Taxi Driver Online

Are your meters running on the correct tariff?? We have found out tonight that the sheriff meters are not changing to the crimbo rates anyone got the answer

This one came up last year in Edinburgh.

Assuming you can't get them sorted, the only possible option is to use the extras to add the increase in the flagfall.

If your distance charge increases as well then there's no obvious way round it.

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The Edinburgh thread from last year:

http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/vie ... hp?p=18507

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Taxi Driver Online
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I have just checked mine, but realised that it don't come into operation till 1900hrs, its a digitax calender type, so will see in a few mins if it changes

The suspense is killing me

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Well there we go, £2.85 it works, not sure if I really wanna work work tonight tho

I know the feeling, but in the small town where I work it's dead as a dodo on Xmas eve until after midnight, so I won't be going out till later, if at all.

I suppose the calender meters have good and bad points though - last night I got a fare just before rate 2 started. I waited at least an hour for the next one, but since it was a £15er I was quite pleased. But just before we arrived at the other end I realised I'd forgotten to crank the meter up to rate 2 because of the time since I'd had the last fare

So I did myself out of a couple of quid or so.

But at least there'll be no problems changing the meter to the Xmas rates tonight, unless I forget again of course

But back to wrapping the Xmas pressies in the meantime

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AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH even the Halda ones as well, well almost, it starts at the correct rate but does not change until 390 yards and its supposed to change every 130 so I loose 45p every run.
and just for Sussex what do 45p's make????? loads of money at the end of a shift

T D O We only have extras for call out, (90p) but we could use them for the fair, but we need to contact the council and we cannot untill the 4th of Jan. We have the inspectors mobil but could he sanction it???

Yes, I was kind of assuming from your initial post that the Xmas premium was not added by way of extras.

I can't really see anything wrong with using extras as regards the boost in the flagfall, since it's just coming to the same answer by a different route - you would still only be charging the fare prescribed by the council.

Where you might be on sticky ground, however, is if you tried to add any distance premium by way of the extras, since it would clearly be difficult to quantify this element.

Away from the issue of Xmas fares per se, in the past I've once or twice charged a fare when I've forgotten to put the meter on at all - what I've done is just reduced a fare that I know quite well to err on the side of caution (eg charge £8 when I know that it would normally be £9). I view it as being a bit like an electricity meter - even if it doesn't register, you're still liable for the bill.

I think the main thing to be wary about is erring on the side of caution, and this would depend on how certain you are about what the metered fare would be, and how you think the customer might react.

But as regards using the extras button to add the Xmas flagfall premium, I don't see much of problem with that.

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Baa Humbug Mr clueless inspector says we can only put the call out charge on, only if we are called, not if anyone gets in on the rank

Yes, it's not surprising he took the cautious view.

However, since I've got the Civic Government Act out, it says:

The fares for the hire of taxis in any area and all other charges in connection with the hire of a taxi or with arrangements for its hire shall be not greater than those fixed for that area under this section and section 18 of this Act.

So if you add an increase in the flagfall onto the extras the you're not charging more than the charges fixed under the Act, so at least you would be consistent with the above.

Perhaps you could then ask him why the council didn't check the meters properly when they were tested

As I said last year during the Edinburgh saga, I'm still not sure exactly how these calener meters can be tested properly, or if LAs even bother trying.

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I think many of the problems, associated with Xmas fares, arise when there hasn't been a fare increase since the previous Xmas.

I've often wondered how far in advance the calendar meters are set, but I bet it's not that long else the meter fitters would be no more.

But I suppose it's another good reason to have yearly fare reviews.

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IDFIMH

By gum Sussex your right for once thats what happend , as we have not had a fair rise for over 2 years the meter chips where set to only give us 1 crimbos worth.
The council have said we can have a rise this year in Feb (woopy do) and we will make shure the crimbo tariffs are corect