Taxi Driver Online

If ya get a journey which takes you out of Liverpool to say Manchester or Birmingham which rate do,ya put the clock on(between 11pm and 6am)
,should it be rate 2 or rate 3?????


HOW MUCH?

Here in Warrington it's t1 until 11.30 then T2, so the first 1/2 hr would be T1 then upto T2.
But the fare would be estimated more than likely to give em an idea of cost (and Money up front)

I wouldn't run the meter at all, I'd agree a price with the passenger prior to undertaking the journey.

_________________
Visit TAXIPIX at www.taxipix.fotopic.net

If your talking Hackney carriages, you may find that in many areas that you can't manually alter the meter because they are set to change tariffs automatically. Every out of area fare is negotiable.

Regards

JD

Can you verbally agree a fare within your area and not use the meter????, I think that you can as when your public hire don't you have both public and pH options??say someone came to your cab and said that they would give you £5.00 for a run home and the fare was say £5.70 on the meter and you accept that, do you legally have to put the meter on????

Of course I think it was concluded that you can charge less than the council tariff, but the grey areas seem to be whether you can have a meter set at less than the official tariff and/or whether you can do local runs without activating the meter.

I don't think these matters are addressed in any legislation, so basically it comes down to local rules.

I'm quite sure that drivers in many areas run without the meter, but I don't know if any LAs allow hack meters to be set at less than the LA rate.

But if your LA specifies these rules then it's certainly not clear cut that they are acting illegally, so you would really have to challenge them in court to get a proper answer, which isn't always practical.

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

If someone asks you to take them down the road for 20 pounds then there is nothing in law that insists the meter should be activated. If you intentionally fail to engage the meter for any hire, excepting one that’s been agreed and you ask for more than the normal fair, then that is an offence.

There will be occasions when a driver forgets to engage the meter so under those circumstances you should ask the passenger to agree a fare during or at the end of the journey. Never "impose" a fare on a passenger under such circumstances, or you could find yourself in hot water.

Regards

JD

warrington's hackney carraiges run t1 until 11:00 pm and then T2 until 7am

in warrington the LA says the meter has be on all the time even if youve fixed the price with the customer . even if its 1/2 mile down the road meter still has to be on

The general rule, for most LAs is that the meter must be brought into use for any fare within the Licensing Area. For fares outside of the boundary, a fare should be negotiated prior to undertaking the journey.

It is as clean-cut as that and as far as rates 1,2 & 3 are concerned, most areas are now making calendar meters compulsory so the rates change automatically and cannot be manually altered.

And one other point from Lpool's Hackney Carriages Byelaws:

"The driver of a hackney carriage shall: Cause the dial of the taximeter to be kept illuminated throughout any part of a hiring which is between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise, and also at any other time at the request of the hirer"

I wonder if the council have ever pulled anyone up for that one?

_________________
Visit TAXIPIX at www.taxipix.fotopic.net

Fairway, can we assume that it is a rule or it isn't? I don't see the relevance of the word General. What does the bylaw actually state?

Regards

JD

With regards to my previous comment, this is certainly the case in Liverpool. And I'm sure almost every other LA has the same byelaw.

To my knowledge, it has always been the case that PH can run a meter, should they choose to do so. Hacks must run a meter. The only time that a hack can run without the meter switched on is on an out of town run.[/b]

_________________
Visit TAXIPIX at www.taxipix.fotopic.net

But there is nothing in the bylaws that confirm your assumption? Is there?
...........................................................................

CITY OF LIVERPOOL BYELAWS

made by Liverpool City Council

With respect to HACKNEY CARRIAGES PLYING FOR HIRE

CITY OF LIVERPOOL

BYELAWS

Made under section 68 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, and section 171 of the Public Health Act 1875 by the Liverpool City Council with respect to hackney carriages in the City of Liverpool.

Interpretation

1. Throughout these byelaws “the Council” means the Liverpool City Council and “the district” means the said City except that in relation to any hiring which takes place within the City it shall extend to a distance of four miles measured by the nearest route, from the nearest boundary of the district.

Provisions regulating the manner in which the number of each hackney carriage corresponding with the number of its licence shall be displayed

2. a. The proprietor of a hackney carriage shall affix the licence plates
issued to him in respect of the carriage on the outside and inside of the
carriage in the positions and in manner approved by the Council.

b. A proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage shall:

(i)not wilfully or negligently cause or suffer any such licence plate to be
concealed from public view while the carriage is standing or plying for hire; and (ii)not cause or permit the carriage to stand or ply for hire with any such plate so defaced or covered that any figure or material particular is illegible.

