Taxi Driver Online

From Plymouth Evening Herald:

Hackney cab drivers in Plymouth yesterday launched a mass protest against Government proposals to lift the limit on taxi licences in the city. To demonstrate there are already too many taxis in Plymouth the cabbies packed the ranks, and those that were left toured the town centre for one hour in convoy.

There is currently a limit on the number of taxi licences available in Plymouth and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has recommended to the Department of Transport to lift the maximum limit, opening up more competition and consumer choice.

Cabbie Trevor Lewis said: "We asked for as many drivers as possible to come out to illustrate that there are already too many cabs in the town.

"After we filled the ranks up the rest of us went around, trying not to cause too much inconvenience. It went really well and a lot turned up.

"If this legislation is passed the impact on our livelihoods would be horrendous. People think we earn a fortune - the reality is very different." The OFT believes that quantity restrictions, which are currently imposed by 45 per cent of local authorities in the UK, mean that consumers have to wait longer for taxis, have less choice of forms of transport and are less safe.
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Presumably the protest didn't include Steveo!

Dusty

Nor I suspect those that have been waiting forever on a non-moving list.

But if the trade is dead, and there is no money to be made out of it, then guess what, they wont be queuing up to join it.

I wish for once, those that scare-monger could be honest and up front.

IT'S ALL ABOUT PROTECTING PLATE PREMIUMS, AND FLIP ALL ELSE.

Were i work we have had talk about doing drive ins nad the like. But we have talked about it for years and years over many different topics.
Does it happen? never.
Will it work? not on your nelly.

Well said m8

nope! i didn't know anything about it till i read it in the local rag the day after. im a PH driver, so i havent mortgaged my house to pay for something i can get for free.

But you'll be going hackney if they de-restrict then Steveo?

On second thoughts, maybe you shouldn't answer that!

Dusty

Of course!!

although i hope when they hand out the plates they drop the metrocab / TX requirement as well. i was looking to get a E220 or Volvo S80 next year for PH work, dont think i could give that up for a noisy old metro cab! or maybe i could talk mercedes in to replacing the rear suspension with a couple of house bricks just to get me used to the feeling of driving a 'proper' taxi!!

Hmm...

One thing I can't just see happening is any black cab area is de-limitation on the basis of non-PBs or WAVs.

Even in any current saloon areas that do de-limit then I suspect many will go the Dundee way and do it on the basis of WAVs, either for the whole fleet or for new plates (oh dear, a bit of discrimination there!).

So if you want a decent motor, as you clearly do, then I suspect you'll have to stay PH steveo.

BTW, I'm surprised you're considering an S80 - I put you at less than 40!

(that one came via Tom!)

Dusty

lol yes i am under 40, but we got a couple of new S80's at the office and they are the mutts nutts...!

Plymouth is still one of those areas where the HC fleet are all PB either metrocab, TX and some old fairways still crawling around. nothing down here as far as other makes go, shame really cos if it came down to it i would be happy driving a converted MPV or such like. all the surrounding areas are saloon/mpv HC fleets as its a bit rural outside the plymouth boundaries so the cost of a PB WAV is well beyond the justifiable reach of most in these areas. Personally i'd like to see this extended in to the city, giving the customers more choice and greater flexiblity for the drivers. would be nice to see some new E7's or mercs on the road, but single tier is still a few years down the road.

Yes, I think Tom has been reading too many editions of What Car?

Next he'll be telling us that you get a free Labrador with every V70 estate sold!!

Dusty

Well given the legal action elsewhere and the recommendations in the OFT report, you could well be driving around Plymouth in an E7 or Merc before too long Steveo!!

Dusty