Taxi Driver Online

You are not seeing the bigger picture.

http://gettaxi.co.uk/about.html

https://www.uber.com/cities

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

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

Your not getting it Garry

City, crt & com cabs already won't allow upto 1000 edinburgh cabs to use the app. It's against the companies T&Cs

So, who's gonna do the free taxi rides?

Really!! So you don't see the 300 or so street cars and CombCab drivers with nothing to lose by using the app or the Ph drivers signing up for the chance of extra income? Oh and then there's guys who decide the want a little part-time cash by putting their car on as a Ph and only working weekends? They no longer need to be a part of a radio circuit. And you have no idea of the incentives these companies could use to squeeze out the opposition. Don't forget, these are global billion dollar companies ffs, they could buy and sell Edinburgh. The free rides are just a bonus.

You can't really believe that companies the likes of Uber are going to be stopped by bowling club type committees running taxi companies?

The point is, Uber/Get Taxi only have to destabilise the Edinburgh taxi trade just a little and City Cabs and CRT will go down the plughole because of the inefficient and uneconomical way they operate. It wouldn't take a big hit to their jobs totals to sink the both of them. Oh and what would be there response? "Oh eh guys we need to put your radio dues up or we are going under."

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Must take Paul to task on one claim.

cab:app is exclusive to Licenced Taxi drivers.

Can't see why he needs a £100 float off the driver though!

cab:app doesn't. Over 6000 drivers and over 100 towns and cities in UK and Ireland.
All bodes well for the humble cabbie all this competition for his/her services. Jobs a plenty coming to your in built dashboard facility soon!

You coming round yet Skull? Ok before you post it, driverless cabs are on the way too, as soon as Insurance companies can figure out a way to protect their interest in the great road use rip off!

Question for the "they need a licence!" brigade.
Did BT need a licence to connect all the telephone bookings they put through to drivers? Do Vodaphone? 3? EE? Asda? Taxicall?

Of course they didn't ? Passenger-phone to driver phone -connect! Phone talk ! Phone text! Phone app!

Uber are mixed fleet and Private Hire should not take a direct hail, and certainly can not ply for trade direct to drivers. Hence the booking office licence application.!

It's not that complicated.

Good points!! Although, once these app companies take over it could be pretty cut throat.

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

I don't have a problem with the driver earning a crust but City Cabs and CRT as cooperative taxi companies are an anachronism.

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Cut throat indeed, drivers should beware who they provide their support to lest they find themselves in a single market!

I think the competition could be good but also bad but what about the hail market? It's got to take a chunk out of punters standing in the street trying to hail a cab? Which means if you are a street cab you would be stupid not to sign up to these apps.

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Without a doubt.


And have all the apps on one phone. Does not matter how many jobs each app offers you if you receive them all.
Pick and choose your jobs as you go.

When streets are busy the cheapest and most suited jobs for you. When it's quiet just take the £100 deposit or 20% job.

There is nothing to lose.

An issue that has not been discussed yet is how this will effect the rank/ stance system.

Hailing with an app you can sit tight wherever you are and watch your taxi drive towards you, knowing its reg , colour type etc and even the drivers name.

Drivers can have confidence they can map and see the punter too, knowing all the job details of the job.

If either driver is reported for abusing the system too often -app suspended. Sure they can use other apps or reregister with a new phone and email address.

But what's the point. Confidence in apps for both drivers and punters will just grow and grow.

If the App companies are not operating a booking office premises in Edinburgh then they do not require a Booking Office Licence.

7.1. Legislation introduced in 2009 requires licensing authorities to license the use of premises used for the taking of bookings for taxis and private hire cars in the interests of public safety and crime prevention (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2009/ ... tents/made).

We live in a never ending very fast changing world largely driven by advances in technology. New legislation struggles to keep up.
Ultimately it will be the customer who will bring about any change.
It will be the level of service on the doorstep that wins the day and that is provided by the driver not the Apps companies.

You have already stated twice Gary that if there ever is a day where the App companies see the end of the Association philosophy of operating and they eventually reign supreme how far will these large conglomerates squeeze their drivers. There are already several articles to be found on Google where Uber App drivers are outside their offices demonstrating for a fairer deal.

Uberx drivers UBER - Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Uberxdrivers‎
2089 likes · 136 talking about this. join us if you are an Uber driver to talk and ... Atlanta-based Uber drivers will stage two protests Friday over the company's ...

UBER DRIVERS PROTEST: 'You Can't Make A ... - Business Insider
www.businessinsider.com/uber-new-york-c ... sts-2014-9‎
15 Sep 2014 ... On Monday morning, a group of New York City-based Uber drivers protested the company outside of its Long Island City, Queens office.

Uber Drivers Across The Country Are Protesting Today — Here's ...
www.businessinsider.com/uber-drivers-ac ... rotesting- tomorrow--heres-why-2014-10‎
22 Oct 2014 ... Some Uber drivers are unhappy with the company. Several times this year, drivers have organized and protested the company's practices, ...

http://blog.swipiicard.com/future-high- ... -cheerful/

Taking a comparison of what Amazon is doing to the High Street the above article may be an indicator of the cyclical nature of the human race and our habits.
The future may well be an App in our taxi but what happens when the App companies are dominant. They wil be driven by all these venture capitalists who are piling their money into them at the moment for a never ending increase in their profits and a return on their investments. What priority will the customer or the driver have then.
I would refer to the current price structuring of Uber and their in built algorithm method of determining the fare during potential busy periods.
They may well even open a local Booking Office.

Many years ago neither Accociations in Edinburgh were given much hope of surviving when the multi national company Com Cabs came to town.
At present both taxi associations have around 900 taxis on their circuits and I believe Com Cab operate around 60.

Good posts Les

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