Provisions regulating how hackney carriages are to be furnished or provided.

3. The proprietor of a hackney carriage shall:

a. provide sufficient means by which any person in the carriage may
communicate with the driver;

b. cause the roof or covering to be kept water-tight;

c. provide any necessary windows and a means of opening and closing not less than one window on each side;

d. cause the seats to be properly cushioned or covered;

e.cause the floor to be provided with a proper carpet mat or other suitable
covering;

f. keep the fittings and furniture in a tidy and clean condition well maintained and in every way fit for public service;

g.provide means for securing luggage if the carriage is so constructed as to carry luggage;

h. provide an efficient fire extinguisher which shall be carried in such a
position as to be readily available for use;
i. provide at least two doors for the use of persons conveyed in such carriage and a separate means of ingress and egress for the driver;

j. make no material alteration or change in the specification design, condition or appearance of the carriage without the prior approval of the Council.

Signs, notices etc.

4. No signs, notices, advertisements, plates, marks numbers, letters, figures, symbols emblems or devices whatsoever shall be displayed on, in or from the hackney carriage except as may be required by any statutory provision or required or permitted by these byelaws or approved by the Council provided however that this condition shall not apply to any indication on a taxi meter fitted to the hackney carriage or to a sign which:

(i) is displayed in on or from the vehicle while it is stationary;

(ii) contains no words or numbers other than the name and address of the
proprietor or driver of the hackney carriage or the name under which he
carries on his business and its address and, in either case, the name of a
passenger or passengers to be carried in the vehicle; and

(iii)is displayed in pursuance of a prior arrangement made for the carriage of a passenger or passengers named in the sign.

5. The proprietor of a hackney carriage shall cause the same to be provided with a taximeter so constructed attached and maintained as to comply with the following requirements that is to say:

a. the taximeter shall be fitted with a device the turning of which will bring the machinery of the taximeter into action and cause the word “HIRED” to appear on the face of the taximeter when the vehicle is hired and when standing or plying for hire cause the words “FOR HIRE” to be displayed ;
b. such device shall be capable of being locked in such a position that the
machinery of the taximeter is not in action and that no fare is recorded on the face of the taximeter;

c. when the machinery of the taximeter is in action there shall be recorded on the face of the taximeter in clearly legible figures a fare not exceeding the rate or fare which the proprietor or driver is entitled to demand and take for the hire of the carriage by distance and time in pursuance of the tariff fixed by the Council ;

d. the word “FARE” shall be printed on the face of the taximeter in plain letters so as clearly to apply to the fare recorded thereon;

e. the taximeter shall be so placed that all letters and figures on the face thereof are at all times plainly visible to any person being conveyed in the carriage and for that purpose the letters and figures shall be capable of being suitably illuminated during any period of hiring;

f. the taximeter and all the fittings thereof shall be so affixed to the carriage with seals or other appliances that it shall not be practicable for any person to tamper with them except by breaking damaging or permanently displacing the seals or other appliances.

Provisions regulating the conduct of the proprietors and drivers of hackney carriages plying within the district in their several employments, and determining whether such drivers shall wear any and what badges.

6. The driver of a hackney carriage shall:

a. when standing or plying for hire keep the device of the taximeter bearing the words “FOR HIRE” fitted in pursuance of the byelaw in that
behalf locked in the position in which the words are horizontal and legible and no fare is recorded on the face of the taximeter;

b. before beginning a journey for which a fare is charged for distance and time, bring the machinery of the taximeter into action by moving the said device so that the word “HIRED” is legible on the face of the taximeter and keep the machinery of the taximeter in action until the termination of the hiring;

c. cause the dial of the taximeter to be kept properly illuminated throughout any part of a hiring which is between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise, and also at any other time at the request of the hirer;

7. A proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage shall not tamper with or permit any person to tamper with any taximeter with which the carriage is provided, with the fittings thereof or with the seals affixed thereto.

