/or there is a barrier stopping customers coming to you via the streets.

Dead complicated and I would grab what you can on private land, and keep it to yourself.

_________________
IDFIMH

De-regulate, freedom for all, fairness in the Taxi trade, equality for all, free plates must be issued, greedy owners, lazy owners, spin from the unions, down with this restriction, down with that restriction. . . . . .

Illegaly plying for hire outside your area? Ah thats ok then, on you go, don't worry about it.

Sometimes, just sometimes I wonder.

You can wonder all you like, but the law is the law.

I didn't write the bloody thing.

_________________
IDFIMH

Private land it may be, but thats like you travelling to the forecourt of a nightclub in a neighbouring area, and claiming its 'private land' and its ok to ply for hire, an arguement i'm sure you will agree falls flat on its face.

The definition of private land will be, as I remember, the public have no granted or immeadiate access to the area concerned, with or without payment.

This obviously, cannot be applied to the Donnington, or indeed a nightclub car park, as the public have ready and unhindered access, even if it involves payment in order to gain that access.

On the other side of the discussion, how would you feel if one of their Taxi's, a bit quiet after the above, appeared in Derby and started hunting for fares? I suspect your cab men would be the first to complain.

Point taken,however ,take Saturday night as an example,probably 50 hackneys up there from 6 or 7 surrounding areas and only 2 from the actual area,North West Leics,and we were chatting to these 2 guys and they said as in York,mentioned earlier that the majority of their guys clear off on these busy weekends,they cant be arsed with the hassle or the traffic,so how can you be pinching their work when they are not even interested in doing it themselves.

I see where you are coming from Chunky, and I find it farcicle that the locals would turn down buisness, in what otherwise might be a quiet area?

But two wrongs don't make it wright!

When they mean public they mean public not at the event i.e. Mr and Mrs GBC walking down the high street.

The issue basically came to a head at Birmingham Airport many moons ago. In short the Birmingham lads were ranking at the airport which happens to be in the manor of Solihul.

The courts said that as the rank was out of site of the public, in a public place, then everything was just ticker-tee-boo.

As opposed to the Eastbourne decision where the PHs ranking were in full view of the public, in a public place.

Whilst the PH at Gatwick are just fine and dandy, because although they are in full view of the public, its the public in a private place.

_________________
IDFIMH

was that the one were the judge said cab drivers could act like prostitutes but not ph ones.

Christ,i,d end up paying them,not them me.