from the Liverpool Echo especially for Mr T
ECHO readers have been sharing their experiences of journeys with taxi drivers who appear to have a fundamental lack of Liverpool “knowledge”.
The comments come after we revealed that Mayor Joe Anderson is working to clamp down on drivers coming into the city from far and wide and plying their trade here.
It also follows dramatic scenes over the weekend in which some local drivers blocked in a private hire vehicle with a Transport for London licence, before the vehicle was “escorted out of the city.”
One of Mayor Anderson’s major gripes with the current “free for all” private hire system in the city and city-region is that drivers are arriving for work here with poor geographical knowledge.
Crackdown on taxi drivers coming from as far as Leeds and London to ply trade in Liverpool
He is looking at bringing in a universal licensing system across the city-region as well as a more general knowledge-style test for drivers to take.
The Mayor shared a story of a driver who had no idea where Dingle was and now ECHO readers have been offering up some of their more frustrating experiences.
Scores of readers responded to the story on Facebook, including Mary McArdle who said: “My granddaughter gets a taxi to school most mornings, got one last week told him co-op by Walton church he took her to North Park in Bootle.”
Lauren Adele Bunting added: “Most of the taxis don’t even know where Kirkby is when you get a taxi you have to direct them all the time.”
Diane J Dodd said she had to direct a private hire driver to the city centre, adding: “You couldn’t write it could ye!”
Fellow Facebook poster seemed to agree with the Mayor’s plans to clamp down on the industry in the city, she said: “Taxi drivers should only be allowed to operate in the area they are badged. “It makes it so much harder for the areas local drivers to make the money they should be , they don't know they area and most of them are rude and overpriced.”
John Fairbrother said it is not an issue of nationality or language, simply geographical knowledge, he posted: “I don’t care about colour or creed... if you need a sat nav to get to St George’s Hall, you shouldn’t be doing the job.”
The council also wants to target drivers who are “cherry-picking” which fares they chose and this is an idea welcomed by ECHO reader Christine Burke.
She said:
“Merseyside drivers have done this to themselves - too much cherry picking etc going on. Me myself call my local drivers from home.”
i think you'll find that that is not a problem exclusive to merseyside 
Liverpool Taxis on Kempston Street .
One of the targets of Mayor Anderson’s new task group on private hire issues is the global company Uber, which has come in for criticism for allowing its drivers to cross into different licensing authorities and pick up work.
But for some readers, Uber is the way forward.
Website commentator Brian Sewell said: “Uber was the wake up call the industry needed: cheaper and more convenient.”
Ian James Mahoney added: “Only use Uber now, great service and clean
cars.”obviously yet to experience the surge
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