8. The driver of a hackney carriage shall, when plying for hire in any street and not actually hired:

a. proceed with reasonable speed to one of the stands appointed by the
Council pursuant to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions)
Act 1976;

b. if a stand, at the time of his arrival, is occupied by the full number of carriages authorised to occupy it, proceed to another stand;

c. on arriving at a stand not already occupied by the full number of carriages authorised to occupy it, station the carriage immediately behind the carriage or carriages on the stand and so as to face in the same direction;

d. from time to time when any other carriage immediately in front is driven off or moved forward cause his carriage to be moved forward so as to fill the place previously occupied by the carriage driven off or moved forward.

9. A proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage, when standing or plying for hire, shall not, make use of the services of any other person for the purpose of importuning any person to hire such carriage.

10. The driver of a hackney carriage shall behave in a civil and orderly manner.

11. The driver of a hackney carriage shall take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of persons conveyed in or entering or alighting from the vehicle.

12. The proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage who has agreed or has been hired to be in attendance with the carriage at an appointed time and place shall, unless delayed or prevented by some sufficient cause, punctually attend with such carriage at such appointed time and place.

13. The driver of a hackney carriage when hired to drive to any particular destination shall proceed to that destination by the route requested by the hirer.

14. A proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage shall not convey or permit to be conveyed in such carriage any greater number of persons than the number of persons specified on the plate affixed to the outside of the carriage. For the purpose of this byelaw two children under the age of 10 years may be regarded as one person.

15. The driver of a hackney carriage shall when standing or plying for hire and when hired wear a badge as may be issued by the Council on his person in such position or manner as to be plainly visible.

16. The driver of a hackney carriage shall exhibit inside the hackney carriage in such position and in such manner as may be prescribed by the Council and so as to be plainly visible to any passenger such badge as may be issued by the Council for the purpose being a duplicate of the badge issued under Byelaw 15.

17. The driver of a hackney carriage so constructed as to carry luggage shall, when requested by any person hiring or seeking to hire the carriage:

a. convey a reasonable quantity of luggage;

b. afford reasonable assistance in loading and unloading;

c. afford reasonable assistance in removing it to or from the entrance of any building, station or place at which he may take up or set down such person.

Provisions fixing the rates or fares to be paid for hackney carriages within the district and securing the due publication of such fares.

18. The proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage shall be entitled to demand and take for the hire of the carriage the rate or fare prescribed by the table of fares made or varied from time to time by the Council under Section 65, Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976,
the rate or fare being calculated by distance and time unless the hirer express at the commencement of the hiring his desire to engage by time only. Provided always that where a hackney carriage furnished with a taximeter shall be hired by distance and time the proprietor or driver thereof shall not be entitled to demand and take a fare greater than that recorded on the face of the taximeter, save for any extra charges authorised by the table of fares which it may not be possible to record on the face of the taximeter.

19. a. The proprietor of a hackney carriage shall cause a copy of the table of fares to be exhibited inside the carriage, in clearly distinguishable letters and figures.

b. The proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage bearing a statement of fares in accordance with this byelaw shall not wilfully or negligently cause or suffer the letters or figures in the statement to be concealed or rendered illegible at any time while the carriage is plying or being used for hire. Provisions securing the safe custody and re-delivery of any property accidentally left in hackney carriages, and fixing the charges to be made in respect thereof.

20. The proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage shall immediately after the termination of any hiring or as soon as practicable thereafter carefully search the carriage for any property which may have been accidentally left therein.

21. The proprietor or driver of a hackney carriage shall, if any property accidentally left therein by any person who may have been conveyed in the carriage be found by or handed to him;

a. carry it as soon as possible and in any event within 24 hours, if not sooner claimed by or on behalf of its owner, and leave it in the custody of the officer in charge of the Central Lost Property Office, Merseyside Police, St. Anne Street, Liverpool, and obtain a receipt for it;

b. be entitled to receive from any person to whom the property shall be
redelivered an amount equal to five pence in the pound of its estimated value (or the fare for the distance from the placing of finding to the Central Lost Property Office, whichever be the greater) but not more than five pounds.

Penalties.

22. Every person who shall offend against any of these byelaws shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale and in the case of a continuing offence to a further fine not exceeding five pounds for each day during which the offence continues after conviction therefor.

Repeal of Byelaws

23. The byelaws relating to hackney carriages which were made by the Council on the 21st day of April 1980 and which were confirmed by the Home Secretary are hereby repealed.
...............................................................................

Sussex will like that one

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

So the driver is supposed to 'carefully' search the taxi after every hire?

Oh yes, I'm sure they all do

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk