Taxi Driver Online

The thing is that councils can, and do decide, to de-limit at present, without having to pay a penny. So if they did tomorrow then surely they will be in the same position.

What they have know, that they didn't before was a shed load of facts and figures, that dispel the scare-monger's lies.

However I think most councils will wait, not because they think it's the right thing to do, but it's much easier to blame the government for the decision, than take the flak themselves.

Mike,
You are bang on the money about us being part of the transport system when it suits except that we do not get the obvious advantages(subsidies,cheaper fuel etc) handed out to the buses ,trains and trams. They are nowhere to be seen when it is chucking out time.
They have also missed the most obvious answer to most of out troubles re waiting times for punters and that is to have 24 hour licencing.It worked very well in Manchester during the Football championships in 96 when the taxi trade had no difficulty with coping with the clubbers and the extra fans. If they create artifical peaks and troughs they cannot wring their hands when we cannot cope.
Having seen many reports down the years I was not surprised to see once again the nettle not being grasped and an opportunity to drag us into the 21st century will be watered down to suit whomsoever is in charge of your borough.
Ged

Here! here! Ged. (As they say, but do they spell it Hear, hear?)

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There is Significant Unmet Demand for my Opinion.

To be honest I'm not really attracted to something like running red diesel - I think that at the end of the day we'd all end up back at square one with cheaper fares or less of them or whatever.

It would be a good idea to let WAVs run on red diesel - when the DDA comes in in my manor, for example, we could end up with perhaps only a third of the current number of taxis, with the rest going PH, which helps no one.

But if the WAVs were given an incentive we could keep the same number of taxis as at present, but with the same number of WAVs as with the DDA implemented, and with no PH. So it's win-win.

As for the unsocial hours and the drunks, that's the main problem with late night availability, not restrictions, although obviously they don't help.

Dusty

Wouldn't it be great if we (by that I mean Taxi and Private Hire Drivers nationwide) could lobby the Government to give us a fuel duty rebate and maybe even subsidies to operate ion areas of low demand.

Start with a mass petition, follow it up with slow drives through all major cities, and if needs be operate a peak time weekend boycott! How long would it take the powers be to relent if thousands of people were stuck in twons and cities after the pubs / clubs close?

Shame it's not likely to ever happen as we're all too busy arguing amongst ourselves.

Regards,

Dave.

Dave to answer your question, I don't think it would take very long whatsoever.

However we both know that it wont happen.

The HC and PH trade is split goodness knows how many ways. Just take a look at the lads in London, they have so many associations/unions that I think they have actually run out of letters to use.

But Dusty's idea of subsidies for WAVs is something that could be looked at. If those of us in Phase 1 are going to have to buy WAVs, then having a subsidy on the fuel could well help ease the added financial burden.

Alex

Perhaps if there was genuine competition in the WAV market, from the market leader, then we might not need to have subsidies.

It may also help if they put in an engine, that did more than 20 miles to the gallon.

I can see the wavs getting red diesel subidies and the others not! wot a larf

if ever their was another reason to alienate the two sides of the trade it would be this!

WE are ALL either part of the public transport system or not!

And then if we did get subsidies on our fuel, watch for the fare tax (or something) that would be introduced
(they wouldnt give us something for nothing).

The OFT has only told everyone else not associated with the trade whats happening as regards plate revenues and the effect on public demand, we ALL know this ourselves, lets see what a hash they make out of this, it may make the LO's actually get their brains out of their desk drawers and think properly about doing their job!

while were on about it how come the majority of LO's are ex police, and some councils wont allow positions to be made available to normal members of the public surely this is discrimination in itself!

In the Greater Manchester area,Merseyside, and Lancashire area it would be no good them lifting the restriction of plates

In Bolton alone there is not enough work for the drivers what there are now never mind having extra drivers but we are doing all we can to stop this going through and stop the government from taking the restriction off

Charles Oakes
General Secretary Bolton Taxi Drivers Association
Vice Chairman of region 5 of the National Taxi Drivers Association
You can contact me on 07970335686 or email on generalsecretary@ntlworld.com about your views on the OFT report

I couldn't agree more Alan, but who says that the subsidies need to be limited to HC WAVs? I can see no reason why PH WAVs should be missed.

The issues I think concern the government about offering the HC/PH fuel subsidies, is I (and I expect the powers that be) can foresee all and sundry suddenly becoming licensed HC or PH, just to get the subsidies.

A bit like the lad who owns Ryan Air, who got his company car licensed, just so he could use the Dublin bus lanes.

Alex

To be honest Al, the more people know about plate premiums, the better. Hopefully they will realize that someone has to pay for that premium.

When I last looked, our trade doesn't get money out of thin air, we get it from Joe Public. Hence it is Joe Public that is paying for these premiums, and if the OFT has made more aware of that, then bloody good job.

Charles, if there is no work for all the new HC vehicle licenses, then why would someone buy a vehicle to be licensed?

From memory the price of a Manchester plate is in excess of £30,000. Why on earth would someone buy one of them, if they are worthless?

Zat all?

I thought someone said £50k recently!

Dusty

Quite right Alan.

I suppose I was talking about my own personal experiences, with an effective one-tier sector and hardly any PH.

The DDA will split the trade asunder in such areas, and a good idea to retain the single tier would be to encourage a proportion of WAVs and leave the rest as saloons.

Of course in many areas effects similar to the DDA were evident years ago - ie where they've mandated either PBs or WAVs, and in these areas the DDA won't make any differnce when it's mandatory.

But we're stuck with this simplistic notion that 100% WAVs are a good thing, irrespective of how much of the local trade only serves the PH market.

I repeat, what is better:

30 WAVs and 70 PH
30 WAV taxis and 70 saloon taxis.

In DDA terms, the first is three times as good because it's 100% WAV taxis, and the second option is only 30% WAVs.

But the latter means the same actual number of WAVs, and a lot better service to the public to boot.

Dusty

well spotted the trouble with the trade is there are to many operators with their own agenda and dont think of the bigger picture , if the trade stuck together as one then goverments would have to take account of the trade concerns if traders would act as profesionals then we would be treated as profesionals 7 not treated as the scum of the earth. as is often the case when boze takes over brains however this is a situation that is never discused , not to mention violent attacks on taxi drivers as has been publicised in recent months