Taxi Driver Online

TAXI DRIVERS MEET TO FIGHT CHANGE

Torbay cabbies met last night to denounce plans to do away with the old blue plate system as "another Office of Fair Trading foul-up".

Last night's meeting at the Riviera International Centre in Torquay was organised by the Torquay Taxi Association. The 162 local Hackney cab drivers, say the Government plan will mean far too many taxis for Torbay's already overcrowded ranks.

And they say it will hit rural communities which depend on cabs when buses are not running.

Locally the blue plate is worth between £20,000 and £30,000.

But if the business is deregulated the plates will be worthless overnight.

"For the drivers coming up to 60, the plate is like their pension," said Andrew Evans, of Riviera Taxis.

The drivers say the government is trying to stamp out unlicensed mini cabs which plague many city centres.

"But we haven't got any of those down here," Mr Evans said. "All the cabs, the ones with the taxi sign on the roof, are owner-drivers and the private hire taxis are all licensed.

"The OFT report said there are not enough taxis and they want to see a 50 per cent increase.

"But they did their survey in big cities. We already have too many taxis for the town.

"Torbay Council will not allow any more ranks.

"Outside the Haldon Centre there is only space for 10 vehicles.

There can be up to 15 drivers there.

"What will it be like if we have hundreds more cabs?

"The only time there is a shortage of cabs is the three hours a week at weekends when the clubbers all want taxis at closing time."
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Well we have got every lie and scare story available in this one.

There are already far too many taxis, but they are worth £30,000.

The rural service will be hit, but are they really best served by those who don't know where the outskirts and rural areas are?

Their plates will become worthless, well how much did the council issue them for?

Their plates are their pension, funny that's what I thought we had insurance companies for.

There is not enough rank space, well how many councils have enough spaces for cabs?

The only time there is a shortage is 3 hours a week, well then you will have f*** all to worry about then, cos your trade ain't worth entering.

Oh, but they are currently paying £30,000 to enter it. Thus they are either telling big fat porkie pies, or they are very stupid.

Maybe even both.

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IDFIMH

Change the areas and you have exactly what is being said on my ranks.

Crazy thing is that people are still interested in buying plates.

SM said

"Oh, but they are currently paying £30,000 to enter it. Thus they are either telling big fat porkie pies, or they are very stupid.

Maybe even both."
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Nobody loves me !!!

Yes they are both!!

ps I love you

I love im too, but I aint gonna admit it publically, it'd give im an even bigger head than he has already.

I don't think the lads down in Torbay will love him that much, if they read his post

Alex

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ʎɐqǝ uo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq ı ǝɯıʇ ʇsɐן ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ

Simply the best taxi forum in the whole wide world. www.taxi-driver.co.uk

I have not a single problem with those lads, and wish them well.

It's just their idiot union leadership, who are building them up for a big fall, that [edited by admin] me off.

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IDFIMH

SM please identify where you see Trade Union membership insisting that plate premiums are encouraged by local authorities. Could it be that Hackney Carriage plateholders in fact paid for the plate with the full knowledge of the councils licensing department (some will even quote figures) and therefore the purchaser decided that instead of paying into an assurance company or other pension provider they would purchase a plate LEGALLY, work that plate until retirement age.

None of the Trade Unions are encouraging anyone to buy a plate until the OFT report has been responded to by the government. Of course the Unions are petitioning government to ignore most of the conclusions reached by the OFT, you see, thats what unions do, they look after the best interest of their membership, if you disagree then don't join, but don't cat aside anyone else's viewpoint as rubbish because you don't agree, that would be foolish, very foolish indeed. The OFT report, if adopted, would take a minimum of 5 years to implement as it would require a law change, and of course thats assuming that the current leadership is in place. Elections are won, and lost, on promising the public something extra, the majority of which would take over parlimentary time pushing further back the law changes recomended by the OFT.

What I find most upsetting is that previously on this site certain members celebrated the extra plates issued to some drivers in Brighton after years on the waiting list, these people, however, failed to hold the same conviction when it was pointed out that the majority of these new plateholders SOLD their plates without working them at all. Strangely the majority of plateholders will only get back what they had to pay for their plates when they sell theirs as part of their pensions. The response of "well they just did what everyone else has done" shows entirely their lack of knowledge of the Hackney Carriage industry, a knowledge which is so obviously shared by the OFT.

Well I can't understand your first sentence, so please clarify exactly what you mean.

Of course HC plateholders paid with the full knowledge of the council, but councils have no choice but to allow plates to be traded/sold. As you say it's the law.

The issue to me, isn't who bought what and when. It's that everyone should be allowed to have one that meet the criteria, not just those with the big bucks.

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IDFIMH

I would hope that the unions have never encouraged anyone to buy a plate, especially after the 1985 Act. Apart I expect, then when those in the local leadership of the union wish to bail out and get their premium before it disapears. Then to the gullible it would be a sound purchase.

I do disagree with the T&G viewpoint on most things, especially their support for LTI. Still at least LTI pay for CTN in advertising.

What was that about he who pays the piper?

Anyone who thinks that Blair will go, is deluded. Please print out this post, and remind me if it happens, cos it wont.

What you also have missed is the fact that it may well take a while to adopt, but 'best practice' law is here and now.

Watch this space.

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IDFIMH

I'm not sure what you are on about re: Brighton, but what you have said about the 19 lads selling there plates without driving them, is I believe wrong.

However what was pointed out by another poster was that it really didn't matter if they sold their plates after 10 days or 10 years, cos both stink.

To a degree a agree that my knowledge of the HC trade is not as good as I would wish.

But guess what?

Not for much longer.

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IDFIMH

So is there any chance of you answering some of the suggestions I raised, or do you believe yourself above reproach.

The first sentance, in fact its more of a paragraph, explains that more H/C plateholders consider the monies used to puchase their plates in the same way as your payments to your private pension policy. The difference is that they stay in control of their investment and have instant access to the value of their investement should they need it.

You work P/H, you pay an office for the work they supply, I recon the average weekly driver payment to be around the £100 mark. Using this as an example with the plate values being £15,000 (again an guessed average) its clear to see that it after 150 weeks you have paid the office propietor the same value of a H/C plate, thats in less than 3 years. Compare your position with that of a driver who borrows £15k from his bank to purchase a plate, after 3 years he has repaid his loan and he has a plate which still has a value of £15k. This example clearly shows that its not a case of plateholders being the people with "big bucks" but more that it shows that H/C plateholders are the people with vision which extends beyond their own noses.

You made the decision NOT to buy a plate, you chose to go into P/H and pay into a industry which takes and gives nothing back, in so far as after however many years of payment the P/H office would never become yours, these people decided to invest their money in their own future and the assurance of their plate having a value at the end of their career to give them a lump sum on retirement.

Please refrain from assuming that all of the current plateholders have got their plates for nothing, its completely inaccurate, they just made a decision which you chose not to take up.

Give me as many numbered questions as you will, but if I have to work out exactly what you are asking, then we will be here till the New Year.

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IDFIMH

And the government and/or councils can wipe out such investments overnight.

Not a particularly sound investment, in my opionion.

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IDFIMH

Look if you think it's a good thing, that the Mr Bigs of this world can buy up plates, jumping the HC waiting list. Then you really are in the right union for such views.

However I think it's a cancer on the HC trade.

As for HC plate buyers having vision, well I'm afraid the ones that have sold their plates in the last year or two, may have had. However the lads that bought and haven't sold, have as much vision as the Home Secretary.

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IDFIMH

So we all try to defend the queue jumpers.

I don't think so.

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IDFIMH