Taxi Driver Online

Says who, says the survey conducted by Wirrel District thats who. A derestricted area who carried out a recent survey tio monitor the effects of Dereg/Delimit. A copy is available on this site (see L & L) posted by Mr. T. (no relation) And I have worked on and off as a controller for 25 years and would say that if you took out contract work the percentage is much higher.

Your point is?

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IDFIMH

As you have needed to asked that question I can safely assume you will never understand the answer.

Oh , Wirrall District.... well it must be right then................

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Our safety is Paramount

Is there something that makes their survey any less valid than any other. Its a published document available to everyone, can you dispute that percentage with any other legal survey or document. If not then we can assume its valid. From personal experience I would say its very valid and could be higher if contract work was excluded.

But that's not the point.

Just because a booking is for "as soon as possible" doesn't make it invalid as a pre-booked contract for a Private Hire Vehicle.

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Our safety is Paramount

Did I say it was ? ASAP is certainly not prebooked by definition but as for it being a valid booking in respect of PH I don't know. Has there every been a legal challenge soley on that point, if not now could be a good time to mount one. Even at local level it would move rapidly up the legal chain, most councils do not have the funds or the inclination to mount a defence. With local elections ahead would they want to be seen wasting rate payers money on the difference between ASAP and pre-booked.

From NORTHAMPTON COUNCIL.

Private Hire Vehicles cannot ply for hire in the street or at taxi ranks. Journeys must be pre-booked, normally by phone or in person at a cab office. Failure to do so is an offence and invalidates the vehicle's insurance cover.

Fares for private hire vehicles are not regulated by the Council - the cost of a journey will normally be based on a rate per mile or should be agreed with the company before the journey.

This could be a starting point, clearly says PRE-BOOKED and rate per mile or agreed price, no mention of a Taximeter or PH being allowed to charge a combinatioin of time and distance.
Clearly a PH picking up an ASAP passenger and using a Taximeter is apparently breaking the law and at the very least invalidating his insurance cover.

But it's not whether it's ASAP or not, it's the distinction between private and public hire tha's relevant for legal purposes.

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

Oh dear, clearly too hard a question for you.

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IDFIMH

Please tell Northamptonshire council not me then they can ammend their published conditions for private hire vehicles.

T. please try to stick to facts and not what you want them to be.

Booked by phone...no mention of how far in advance.
Fares for PHV are not regulated by council...therefore if a PH operator wants to use Taximeters,they can do so
Apparently breaking the law...oh yeh, which law?

Come on mate we can have a sensible debate can't we

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Our safety is Paramount

The abbreviation "pre" is from the word preceding which is before.

If the telephone request to book a vehicle to undertake a journey precedes that job being dispatched to the vehicle intended to undertake that journey then the booking has been clearly made before the journey has been dispatched never mind carried out.

So providing the booking precedes the journey, the journey should be considered pre-booked, whatever times are dictated by the customer.

B. Lucky

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"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

What has that got to do with ASAP and public/private hire?

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

Interesting theory. I'll stick with reality though.

You'd be better looking at the current activities of the 'licensed' Minicabs rather that dwell on the past. You would find little has changed, they still come a poor third.