Taxi Driver Online

This IGT Taxibus is worthy of debate.

At present, it would, in my opinion, only be legal in a licensed Hackney Carriage. Local Bus services cannot be registered without a "Core Route" operating to a timetable or regular interval (Eg: every ten minutes) service.

If my reading of the law is correct, then who will operate the IGT TaxiBus? It would clearly be down to us Hackneys.

So, will we grasp the bull by the horns, and analyse the potential of operating such services ourselves before someone else comes along and does it?

Or will we sit on our laurels, bitch and moan about it, and eventually get put out of business because someone else has beaten us to it and taken all the subsidies?

Can we, as the hackney carriage/PH industry afford to believe that we can just carry on trading as we are, or should we open our eyes and look to the future?


I will raise some points for debate:

1. The "Three Minute" claim, is complete BullS**t. It can take three minutes simply to pull out of a side turning sometimes. With our TaxiBus experiment, we had to allow up to 10 mins for each off route pick-up, just in case they were a wheelchair customer, had loads of shopping, traffic, etc etc etc.

2. The concept has a fatal flaw in its description (it can be overcome - but is well oversold). Basically, when you have one passenger aboard, and a second comes in (using IGT's example that is), the second and first passenger will already have been given a journey time, when they fisrt booked. However, by the time the fifth and sixth passenger divert comes in, the journeys of the passengers already on the bus are extending and extending everytime the computer books a new passenger on to that service. One's three minute concept has now fallen apart, as have the journey times quoted already to the initial passengers. If one of the passengers was attempting to catch a train (just for example), the fact that you had quoted a time which was unachievable even in concept (let alone reality) then one is already in breach of contract, and could be sued accordingly.

In my opinion, the IGT is a spanking good idea that fails only in its claims of application to real life.

However, if we Taxi and PH drivers/operators think we can let the world go on and on without change, then we will be the losers.

Ged

we have been in touch in the last week you have my e-mail
the taxibuses at Manchester Airport are a disgrace, a con, proper taxibuses have published routes and run to them, I have and will continue to support you with information and any help I can.

its hard trying to opperate these buses properly when the name is tarred by such like as these con merchants as we get tarred with that brush.

my taxibuses are licensed as taxis with the local council and as buses with the traffic commision.

about the taxibus mentioned by my friend on here I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE OWNERS OF THE WEB SITE ASKING what legislation they opperate under, shouldnt they be satelite buses, ect, and where they have a scheme running.

the reply is that it is only his idea and nothing planned.

let me state my experience.

the idea as described is totaly unworkable, not lawful, and not cost effective.

described as he describes it joe would not get to work before lunchtime most days

best wishes to you Ged

Taxibus Operator in rural belt adjoining Manchester.

the repl

I aggree with your posting taxibus opperation is ours (taxi owners) there are to many loophole dodgers taking the [edited by admin]!

as for this IGT lark its someones dream and not backed with cash dont worry it aint gonna happen!

but can you imagine the scenario? book a bus it will be there in 3 mins central london?

bus outside blocking street fellow comes out 5 minutes later,"sorry the phone rang as I was comming out"

how much is the fare? 92 pence? sorry I only have a £20 note!

all this time there are passengers waiting for thier 3 minute pick up

and no routes so its picking up and dropping off, joe is still waiting to get to work its nearly 3 pm

If any taxi owner on here wants help to set up a coacher scheme I will help, if any taxi driver wants help with people taking the [edited by admin] I will help.

its been offered before and now offered again.

This is all very interesting to me who works in an area that has never come across anything like this.

I suppose I had better gen up on it.

Alex

then be the first

Ged,

Can you define a provable percentage by which your takings have dropped since Manchester Airport TaxiBus started?

It's easy to dismiss these things as hairbrained dreams that will never take off. But does that do us any justice when someone gets a million pound subsidy from the Government or local council to start the things up.

We have a prime example in this area, where a million or so was donated to set up a taxibus scheme called Village Link. As luck had it, the scheme was out in the country and didnt affect us that much. But, had it been started in our local town, it would have put us out of business like it did the Hamburg cabs. The scheme has fundamentally failed (in my opinion), and is unlikely to get further funding. However, it has run for five years.

Five years of it running in our town, and we would be long dead as taxi operators.

The point is, we MUST take these things seriously, and, if they show aspects which might work, then we should embrace them ourselves. Not leave them to others.

Amillion quid is not enough to set up a 30,000 taxibus scheme in London
the million quid would have been given beccause there was demonstable evidence of rural deprevation, however get out an empty fag packet and work it out.

as for the taxibus scheme and the million quid why didnt you bid for it?

the chances of it in your local town is slim if there is provision already.

every care is taken to ensure the government schemes, do not affect existing provision.

Dear Guest,
Personally I do not think that they have made too many inroads into our usual traffic, it is the local off Airport private boys who are feeling the pinch. They are hitting the local hotels, and doing the staff runs. In my opinion though one job that we lose to these people is one job to many!!
I am wondering if the Airport are subsidising these people in any way e.g cheap rent or suchlike, just looking at their work I do not think the business seems viable (or maybe I am hoping that is the case)
Ged

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taxi driver @manchester airport

This is a funny old lark, taxi forums.

The topic was started by someone saying that he has seen all these forums come and go, and that he thinks such forums should be kept wrapped up, and out of view.

Then the topic goes onto a very important issue, relating to something that could effect all our earnings, and all sides have given their own experiences.

I wonder which way is the best? Or maybe I don't.

Alex

Dear taxi bus operator
I have not received your e.mail, can you send it again and mark it TAXIBUS, just in case it got filtered out through junkmail. Or you can send a private message through the forum.
Thanks again.
Ged

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taxi driver @manchester airport

I thought he said 20,000 buses?

PS Ged. Sorry mate, it was me who posed the question re Taxibus, but it came up as Guest.

Absolutely, Alex.

I wish I had your confidence in government.

True, a million would not set up a 20,000 taxibus scheme in London. But it would be enough to set one up here, and put us lot out of business.

As for why we didnt bid for it, I shall say that Arriva won the bid. That enough of an explanation?

But, you make my point for me...

Its US that should be putting in bids for these schemes, rather than winging about it when someone else does. We should both be thinking of them, and putting them into action.

We say that Taxi work is "our" work. But it isnt. We do not own any rights to this work at all. We only get it because we offer a service that is better than another. If we dont ourselves at least try to stay ahead of the game, then we cannot blame someone else for moving in to our town and taking our work away. We should have done whatever they are doing. And done it first!

Hmmmmmmm. Yes, But.

I am all in favour of fair competition. But, I would resent someone moving in where I am, if they were operating to an entirely different set of regulations to those we have to work under. If the playing field is level, then fair competition is fine. When a bus can get BSO grant to operate the same service as me, can I not be forgiven for feeling a bit peed off about it?

A Village link service operates in our area, and to be frankly honest, we have not found it to be much in the way of competition as it seems to run around empty most of the time.

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There is Significant Unmet Demand for my Opinion.